Yes. The Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee was created by state law to provide advice and recommendations on spending priorities for the state’s 70% Opioid Abatement Special Fund share.[1] The Advisory Committee must consult people with lived experience,[2] the Substance Misuse Oversight Prevention and Advisory Council, frontline support professionals, and other stakeholders.[3] Additionally, in making its spending recommendations, the Advisory Committee must consider the:[4]
“[I]mpact of the opioid crisis on communities throughout Vermont, including communities’ abatement needs and proposals for abatement strategies and responses”
“[P]erspectives of and proposals from opioid use disorder prevention coalitions, recovery centers, and medication-assisted treatment providers”
“[O]ngoing challenges of the opioid crisis on marginalized populations, including individuals who have a lived experience of opioid use disorder”
The Advisory Committee must meet at least quarterly but no more than six times per calendar year.[5] and its meetings are subject to Vermont’s open meetings law.[6]
Yes. The Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee is required by state law to include “two individuals with lived experience of opioid use disorder, including at least one of whom is in recovery.”[7] The Advisory Committee is also required to “ensure inclusion of individuals with lived experience of opioid use disorder and their family members whenever possible.”[8]
The Advisory Committee has 16 members, including:[9]
The Commissioner of Health or their designee, who serves as a nonvoting chair
The state’s Chief Prevention Officer
One current member of the Vermont House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House
One current member of the Vermont Senate, appointed by the state Senate’s Committee on Committees
A primary care doctor associated with the Blueprint for Health and who has experience providing medications for opioid use disorder, appointed by Blueprint for Health’s executive director
An academic researcher appointed by the University of Vermont
An assistant judge appointed by the Vermont Association of County Judges
Seven people employed by (or an agent of) Vermont’s cities and towns and reflecting their geographic and population diversity, appointed by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns
Two people with lived experience of opioid use disorder, at least one of whom is in recovery, with one member each appointed by the Howard Center’s Safe Recovery program and the Vermont Association of Mental Health and Addiction Recovery
Members must reflect Vermont’s gender, race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and socioeconomic diversity, and “ensure the inclusion of individuals with lived experience of opioid use disorder and their families whenever possible.”[10] You can view a list of current Advisory Committee members and their contact information here.
Terms: Advisory Committee members serve four-year terms and are eligible for reappointment.[11] Members may be removed from the Advisory Committee by their appointing entity for cause.[12]
No (up to each locality). Local governments in Vermont 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.
Vermont state law requires that spending recommendations supported by an affirmative majority vote of the Advisory Committee be submitted to the Department of Health, the Vermont House Committees on Appropriations and on Human Services, and the Vermont Senate Committees on Appropriations and on Health and Welfare.[13] This process has not been without controversy. In February 2024, ACLU of Vermont sent a letter to Vermont Commissioner of Health Mark Levine accusing the Commissioner and Vermont Governor Phil Scott of unlawfully modifying the Advisory Committee’s recommendations by excluding a recommendation to fund overdose prevention centers.[14] On June 17, 2024, the Vermont Legislature overrode Governor Scott’s veto of House Bill 72, which authorizes a pilot overdose prevention center in the city of Burlington and allocates $1.1 million in opioid settlement funds to support the pilot and conduct a study of its impact.[15]
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(a). These recommendations are provided to the Governor, the Department of Health, and the General Assembly. 18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(c). ↑
More specifically, the Advisory Committee must “demonstrate broad ongoing consultation with individuals living with opioid use disorder about their direct experience with related systems, including medication-assisted treatment, residential treatment, recovery services, harm reduction services, overdose, supervision by the Department of Corrections, and involvement with the Department for Children and Families’ Family Services Division.” 18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(c). ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(c). ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(c)(1)-(3). ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(f)(2). ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(f)(4). ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(b)(1)(G). ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(b)(1). ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(b)(1). ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(b)(1). ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(b)(2)(A) (“Members shall hold office for the term of their appointments and until their successors have been appointed.”) ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(b)(2)(B) (cause “includes only neglect of duty, gross misconduct, conviction of a crime, or inability to perform the responsibilities of the office.”) ↑
18 V.S.A. Sec. 4772(e). ↑
Harrison Stark (ACLU of Vermont) Letter to Dr. Mark Levine (Commissioner of Health, Vermont Department of Health). “Open Meeting Law Violation re: Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee Funding Recommendations, FY ’25.” February 15, 2024. Accessed June 18, 2024. ↑
2023-2024 Vermont House Bill 72. The bill also expresses that “[i]t is the intent of the General Assembly to continue to appropriate funds from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund through fiscal year 2028 for the purpose of awarding grants to the City of Burlington for the operation of the pilot program.” Id. at Sec. 2. See also Peter D'Auria. Lawmakers override Phil Scott’s veto of overdose prevention center bill. VTDigger. June 17, 2024. Accessed June 18, 2024. ↑