Advisory Bodies

Has the state established an advisory body for settlement funds?

Yes. Oklahoma state law establishes the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board to develop, implement, and monitor a grant process for the disbursement of monies from the Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Revolving Fund to political subdivisions in the state.[1] Specifically, the Abatement Board is authorized to:

• Establish procedures to disburse grants to “eligible participants” (i.e., political subdivisions)[2]

• Develop and implement a grant application, submission, and evaluation process[3]

• Establish an appeals process for denials of grant applications and “denials of specific fund use requests”[4]

• Oversee political subdivisions’ grant expenditures “to ensure grant proceeds are used exclusively for approved purposes”[5]

• Suspend grant awards if a political subdivision fails to comply with Board procedures or use grant funds for nonapproved purposes[6]

Information about Abatement Board meetings, including meeting agendas and minutes, is available on the Board’s .

No. The Abatement Board is not required to include any member(s) with lived and/or living experience.

The composition of the nine-member (9) Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Board is defined by state law:[7]

• One member appointed by the governor

• One member appointed by the state auditor and inspector

• One member appointed by the state treasurer

• One member appointed by the state superintendent of public instruction

You can view a list of current Abatement Board members .

Terms: Members of the Abatement Board serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority and can be removed without cause.[8]

No (up to each locality). Local governments in Oklahoma 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.

Each member of Oklahoma Opioid Abatement Boad is prohibited from voting on any issue in which they have a direct or indirect financial interest.[9]

1. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(A), (C). Political subdivisions are defined to include municipalities, counties, school districts, and public trusts “where the sole beneficiary or beneficiaries are a city, town, school district or county.” Okla. Stat. tit. 51, Sec. 152(11)(a)-(d); Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.5(9). ↑

2. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(C)(1); Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.5(3) (defining “eligible participant” to mean “any political subdivision impacted by the opioid crisis”). ↑

3. Okla. Stat. tit. 74, Sec. 30.7(C)(2). ↑