Texas’s Opioid Settlements

This Community Guide will describe how Texas is spending its opioid settlements, and whether Texas is working to ensure community access to opioid settlement funds. Last revised September 1, 2024.

Total Funds

$2.8 billion[1]

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[1] Total is rounded. See The Official Opioid Settlement Tracker Tally. Accessed September 1, 2024.

Allocation

70% to the Opioid Abatement Trust Fund, 15% to local governments, and 15% to the state

Mechanism

State-Local Agreement (Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council and Settlement Allocation Term Sheet); Legislation (Tex. Gov’t Code Secs. 403.501 through 403.511); Regulation (34 Tex. Admin. Code Secs. 16.200 through 16.222)

	70% Opioid Abatement Fund Share	15% State Share	15% Local Share
Ultimate Decisionmaker	Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council (with limited exceptions)	Texas state legislature and state agencies	Local officials for cities and counties
Decision-making Process	Excepting certain set-asides established by the Texas state legislature, the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council has final decision-making authority over this share and awards funds according to its grant policies. Applicants from Texas’ 20 Regional Healthcare Partnership Regions submit applications to the Council to receive funding from formulaically allocated regional shares, and each are required to reserve 25% for “targeted interventions.”	The Texas state legislature appropriates funds to state agencies for strategies listed in state law.	Localities decide autonomously
Supplantation	Generally, not prohibited	Not prohibited	Not prohibited
Grant Funding	Yes. See grant opportunities on the Councils’ website here.	No	Up to each locality (availability and processes will vary)
Public Input	Not… yet? (not required, but see Texas Opioid Abatement Council’s intent to solicit public input on an “ongoing basis”)	No opportunities available (not required)	Generally, yes (public comments required at public meetings)
Advisory Body	Yes (required). See the Texas Opioid Abatement Fund Council. The Opioid Abatement Fund Council is not required to include member(s) with lived and/or living experience.	No (not required)	Up to each locality (not required)
Expenditures	No public reporting required (only intrastate)	Neither public nor intrastate reporting required	Neither public nor intrastate reporting required (detailed disbursement data aside)
Updates	For updates on the Texas Abatement Fund share, visit the Texas Abatement Fund Council’s website, which provides an email sign-up link.	A single resource containing updates specific to the state share could not be found.	To find updates on the local share, a good starting point is to check the websites for your Commissioners Court, city council, or local health department. See, e.g., McKinney.