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Here are the entities that ultimately decide how each of Montanaâs opioid settlement shares are spent:
70% Montana Opioid Abatement Trust share: for 80% of funds, Abatement Regions and local governments; for 20%, Montana Opioid Abatement Trust Advisory Committee
15% state share: Montana Department of Public Health and Montana Department of Justice
15% local share: local officials for cities and counties
This Community Guide will describe how Montana is spending its opioid settlements, and whether Montana is working to ensure community access to opioid settlement funds. Last revised September 1, 2024.
Ultimate Decisionmaker
Abatement Regions and local governments (for 80% of this share, or 56% of MTâs total funds) and Montana Opioid Abatement Trust Advisory Committee (for 20% of this share, or 14% of MTâs total funds)
Local officials for cities and counties
Decision-making Process
Abatement Regions and local governments decide 80% of this share and submit proposals to the Montana Opioid Abatement Trustâs Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee must distribute funds if proposed for approved purposes.
The Advisory Committee decides how to spend the remaining 20% of this share on statewide programs, innovation, research, and education.
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and Montana Department of Justice decide. The two agencies must share information with one another and are encouraged to coordinate.
Localities decide autonomously
Supplantation
Discouraged but not prohibited
Discouraged but not prohibited
Discouraged but not prohibited
Grant Funding
Yes. See the Montana Opioid Abatement Trustâs grant portal.
No
Up to each locality (availability and processes will vary)
Public Input
80% Abatement Regions sub-share: Up to each locality (not required)
20% Advisory Committee sub-share: No opportunities available (not required)
No opportunities available (not required)
Generally, yes (public comments at public meetings required)
Advisory Body
Yes (required). See the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust's Advisory Committee.
The Advisory Committee is not required to include member(s) with lived and/or living experience.
No (not required)
Up to each locality (not required)
Expenditures
Neither public nor intrastate reporting required
No public reporting required (only intrastate)
Neither public nor intrastate reporting required
Updates
For updates on the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust share, visit the Trustâs website, which includes information about the Advisory Committeeâs past and upcoming meetings and provides contact information for Abatement Regions.
You can also check out the Montana Association of Countiesâ opioid settlement website, which describes Abatement Regionsâ governance structure processes, and the websites for the individual Abatement Regionsâ governing structures. See, e.g., Lewis & Clark Metro Region Opioid Governance Committee.
A single resource containing updates specific to the state share could not be found.
For updates on the local share, visit the Montana Association of Countiesâ opioid settlement website. Another good starting point is to check the websites for your city council, board of county commissioners, or local health department.
$83.97 million[1]
[1] Total is rounded. See The Official Opioid Settlement Tracker Tally. Accessed September 1, 2024.
70% to the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust, 15% to the state, and 15% to local governments
State-Local Agreement (Montana Distributorsâ and Janssen Opioids Settlement Memorandum of Understanding and its subsequent amendments: Amendment I & Amendment II); Other Agreements (Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services/Montana Department of Justice Memorandum of Understanding: Allocation and Use of Opioid Settlement Funds)
This share is distributed directly to participating cities and counties according to Exhibit B of Montanaâs MOU.[1] These monies are separate from the funds participating local governments will also receive from the Trust regional allocations.[2]
Non-participating local governmentsâ amounts are redirected to the Trust for use by their regions.[3]
Montanaâs MOU does not explicitly require this share to be spent on opioid remediation.[4] However, at least a portion of monies in this share must inevitably be spent on abatement uses (as illustrated by the national settlement agreementsâ non-exhaustive Exhibit E, which includes prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and other strategies) for the state to meet its minimum opioid remediation spending requirements under the different agreements.[5]
Local governments decide autonomously. Decisionmakers for the cities and counties will ultimately decide for themselves how to spend their monies.[6]
No, supplantation is discouraged but not prohibited. Montanaâs Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) provides that âthe State of Montana and its Local Governments [are] enter[ing] into this MOU ⌠to develop a fair and transparent process for making decisions based on medical and scientific evidence concerning where and how to spend the funds from the Settlement Agreements to effectuate forward-looking abatement strategies and to supplement rather than replace existing spendingâ.[7] The absence of explicit âshallâ or âshall notâ (or equivalent) language renders this provision a strong discouragement against rather than an explicit prohibition of expenditures that replace (or âsupplantâ) â rather than supplement â existing resources.
Up to each locality (neither public nor intrastate reporting required). Opioid settlement expenditures are not officially published in a centralized location for this share.
Visit OpioidSettlementTracker.comâs for an updated collection of statesâ and localitiesâ available expenditure reports.
Not applicable.
Montana Distributorsâ and Janssen Opioids Settlement Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (âFifteen percent (15%) shall be allocated directly to the Local Government Fundâ) and (âAmounts apportioned to the Local Government Fund shall be distributed to Participating Local Governments ⌠per ⌠Exhibit Bâ). See also Montana Association of Counties: and . â
See, e.g., (âThe governance structure of the Abatement Regions described in paragraph D.9 shall allow for Local Governments within the Region to independently access funds from the Abatement Trustâ). â
. â
The stateâs 15% share is deposited into the State of Montana Fund,[1] then allocated 50%-50% between the and the .[2] This share may be redirected to support the âs statewide programming.[3]
With limited exceptions,[4] this share must be spent for âOpioid Remediation,â[5] which Montana explicitly defines to mean only forward-looking expenditures as described in the national settlement agreementâs (non-exhaustive) .[6] includes prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and other strategies.
Montana also defines remediation efforts in the state to specifically include opioid and polysubstance use disorder treatment and prevention strategies; substance use avoidance education; efforts to âdecrease the oversupply of licit and illicit opioids, including Fentanylâ; recovery support; and âsupport for law enforcements (sic) addressing the impact of opioid-related substance abuse in the communities they serve, including misuse or illicit use of heroin and/or Fentanyl.â[7]
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and Montana Department of Justice decide. Decisionmakers for the (DPHHS) and (DOJ) will ultimately decide how to spend their monies on approved uses.[8] Both departments are required to share planned programs and activities with each other at least quarterly and communicate any needs for technical assistance,[9] and DPHHS must provide subject matter expertise on approved uses at DOJâs request.[10] Each are encouraged to collaborate on programming.[11]
See MOU D. â
See, e.g., Distributor Settlement Agreement, Sec. V(B)(1) (minimum 85% opioid remediation spending); CVS Settlement Agreement, Sec. V(B)(1) (minimum 95.5% opioid remediation spending); Walgreens Settlement Agreement, Sec. V(B)(1) (minimum 95% opioid remediation spending); Walmart Settlement Agreement, Sec. V(B)(1) (minimum 85% opioid remediation spending). â
MOU D.3(c) and D.8. â
Importantly, this prohibition appears in recital (a) of Montanaâs opioid settlement memorandum of understanding rather than in an operative provision. Montana Distributorsâ and Janssen Opioids Settlement Memorandum of Understanding. November 26, 2021 (emphasis added). â
No, supplantation is discouraged but not prohibited. Montanaâs Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) provides that âthe State of Montana and its Local Governments [are] enter[ing] into this MOU ⌠to develop a fair and transparent process for making decisions based on medical and scientific evidence concerning where and how to spend the funds from the Settlement Agreements to effectuate forward-looking abatement strategies and to supplement rather than replace existing spendingâ.[12] The absence of explicit âshallâ or âshall notâ (or equivalent) language renders this provision a strong discouragement against rather than an explicit prohibition of expenditures that replace (or âsupplantâ) â rather than supplement â existing resources.
No (no public reporting required, only intrastate). Opioid settlement expenditures are not officially published in a centralized location for this share.[13]
Visit OpioidSettlementTracker.comâs Expenditure Report Tracker for an updated collection of statesâ and localitiesâ available expenditure reports.
Not applicable.
Montana Distributorsâ and Janssen Opioids Settlement Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) D.3(a) (âFifteen percent (15%) shall be allocated to directly to the State of Montana Fundâ) and MOU D.2 (specifies that all three allocations are âdirect-depositedâ). â
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services/Montana Department of Justice Memorandum of Understanding: Allocation and Use of Settlement Funds (DPHHS/DOJ MOU) Sec. 2.1 (âThe Settlement Funds allocated to the State of Montana Fund will be evenly divided between DOJ and DPHHS. such that 50% shall be allocated to DPHHS and 50% to DOJâ). â
MOU D.12 (âFunds from the Abatement Trust may also be expended by the Trust for statewide programs, innovation, research, and education,â and â[e]xpenditures for these purposes may ⌠be funded by the Trust with funds received from ⌠the State of Montanaâs share (as directed by the Attorney General in consultation with DPHHS)â). â
â and (âThe Montana Attorney Fee Back-Stop Fund shall be funded by 5.5% of the total settlement funds paid to the State of Montanaâ). (describing permissible uses of 5.5% back-stop fund only in instances of a âshortfall,â with any unused amounts reallocated according to the original statewide allocation percentages described in ). See also (â[q]ualifying [approved use] expenditures may include reasonably related administrative expensesâ) â
(âThe Settlement Funds allocated to the State of Montana Fund shall be used by the State for Approved Purposesâ). â
(âExhibit E in the Settlements Agreements provides a non-exhaustive list of expenditures that qualify as Opioid Remediation,â i.e., the âcare, treatment, and other forward-looking programs and expenditures for Approved Purposesâ) and (defining âApproved Purposesâ to mean âforward-looking strategies, programming, and services to abate the opioid epidemic as identified by the terms of the Settlement Agreementsâ). â
(defining âopioid remediationâ). â
(âEach Department will determine how to best use its portion of the funds for Approved Uses, also referred to as Approved Purposesâ). See also (describing use the funds from this share as âdetermined by a separate committee made up of representatives from the Attorney General and the Montana Department of Health and Human Servicesâ). This provision predates the MOU between the Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice. â
. â
. â
(âas desiredâ). â
Importantly, this prohibition appears in recital (a) of Montanaâs opioid settlement memorandum of understanding rather than in an operative provision. . November 26, 2021 (emphasis added). â
For the intrastate reporting requirement, see ("As a minimum, each Department will communicate with the other as follows: Once per quarter, each Department will provide to the other, in writing, a summary of any programs or activities funded in such quarter, any programs in the process of being funded, and any programs being considering for funding. To the extent not encompassed in the above, each Department will disclose to the other the planned funding of any program or activity as expediently as possible after receiving a funding request"). â
Yes. In addition to requiring the creation of the to hold 70% of the stateâs settlement funds, Montanaâs requires the creation of an whose members (also referred to as âOperating Trusteesâ) oversee the Trust.[1] The Advisory Committee is responsible for:
Developing its own bylaws and other governing documents after collaboration with local, regional, and state legal counsel, to âminimiz[e] red tape and maximiz[e] the efficient flow of funds to abate the opioid problemâ[2]
Facilitating collaboration among the state, regions, and local governments to âshar[e] information related to abating the opioid crisis in Montanaâ[3]
Developing written guidelines to receive input from the State, its Abatement Regions, local governments, and others âregarding how the opioid crisis is affecting their jurisdictions or communities and their respective abatement needsâ[4]
Review proposed disbursements of Trust monies to Abatement Regions to determine whether they qualify as an approved purpose[5]
The Advisory Committee may:
Approve funding from the Trust âfor statewide programs, innovation, research, and educationâ[6]
Provide âprofessional adviceâ to Abatement Regions âwhen requestedâ[7]
Require local governments and other entities that receive funds from the Trust to provide outcome data, which the Advisory Committee then may publish[8]
The Advisory Committee must meet at least quarterly,[9] and its meetings must be open to the public.[10]
No. The Advisory Committee is not required to include a member with lived and/or living experience. The MOU does provide that one of the Committeeâs ten members âmay be, but is not required to be, a family member of a person who had or has suffered from opioid use disorder.â[11]
The Advisory Committee includes ten voting members split evenly between state and local government members.[12] You can view a list of current Advisory Committee members â or âOperating Trusteesâ â here.[13]
Appointing Entities. Advisory Committee members are appointed by the Metropolitan Abatement Regions (three members), Multi-County Abatement Regions (two members), director of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (two members), and state attorney general (three members).[14] Appointing entities may develop their own procedures for appointing and removing Advisory Committee members.[15]
Qualifications. At least one Advisory Committee member must be a law enforcement representative from the Montana Department of Justiceâs Division of Criminal Investigation and/or Montana Highway Patrol, and one member âmay be, but is not required to be,â a family member of a person who had or has suffered from opioid use disorder.[16] All other members must come from the fields of medicine, public health, mental health, or addiction.[17]
Terms: Advisory Committee members are appointed to three-year terms and may serve more than one term.[18]
Executive Director: The Trustâs executive director, appointed by the state attorney general, serves as an ex-officio member who may vote only to break a tie.[19]
No (up to each locality). Local governments in Montana 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.
Not applicable.
Montana Distributorsâ and Janssen Opioids Settlement Memorandum of Understanding (âMontana Settlement MOUâ), Secs. C(1)-(2). November 26, 2021. See also Declaration of Trust â The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust, Sec. 3.1. August 1, 2022. â
Governing documents must contain conflict of interest and dispute resolution provisions. Montana Settlement MOU, Sec. C(13) (November 26, 2021) as modified by the Second Amendment to the November 2021 Memorandum of Understanding. June 15, 2022. Minutes from the Trustâs meeting on November 28, 2023 reveal that a â[r]esolution adopting the Trust Policies and Procedures as presented to the Trusteesâ was âmoved, seconded, and passed unanimously,â but as of September 1, 2024, these documents are not publicly accessible on the Trustâs website. (These policies are not contained in the Trustâs Declaration document, which was signed and dated August 3, 2022.) â
. November 26, 2021. â
. November 26, 2021. These guidelines âare intended to facilitate prompt access to funds in the Abatement Trust allocated to Participating Abatement Regions and Local Governments pursuant to the percentages listed in Exhibit B of the November 26, 2021 MOU for any Approved Purposes identified in the sole discretion of the Abatement Regions or Local Governments.â . January 27, 2022. â
. November 26, 2021. See also . January 27, 2022. â
. November 26, 2021. â
. January 27, 2022. â
(âIn determining which outcome related data may be required, the Committee shall work with all Parties, Regions, and Local Governments to identify appropriate data sets and develop reasonable procedures for collecting such data sets so that the administrative burden does not outweigh the benefit of producing such outcome related dataâ). November 26, 2021. â
, November 26, 2021; Declaration of Trust â The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust, , August 1, 2022. â
. November 26, 2021. See also Declaration of Trust â The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust, . August 1, 2022. â
See Montana Settlement MOU, . November 26, 2021. â
Montana Settlement MOU, . November 26, 2021. See also Declaration of Trust â The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust,. August 1, 2022. â
. August 1, 2022. â
. November 26, 2021. See also Declaration of Trust â The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust,. August 1, 2022. Note that the MOU refers to the âDepartment of Health and Human Servicesâ rather than the Department of Public Health and Human Services. â
Declaration of Trust â The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust, . August 1, 2022. â
. November 26, 2021. See also Declaration of Trust â The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust, . August 1, 2022. â
. November 26, 2021. It is unclear whether the MOU intends to apply a six-year experience requirement to Advisory Committee members or whether the requirement is specific to the Trustâs executive director. See Id. at . See also Declaration of Trust â The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust,. August 1, 2022. â
. November 26, 2021. Initial Advisory Committee members terms are staggered. from the Advisory Committeeâs 4/11/24 meeting include greater detail on current Advisory Committee membersâ terms. â
. November 26, 2021. See also Declaration of Trust â The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust, . August 1, 2022. â
Seventy percent (70%) of the stateâs opioid settlement funds are held in the private, non-profit Montana Opioid Abatement Trust created by the Attorney General.[1]
80% Abatement Regions sub-share (56% of statewide total). At least 80% of this share is allocated for use by local governments through Montanaâs 14 participating abatement regions,[2] i.e., the 5 Department of Public Health and Human Services-defined multi-county regions and 9 metro regions (counties with populations over 30,000) listed here.[3] Any non-participating localitiesâ amounts are redirected to the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust.[4]
20% Advisory Committee sub-share (14% of statewide total). The remaining 20% of this share can be used by the on statewide programming,[5] with any funds not used for those purposes redistributed to participating abatement regions according to of Montanaâs MOU.[6]
With limited exceptions,[7] this share must be spent for âOpioid Remediation,â[8] which Montana explicitly defines to mean only forward-looking expenditures as described in the national settlement agreementâs (non-exhaustive) .[9] includes prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and other strategies.
Montana also defines opioid remediation efforts in the state to specifically include opioid and polysubstance use disorder treatment and prevention strategies; substance use avoidance education; efforts to âdecrease the oversupply of licit and illicit opioids, including Fentanylâ; recovery support; and âsupport for law enforcements (sic) addressing the impact of opioid-related substance abuse in the communities they serve, including misuse or illicit use of heroin and/or Fentanyl.â[10]
For 80% of funds, and local governments decide; for 20%, The , participating local governments, and the , ultimately decide how disbursements from the Trust are spent on specific opioid remediation expenditures. The Advisory Committee, which governs the trust,[11] is required to facilitate collaboration among the state, regions, and participating local governments and develop a process for receiving their input on abatement efforts.[12]
80% Abatement Regions sub-share. and local governments ultimately decide specific opioid remediation uses of this sub-share.[13]
Each Abatement Region is responsible for planning, budgeting, and disbursing their sub-shares on opioid remediation projects âthat will equitably and appropriately serve the needs of the entire Region,â[14] and their governance structures are required to include the input of their participating local governments in the selection of regional projects.[15]
Abatement Regions, which may collaborate to submit joint applications,[16] submit their proposals to the Advisory Committee, and Trust monies are disbursed after the Committee determines that a proposal meets the criteria for opioid remediation and approved purposes.[17]
No, supplantation is discouraged but not prohibited. Montanaâs (MOU) provides that âthe State of Montana and its Local Governments [are] enter[ing] into this MOU ⌠to develop a fair and transparent process for making decisions based on medical and scientific evidence concerning where and how to spend the funds from the Settlement Agreements to effectuate forward-looking abatement strategies and to supplement rather than replace existing spendingâ.[21] The absence of explicit âshallâ or âshall notâ (or equivalent) language renders this provision a strong discouragement against rather than an explicit prohibition of expenditures that replace (or âsupplantâ) â rather than supplement â existing resources.
No (neither public nor intrastate reporting required). Opioid settlement expenditures are not officially published in a centralized location for this share.
Visit OpioidSettlementTracker.comâs for an updated collection of statesâ and localitiesâ available expenditure reports.
Not applicable.
(âSeventy percent (70%) shall be allocated directly to the [Montana Opioid] Abatement Trustâ) and (âThe Attorney General shall create a private, non-profit Abatement Trustâ). â
(âOf the amount apportioned to the Abatement Trust ⌠eighty percent (80%) shall be allocated to the Participating Abatement Regions according to the Subdivision Allocation Percentages in Exhibit B, on the assumption that all Subdivisions within each region become Participating Subdivisionsâ) and (âAll the Metropolitan Regions that agree to the Settlement Agreements and this MOU as well as all the constituent Participating Local Governments comprising a Multi-County Abatement Region that have chosen to enter into this MOU and the Settlement Agreements shall be treated as Participating Abatement Regionsâ). â
70% share:
80% sub-share: Up to each locality (not required). Most of the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust will be allocated by Abatement Regions and local governments, who must create their own governance structures for the administration and use of their funds and may each independently choose to seek public input on uses of their settlement funds, although this is not required.[1] For example, the [2] meeting agendas reserve space for public comment.[3] The Opioid Abatement Trustâs website includes contact information for some, but not all, Abatement Region governance officials; select each Abatement Region on for more information.
The Advisory Committeeâs role as to this sub-share is advisory only: it exists to provide âprofessional adviceâ to regions when requested and may not reject proposals for approved uses of settlement funds.[18]
20% Advisory Committee sub-share. The Advisory Committee may vote to use this share for âstatewide programs, innovation, research, and education,â[19] and any funds not used for those purposes are redistributed to participating abatement regions according to Exhibit B of Montanaâs MOU.[20]
MOU B.4 (âFor the sake of clarification, any county or city listed in the MOU Abatement Region Allocation, attached as Exhibit B, within a Multi-County Region that does not enter into this MOU and the Settlement Agreements shall not be included in the Abatement Region where it is geographically located and shall not be entitled to receive any funds from the Settlement. Rather, the share(s) of the funds that a nonparticipating city or county would be allocated according to Exhibit B shall instead be allocated to the Abatement Trustâ). â
MOU D.12 (âFunds from the Abatement Trust may also be expended by the Trust for statewide programs, innovation, research, and education. Any statewide programs funded from the Trust would be only as directed by an affirmative majority vote of the Committeeâ). â
MOU Amendment I (âTo the extent the Abatement Trust Advisory Committee does not expend funds in the Abatement Trust ⌠on statewide programs ⌠, the Committee shall allocate the funds to Participating Abatement Regions and Local Governments in the same manner as the funds described in paragraph D.7â) and MOU D.7 (describing the 80% Trust allocation to Participating Abatement Regions according to Exhibit B of Montanaâs MOU). â
MOU E.6 and Amendment to Montana Distributorsâ and Janssen Opioids Settlement Memorandum of Understanding (MOU Amendment I) (âThe Montana Attorney Fee Back-Stop Fund shall be funded by 5.5% of the total settlement funds paid to the State of Montanaâ). MOU E.7-9 (describing permissible uses of 5.5% back-stop fund only in instances of a âshortfall,â with any unused amounts reallocated according to the original statewide allocation percentages described in Section D of the MOU. MOU D.11 (instructing the Committee and the Abatement Regions that âbudgeting for operating expenditures should be conservative and carefully limitedâ without explicitly capping the Committeeâs or Regionsâ administrative expenses). See also MOU A.7 (â[q]ualifying [approved use] expenditures may include reasonably related administrative expensesâ). â
MOU D.3(b). See also MOU D.5 (âThe Settlement Funds allocated to the Abatement Trust shall be paid into the Abatement Trust for Approved Purposesâ). â
MOU A.7 (âExhibit E in the Settlements Agreements provides a non-exhaustive list of expenditures that qualify as Opioid Remediation,â i.e., the âcare, treatment, and other forward-looking programs and expenditures for Approved Purposesâ) and MOU A.8 (defining âApproved Purposesâ to mean âforward-looking strategies, programming, and services to abate the opioid epidemic as identified by the terms of the Settlement Agreementsâ). â
MOU A.7. â
MOU C.2. â
MOU C.16 (âThe Committee shall facilitate collaboration between the State, Regions, and Participating Local Governments regarding sharing information related to abating the opioid crisis in Montanaâ) and MOU C.12 (âAt the first meeting the Committee shall develop written guidelines for receiving input from the State of Montana, Abatement Regions, Local Governments, and others regarding how the opioid crisis is affecting their jurisdictions or communities and their respective abatement needsâ). â
MOU B.1 (âLocal and regional use of Opioid Settlement Funds shall be implemented through Abatement Regions and the Local Governments within those regionsâ) and MOU Amendment I (âThe governance structure of the Abatement Regions described in paragraph D.9 shall allow for Local Governments within the Region to independently access funds from the Abatement Trustâ). See also Montana Association of Counties, National Opioid Settlements (describing this sub-share as âallocated for use by local governments,â with â[c]ounties participat[ing] in the Abatement Trust and Council through âAbatement Regionsââ). â
MOU D.10. â
MOU D.9. The amendments to Montanaâs MOU also allow a local government to establish its own governance structures to access and administer its share of Trust monies independent of its Abatement Region. MOU Amendment I (âConsistent with the authority granted to Abatement Regions ⌠, any Participating Local Government may also create its own governance structure for the administration, management and use of Opioid Remediation funds [and] may access the funds allocated to the Abatement Trust ⌠based on its allocation percentage in Exhibit Bâ). â
MOU D.13. â
MOU D.14 (âDisbursements for proposed Opioid Remediation programs and services to Participating Abatement Regions shall be reviewed by the Committee to determine whether the proposed disbursements meet the criteria for Opioid Remediation and Approved Purposesâ) and MOU Amendment I (âThe Committeeâs responsibility to review proposals as set forth in paragraph D.14 shall be limited to confirmation that the proposal identifies Approved Purposes for which the funds will be expendedâ). â
MOU Amendment I (regarding âC.12 of the MOUâ). â
MOU D.12 (âFunds from the Abatement Trust may also be expended by the Trust for statewide programs, innovation, research, and education. Any statewide programs funded from the Trust would be only as directed by an affirmative majority vote of the Committeeâ). â
MOU Amendment I (âTo the extent the Abatement Trust Advisory Committee does not expend funds in the Abatement Trust ⌠on statewide programs ⌠, the Committee shall allocate the funds to Participating Abatement Regions and Local Governments in the same manner as the funds described in paragraph D.7â) and MOU D.7 (describing the 80% Trust allocation to Participating Abatement Regions according to Exhibit B of Montanaâs MOU). â
Importantly, this prohibition appears in recital (a) of Montanaâs opioid settlement memorandum of understanding rather than in an operative provision. Montana Distributorsâ and Janssen Opioids Settlement Memorandum of Understanding. November 26, 2021 (emphasis added). â
20% Advisory Committee sub-share: No statewide opportunities available (not required). The Montana Opioid Abatement Advisory Committee has not established recurring opportunities for the public to provide input on uses of this sub-share.[4] Montanaâs MOU requires the Advisory Committee to âdevelop written guidelines for receiving input from the State of Montana, Abatement Regions, Local Governments, and others regarding how the opioid crisis is affecting their jurisdictions or communities and their respective abatement needs.â[5] However, these guidelines either do not yet exist or have not been made publicly available.
Public comments at Trust meetings. The legal documents governing the Trustâs operations also require it to operate in a transparent manner, consistent with the standards that would apply if the Trust were a âpublic, governmental entity.â[6] However, it is unclear whether its Advisory Committee is subject to the state law requiring state âagenciesâ to include a public comment period on their meeting agendas,[7] and the Advisory Committeeâs meeting agendas do not include dedicated public comment periods.[8]
15% state share: No opportunities available (not required). The state has not established recurring opportunities for the public to provide input on uses of its 15% share.[9]
15% local share: Generally, yes. Though local governments are not required to seek public input as to opioid settlement spending specifically, they generally must accept public comments during their public meetings.[10] Take advantage of this requirement by showing up to meetings of your city council or board of county commissioners and offering comments on local settlement spending.
Yes. Visit the Montana Opioid Abatement Trustâs Grant Portal to learn more about grant opportunities from the 70% Opioid Abatement Trust share.[11] Local governments also 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 Portal (OpioidSettlementTracker.com and Legal Action Center) for the most up-to-date information on settlement grant opportunities for community organizations.
For updates on the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust share, visit the Trustâs website, which lists its Advisory Committee members, includes information about the Committeeâs past and upcoming meetings, and provides contact information for Abatement Regions.
You can also check out the Montana Association of Countiesâ opioid settlement website, which describes Abatement Regionsâ governance structure processes, and the websites for the individual Abatement Regionsâ governing structures (e.g., Lewis & Clark Metro Region Opioid Governance Committee).[12]
A single resource containing updates specific to the state share could not be found.[13]
For updates on the local share, visit the Montana Association of Countiesâ opioid settlement . Another good starting point is to check the websites for your city council, board of county commissioners, or local health department.
You can contact the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust is via the contact form on its website or by emailing its executive director, Rusty Gackle, at rusty@montanaopioid.org.
See Montana Distributorsâ and Janssen Opioids Settlement Memorandum of Understanding (âMontana Settlement MOUâ), Secs. D(7), D(9)-(10). November 26, 2021. See also Amendment to Montana Distributorsâ and Janssen Opioids Settlement Memorandum of Understanding. January 27, 2022. â
Lewis & Clark Metro Region Opioid Governance Committee. City of Helena website. Accessed September 1, 2024 (âThe Lewis & Clark Metro Region Opioid Abatement Governance Committee meets quarterly, as needed, to review regional applications for funding and make recommendations to the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust (âMOATâ) Advisory Committee for final review and approval. ⌠The committee includes an elected representative from the Helena City Commission, Lewis and Clark County Board of County Commissioners, and the City of East Helenaâs governing body, as well as two appointed community members [â] a community member that resides in the City of Helena appointed by City of Helena Commission, and a community member that resides in Lewis and Clark County appointed by Lewis and Clark Countyâs Board of County Commissionersâ). See the Committeeâs bylaws here. â
See, e.g., . Lewis & Clark County Metro Region Governance Committee. June 26, 2024. Accessed September 1, 2024. â
If you see this change, email . â
. November 26, 2021 (emphasis added). â
. November 26, 2021. See also Declaration of Trust â The Montana Opioid Abatement Trust, . August 1, 2022. â
See Mont. Code Ann. Secs. 2-3-103(1)(a), (1)(b) (âThe agency shall publish an agenda for a meetingâ), (1)(c) (âThe agenda must include an item allowing public comment on any public matter that is not on the agenda of the meeting and that is within the jurisdiction of the agency conducting the meetingâ); Mont. Code Ann. Sec. 2-3-102(1) (defining â[a]gencyâ to mean âany board, bureau, commission, department, authority, or officer of the state or local government authorized by law to make rules, determine contested cases, or enter into contractsâ) (emphasis added); Montana Settlement MOU, (requiring Attorney General to create a âprivate, non-profit Abatement Trustâ). November 26, 2021; and (amending the stateâs to add Section C, Paragraph 13, which states that the Committee must draft its own bylaws but that it âshall not have rulemaking authority under Montana lawâ). June 15, 2022. â
See, e.g., , , and . â
If you see this change, email . This 15% state share is allocated 50-50 between the and the . Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services/Montana Department of Justice Memorandum of Understanding: Allocation and Use of Opioid Settlement Funds, . Both departments are subject to a state law requiring them to permit public participation on âagency action ⌠that is of significant interest to the public.â Mont. Code Ann. Sec. 2-3-103(1)(a). However, it is uncertain whether the departments will consider settlement spending decisions as meeting this threshold. See Mont. Admin. R. 37.2.203(2) (establishing MDPHHSâ discretionary authority to determine whether most agency actions are of âsignificant public interestâ). â
Mont. Code Ann. Sec. 2-3-102(1) (defining âagencyâ to mean, with limited exception, âany board, bureau, commission, department, authority, or officer of the state or local government authorized by law to make rules, determine contested cases, or enter into contractsâ) (emphasis added); Sec. 2-3-103(1)(a) (âEach agency shall develop procedures for permitting and encouraging the public to participate in agency decisions that are of significant interest to the publicâ); Sec. 2-3-103(1)(b) (âThe agency shall publish an agenda for a meetingâ); Sec. 2-3-103(1)(c) (âThe agenda must include an item allowing public comment on any public matter that is not on the agenda of the meeting and that is within the jurisdiction of the agency conducting the meetingâ); Sec. 7-1-4142 (requiring municipal governing bodies to âdevelop procedures for permitting and encouraging the public to participate in decisions that are of significant interest to the publicâ). See also . Montana Association of Counties. July 2023. But see Jones v. Cty. of Missoula, 2006 MT 2 (Montana Supreme Court holding that âMissoula County was not required by Mont. Code Ann. Sec. 2-3-103(2)(2001) to adopt and publish formal guidelines for encouraging public participation in County businessâ). â
. Montana Opioid Abatement Trust. Accessed September 1, 2024. Click âApply Hereâ to create an online account. â
. City of Helena website. Accessed September 1, 2024 (âThe Lewis & Clark Metro Region Opioid Abatement Governance Committee meets quarterly, as needed, to review regional applications for funding and make recommendations to the Montana Opioid Abatement Trust ("MOAT") Advisory Committee for final review and approval. ⌠The committee includes an elected representative from the Helena City Commission, Lewis and Clark County Board of County Commissioners, and the City of East Helenaâs governing body, as well as two appointed community members [â] a community member that resides in the City of Helena appointed by City of Helena Commission, and a community member that resides in Lewis and Clark County appointed by Lewis and Clark Countyâs Board of County Commissionersâ). See the Committeeâs bylaws . â
If you see this change, email . â
