Committee details opioid‑abatement appropriations and tighter oversight of advisory committee

The Senate Health & Welfare committee reviewed Act 16 (H218), described by Speaker 2 as a fiscal‑year 2026 appropriations bill for the opioid abatement special fund. Speaker 2 listed several example appropriations the bill included, saying the bill made “a number of appropriations” and noted examples such as $1,900,000 for outreach and case‑management staff positions within a preferred‑provider network and $1,400,000 for certified recovery residences.

Speaker 2 said the law requires the opioid settlement advisory committee to base annual recommendations for expenditures on previously reported outcomes and measurements and to include a corresponding citation to the authorized use within the statute when making recommendations. The committee noted this is intended to improve tracking and accountability over time.

Speaker 2 and others discussed that the fund had been front‑loaded early in the settlement trajectory, and JFO (Nolan) projected smaller amounts would be available in later years; committee members said they would want to review JFO projections and program outcomes when considering future appropriations.

Next steps: committee members signaled interest in receiving JFO projections and outcome reports from the opioid settlement advisory committee to inform future funding choices.