Advisory Bodies

Has the state established an advisory body for settlement funds?

Yes. Oklahoma state law establishes the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board to develop, implement, and monitor a grant process for the disbursement of monies from the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Revolving Fund to political subdivisions in the state.[1] Specifically, the Abatement Board is authorized to:

• Establish procedures to disburse grants to “eligible participants” (i.e., political subdivisions)[2]

• Develop and implement a grant application, submission, and evaluation process[3]

• Establish an appeals process for denials of grant applications and “denials of specific fund use requests”[4]

• Oversee political subdivisions’ grant expenditures “to ensure grant proceeds are used exclusively for approved purposes”[5]

• Suspend grant awards if a political subdivision fails to comply with Board procedures or use grant funds for nonapproved purposes[6]

Information about Abatement Board meetings, including meeting agendas and minutes, is available on the Board’s website.

Is the state advisory body required to include member(s) with lived and/or living experience?

No. The Abatement Board is not required to include any member(s) with lived and/or living experience.

What is the overall membership of the state advisory body?

The composition of the nine-member (9) Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board is defined by state law:[7]

• One member appointed by the governor

• One member appointed by the state auditor and inspector

• One member appointed by the state treasurer

• One member appointed by the state superintendent of public instruction

• Two members appointed by the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives

• Two members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate

• The state attorney general or their designee, who serves ex-officio and only votes in instances of a tie

You can view a list of current Abatement Board members here.

Terms: Members of the Abatement Board serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority and can be removed without cause.[8]

Are local governments required to establish a settlement advisory body? If so, are local advisory bodies required to include member(s) with lived and/or living experience?

No (up to each locality). Local governments in Oklahoma are not required to establish opioid settlement advisory bodies. However, localities may choose to establish advisory councils that include members with lived and/or living experience to help ensure that settlement spending reflects community priorities.

What else should I know?

Each member of Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Boad is prohibited from voting on any issue in which they have a direct or indirect financial interest.[9]

Citations

1. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(A), (C). Political subdivisions are defined to include municipalities, counties, school districts, and public trusts “where the sole beneficiary or beneficiaries are a city, town, school district or county.” Okla. Stat. tit. 51, Sec. 152(11)(a)-(d); Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.5(9). ↑

2. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(C)(1); Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.5(3) (defining “eligible participant” to mean “any political subdivision impacted by the opioid crisis”). ↑

3. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(C)(2). ↑

4. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(C)(3). ↑

5. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(C)(4). ↑

6. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(C)(5) (“the Board shall resume such allocations once the Board has determined the eligible participant has adequately remedied the cause of such suspension”). ↑

7. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(A)(1)-(7). ↑

8. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(B). ↑

9. Id. ↑