Advisory Bodies

Has the state established an advisory body for settlement funds?

Yes. Rhode Island’s State-Local MOU establishes a 17-member Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to provide formal recommendations on the uses of settlement funds from the Statewide Abatement share.[1] The MOU:

• Requires the Advisory Committee to establish a process for receiving input from communities, providers, and local governments on abatement-related needs and proposals[2]

• Encourages the Advisory Committee to coordinate with established groups, including the Governor’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force and organizations focused on prevention, rescue, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery strategies[3]

The Advisory Committee is required to meet at least quarterly but has met more frequently since 2022.[4] The 2024 meetings calendar is available here. Advisory Committee meetings are public and must comply with the Rhode Island Open Meetings Act.[5]

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

No. Rhode Island’s MOU does not require the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to include a member with lived and/or living experience.

What is the overall membership of the state advisory body?

The Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee has 17 members: six state representatives, six city and town representatives, three expert representatives, and two community representatives.[6] Its specific composition is defined by the state’s MOU:

• Rhode Island Attorney General or their designee

• Speaker of the Rhode Island House or their designee

• Rhode Island Senate President or their designee

• Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court or their designee

• Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health

• Director of the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals

• Mayor of the City of Providence or their designee

• Representative from a city or town in Bristol County

• Representative from a city or town in Kent County

• Representative from a city or town in Newport County

• Representative from a city or town in Providence County other than the City of Providence

• Representative from a city or town in Washington County

• Three expert representatives, appointed by a majority vote of the state representatives and city and town representatives[7]

• Two community representatives, appointed by a majority vote of the state representatives and city and town representatives[8]

Current Members: Current members of the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee are listed on the Advisory Committee’s website.

Terms: County and expert representatives generally serve three-year terms,[9] while community representatives generally serve two-year terms.[10]

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?

Up to each locality (not required). Local governments in Rhode Island 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.

What else should I know?

Not applicable.

Citations

1. RI State-Local MOU Secs. V(A)-(B) and V(F)(1). ↑
2. RI State-Local MOU Sec. V(E)(3). ↑
3. RI State-Local MOU Sec. V(E)(3). ↑
4. RI State-Local MOU Sec. V(E)(1);. See Rhode Island Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (“Meeting Materials”). Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services website. Accessed September 1, 2024 ↑
5. RI State-Local MOU Sec. V(E)(2). See also Rhode Island Secretary of State’s Open Meetings website. ↑
6. RI State-Local MOU Sec. V(B). ↑
7. RI State-Local MOU Sec. V(B)(3). ↑
8. RI State-Local MOU Sec. V(B)(4). ↑
9. Excepting initial expert representative appointments, which are staggered across two, three, and four-year terms. RI State-Local MOU Sec. V(B)(2)-(3). ↑
10. . RI State-Local MOU Sec. V(B)(4). ↑