Community Access

Can I provide input on spending?

• 85% Opioid Settlement Fund share: Yes (required). State law requires the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (OSAC) to ensure “robust public involvement, accountability and transparency” when allocating and accounting for the Opioid Settlement Fund share,[1] and its bylaws requires the OSAC to “allow participation of members of the public in Committee meetings during designated public participation portion of the meeting.”[2] OSAC’s Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee Public Participation Guidelines describe how individuals or organizations can request a public presentation, offer comments, or submit written materials.[3]

  • In Fall 2023, OSAC received public input through an online portal that was open for just thirty (30) days,[4] during which it received 132 recommendations for funding priorities.[5]

  • Members of the public also had the chance to weigh in with feedback on draft recommendations from the Connecticut Opioid REsponse (CORE) Initiative, which held a public review period for its final set of funding priorities submitted to OSAC in March 2024.[6]

• 15% municipalities’ share: Up to each locality (not required). Local governments are not required to seek public input on spending their share of settlement funds. However, each may choose to seek such input. For example, Torrington’s mayor has announced that the city has “opted to use the city council and a public hearing process to determine how to spend the funds,”[7] and Bristol’s mayor “encourages anyone with “innovative ideas” on how to address the issue of substance abuse prevention to attend the meeting of the Opioid Task Force.”[8] You can read municipalities’ reports of their planning processes in their required reporting to OSAC.[9]

Can I apply for grants?

It depends. As of September 1, 2024, the state has not established specific grant opportunities with state settlement funds, but community organizations are eligible to receive funding from the Opioid Settlement Fund via the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee.[10] 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 Portals (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 Opioid Settlement Fund share, visit the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee’s website.

• To find updates on the local share, a good starting point is to check the websites for your county commission, city council, or local health department. Municipalities’ payments and expenditures are published on the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee’s website.

What else should I know?

Not applicable.

Citations

1. Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(a). ↑

2. Connecticut State Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee Bylaws, Art. III, Sec. 8. July 11, 2023. It is unclear whether this requirement applies to the activities of OSAC’s six subcommittees. Minutes from subcommittees’ recent meetings do not show dedicated public comment periods. ↑

3. Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee Public Participation Guideline. Connecticut State Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. July 11, 2023. ↑

4. See Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee Opens Portal to Collect Public Input on Funding of Initiatives to Combat the Opioid Crisis. Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services press release. October 3, 2023. Accessed September 1, 2024. ↑

5. January 9, 2024 Meeting Minutes. Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. Accessed September 1, 2024 (“The Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee opened a public input portal as part of our statutory charge is to have a healthy public input and a transparent process. As there are multiple intakes for the committee, we also really wanted to open it up to the public as well, so we opened the portal from October 17th, 2023 – November 17th, 2023. In that time, we got 132 funding recommendations”). ↑

6. David Fiellin. Connecticut Opioid Response (CORE) Strategic Plan Draft Report Summary. September 12, 2023. CORE is an initiative based out of the Yale School of Medicine and Yale School of Public Health. The initiative drafted an initial report in 2016, at the request of the governor. The more recent report and recommendations were developed by CORE at the request of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), in coordination with the state’s Alcohol and Drug Policy Council (ADPC). ↑

7. Andrew Brown. Many CT towns, cities still deciding how to spend opioid funds. CT Mirror. March 4, 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. ↑

8. Brian M. Johnson. Seeking ideas: City opioid task force to consider settlement. The Bristol Press. July 14, 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. ↑

9. See, e.g., Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee- Municipal Settlement Proceeds Report, PA 23-92. January 4, 2024. ↑

10. See Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674c(g)(4) (“Governmental and nonprofit nongovernmental entities shall be eligible to receive moneys from the fund for programs, services, supports and resources for prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction”); Connecticut State Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee Bylaws, Art. II, Sec. 5. July 11, 2023. ↑