State Budget Committee Approves Plan to Spend Opioid Settlement Funds

Thursday, May 9th, 2024 -- 1:00 PM

(Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Republicans on the state's powerful budget committee approved their own plan for how to spend money received from opioid settlements and again refused to take up funding for addressing PFAS in a meeting Tuesday.

According to Laura Schulte with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, debate focused on how the state would spend its third disbursement of funding from the opioid settlements, $36 million in fiscal year 2025.

The committee members reviewed a proposal from the Department of Health Services, keeping some suggestions while changing others. The agency spending plan released in April emphasized educating young people about the danger of opioids and supporting the family and friends of those struggling with addiction, proposals that were denied in previous legislative sessions.

The plan included $6 million for tribal nations, $5 million for community, education and after-school programs, and $5 million for family support and resource centers, among other proposals. It also called for $3.5 million for the overdose treatment Narcan and $1 million for test strips that can identify fentanyl and xylazine, among other drugs.

Instead, the committee altered some of the plans made by DHS including:

• $1 million for K-12 education and prevention, in addition to $750,000 for a public service campaign;
• $600,000 for a program that would focus on educating pregnant women about the dangers of opioids, and would provide pre- and post-natal care;
• Funding for Narcan and testing strips, in addition to $500,000 for drug disposal kits;
• $500,000 to provide lockboxes for places like veterinary offices that may have unsecured opioids;
• $7.7 million for capital projects, such room and board program and medication assisted treatment programs;
• And $9.3 million for law enforcement partners.

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