Here are the entities that ultimately decide how each of Connecticut’s opioid settlement shares are spent:

• 85% Opioid Settlement Fund share: Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee

• 15% local share: local officials for municipalities

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

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 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 (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 .

• 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 .

What else should I know?

Not applicable.

Citations

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

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

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

Where do these monies live?

Connecticut’s 15% local share is distributed directly to its municipalities.[1]

What can this share be spent on?

This share must be spent on abatement uses described in the national settlement agreements’ (non-exhaustive) , which includes prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and other strategies.[2]

Who ultimately decides how to spend this share (and how)?

Localities decide autonomously (but must report expenditures to Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee). Decisionmakers for the municipalities will ultimately decide for themselves how to spend their monies on Exhibit E uses.[3] See, e.g., (reporting city’s uses of direct shares on grants to community health centers), (reporting on mayor’s intent to ask city’s council to establish a dedicated fund).

Are supplantation uses prohibited for this share?

No, supplantation is not prohibited. Connecticut does not explicitly prohibit supplantation uses of opioid settlement funds from its municipalities share. This means that local governments’ opioid settlement funds may be spent in ways that replace (or “supplant”) — rather than supplement — existing resources.

Can I see how this share has been spent?

Yes (public reporting required). View annual municipal settlement proceeds reports on the Connecticut Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee’s (OSAC) . Municipalities that directly receive settlement funds must submit an annual expenditure report to the OSAC,[4] and the must publish these reports on its website.[5]

Visit OpioidSettlementTracker.com’s for an updated collection of states’ and localities’ available expenditure reports.

What else should I know?

Not applicable.

Citations

1. Office of the Attorney General of Connecticut. August 3, 2021 (“The proceeds of the settlement will be distributed as follows: 85% will be distributed to the state and 15% to municipalities who sign on to the settlement agreements. (The 85% distributed to the state consists of 70% for prospective abatement efforts only, and the remaining 15% is intended for abatement generally)”). ↑

2. Cara Passaro, Chief Counsel to the Attorney General and Director of Legislative Affairs. July 21, 2021 (“How are the funds to be used by municipalities? Funds are to be used exclusively for opioid abatement purposes, including, but not limited to, expanding access to opioid use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery options”). See also Distributor Settlement Agreement, Sec. (“Exhibit E provides a non-exhaustive list of expenditures that qualify as being paid for Opioid Remediation. Qualifying expenditures may include reasonable related administrative expenses”). ↑

Where do these monies live?

The Opioid Settlement Fund holds 85% of Connecticut’s opioid settlement funds.[1]

What can this share be spent on?

Has the state established an advisory body for settlement funds?

Yes. The Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (OSAC) was created by state law to approve allocations from the 85% Opioid Settlement Fund.[1] OSAC is responsible for “[r]ecommend[ing] and approv[ing] . . . criteria for the application, awarding, and disbursement” of this share.[2] It is also empowered to “recommend and approve goals, objectives . . . sustainability plans, and performance indicators” across three key areas:

• Substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction efforts, including “methods of engaging persons who utilize harm reduction program services in treatment and recovery.”

• Reducing disparities in access to services and supports.

• Improving health outcomes in “traditionally underserved populations, including, but not limited to, persons who live in rural or tribal communities, are members of racial or ethnic minorities or were formerly incarcerated.”[3]

Recipients of Opioid Settlement Fund monies are required to report their expenditures to OSAC,[4] as are municipalities, who receive their 15% share directly.[5] The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) is required to maintain a that hosts OSAC’s meetings minutes, various reports, and policies.[6]

Although state law requires OSAC to hold public meetings at least quarterly,[7] in practice it has convened every other month.[8]

Is the state advisory body required to include member(s) with lived and/or living experience?

Not necessarily (individuals or family members). State law requires the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services to appoint “three individuals with experience living with a substance use disorder or family members of an individual with experience living with a substance use disorder” to the .[9] This means that the OSAC’s membership requirements could be satisfied without the inclusion of an individual who themselves have lived and/or living experience.

What is the overall membership of the state advisory body?

The composition of the forty five-member (45) is established by state law:[10]

• Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management or their designee[11]

• State Attorney General or their designee[12]

• Commissioners of Children and Families, Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Public Health or their designees[13]

Members of the OSAC generally serve two-year terms and may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms, and any member can be removed by their appointing authority for “misfeasance, malfeasance, or wil[l]ful neglect of duty.”[21] The current OSAC roster can be found .

Are local governments required to establish a settlement advisory body? If so, are local advisory bodies required to include member(s) with lived and/or living experience?

No (up to each locality). Municipalities in Connecticut are not required to establish opioid settlement advisory bodies. However, municipalities may independently choose to establish advisory councils that include members with lived and/or living experience to help ensure that settlement spending reflects community priorities.

What else should I know?

Not applicable.

Citations

1. Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(f)(3). ↑

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

3. Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(f)(2). ↑

4. Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 17a-674d(h) (requiring expenditure reporting from recipients of the Opioid Settlement Fund’s 85% share). ↑