Community Access

Can I provide input on spending?

• 70% County Abatement Account and 15% Litigating Subdivision Account shares: Generally, yes. Though local governments are not required to seek public input as to opioid settlement spending specifically, they generally must accept public comments during their public meetings.[1] Take advantage of this requirement by showing up to meetings of your city or county council and offering comments on local settlement spending. Local governments and political subdivisions may also each choose to seek additional input. For example:

  • For example, Allegheny County hosts a community survey portal to solicit public input on its share of opioid settlement funds.[2]

  • The City of Philadelphia partnered with the Scattergood Foundation to distribute opioid settlement funds through a participatory grantmaking process in which community members themselves selected grant recipients.[3] These “community granting group members” must offer content or subject matter expertise; have lived experience relative to substance use, treatment, and/or recovery; or have experience in the harm reduction, behavioral health, or substance use prevention space.[4]

  Note: Although meetings of the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust’s Board of Trustees must be open to the public,[5] prior meetings have not included opportunities for public comment. The Trust’s website includes information about how to attend future meetings, meeting agendas, and minutes from previous meetings.

• 15% Commonwealth share: No opportunities available (not required). The state has not established recurring opportunities for the public to provide input on uses of its share.[6]

Can I apply for grants?

Yes. The state has offered grants in the past from the 15% Commonwealth share.[7] Local governments may create grant programs to distribute their share of funds. The existence, parameters, and processes for local settlement grant programs will vary by locality, so stay alert for new opportunities. Visit the Opioid Settlement Community Grants Portal (OpioidSettlementTracker.com and Legal Action Center) for the most up-to-date information on settlement grant opportunities for community organizations.

Where do I go for updates?

• For updates on the County Abatement Account and Litigating Subdivision Account shares, visit the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust’s website. See also individual localities’ websites listed here, e.g., Delaware County and Philadelphia.

  • Spotlight PA’s Opioid Settlement Money investigation has produced extensive coverage and resources useful to opioid settlement spending advocacy, including a collection of opioid settlement spending plans from counties and district attorney offices.

• A single resource containing updates specific to the Commonwealth share could not be found.

• You can sign up for updates from Community Education Group’s Appalachian Opioid Remediation (AOR) Database, which tracks information about the 13 states of Appalachia.

What else should I know?

Not applicable.

Citations

1. 65 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. Sec. 710.1(a) (“the board or council of a political subdivision or of an authority created by a political subdivision shall provide a reasonable opportunity at each advertised regular meeting and advertised special meeting for residents … or for taxpayers to comment on matters of concern, official action or deliberation which are or may be before the board or council prior to taking official action. The board or council has the option to accept all public comment at the beginning of the meeting. If the board or council determines that there is not sufficient time … for … comment, the board or council may defer the comment period to the next regular meeting or to a special meeting occurring in advance of the next regular meeting”). See also 65 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. Sec. 710.1(d) (“The board or council of a political subdivision or of an authority created by a political subdivision which had, before January 1, 1993, established a practice or policy of holding special meetings solely for the purpose of public comment in advance of advertised regular meetings shall be exempt from the provisions of subsection (a)”). ↑

2. “Help Shape Our Community's Future: Your Input Needed on Opioid Settlement Fund Investments.” Allegheny County. Accessed September 1, 2024. ↑

3. Overdose Prevention and Community Healing Fund. Scattergood Foundation. Accessed September 1, 2024. ↑

4. Overdose Prevention and Community Health Fund 2023-2024 Request for Proposals. Scattergood Foundation. Accessed September 1, 2024. ↑

5. See Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust Court Order Para. VIII(C). July 12, 2022 (making the Trust subject to the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act). ↑

6. If you see this change, email [e-mail]. ↑

7. See, e.g., Opioid Settlement Revenues. Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. May 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. ↑