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

• 80% statewide abatement share:

• 20% city and town share: local officials for cities and towns

Where do these monies live?

Rhode Island’s 80% statewide abatement share is held in the Rhode Island Statewide Opioid Abatement Account.[1]

What can this share be spent on?

In general, and with limited exceptions,[2] this share must be spent on the approved purposes described in the national settlement agreement’s (non-exhaustive) Exhibit E,[3] which includes prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and other strategies.

Unlike local governments’ shares, which may be spent on reimbursement uses,[4] monies in the Rhode Island Statewide Opioid Abatement Account must only be used for forward-looking abatement purposes.[5]

Rhode Island is also using the Governor’s preexisting Overdose Task Force Action Plan as a “roadmap” to guide distribution of funds and to ensure that Statewide Opioid Abatement Account monies are “equitably distributed, taking into consideration the history of structural racism and its impact on health.”[6] This plan focuses on four broad pillars: prevention, “rescue and harm reduction,” treatment, and recovery.[7]

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

Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee recommends, Executive Office of Health and Human Services and Governor select, state legislature appropriates. Specific expenditures for this share are made using a involving several state entities:[8]

1. Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. The is required to create a process for gathering input from communities, provider organizations, and localities,[9] then annually recommending uses of the statewide abatement share to the Secretary of the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services.[10]

2. EOHHS Secretary. The of the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) must make a “good faith effort” to incorporate the Advisory Committee’s recommendations into EOHHS’s annual budget.[11] If EOHHS “substantially deviates” from the Advisory Committee’s recommendations, it must provide a public written explanation.[12] Recommendations are ultimately “approved or rejected by the EOHHS Secretary, … then a budget is developed and sent to the Governor’s office.”[13]

After the Governor signs the budget, EOHHS coordinates with various state agencies to carry out planning and implementation of opioid abatement activities.”[16]

No, supplantation is not prohibited. Like most states, Rhode Island does not explicitly prohibit supplantation uses of its opioid settlement funds. This means that the Statewide Abatement share may be spent in ways that replace (or “supplant”) — rather than supplement — existing resources.

Yes (public reporting not required, only intrastate). View annual reports on the Advisory Committee’s . Rhode Island has also published expenditure information via a .[17] The state’s MOU requires the Secretary of EOHHS to submit an annual report to the Advisory Committee on the distribution and use of funds from this share.[18]

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

Not applicable.

1. (80% of funds paid directly to the State (‘Statewide Abatement Share’) and held in the Rhode Island Statewide Opioid Abatement Account). See also (the Statewide Abatement Account has the “restricted purpose of holding these funds separately, ensuring they are not comingled with non-Opioid Settlement Funds, and distributing the funds for Approved Purposes”). R.I. Gen. Laws Sec. 42-7.2-10(d) (“There is hereby created within the general fund of the state and housed within the budget of the office of health and human services a restricted receipt account entitled ‘Rhode Island Statewide Opioid Abatement Account’”). ↑

2. (“Qualifying expenditures may include reasonable related administrative expenses”) and (defining “Opioid Settlement Funds” to exclude “funds needed to pay an administrator or a Rhode Island Qualified Settlement Administrator, or designated by a Settlement Agreement or court order for State or Participating Subdivision attorneys’ fees and costs”). ↑

Where do these monies live?

The remaining 20% of settlement funds is paid directly to participating cities and towns according to Exhibit A of Rhode Island’s state-local agreement.[1]

Participating cities and towns are encouraged to pool their funds,[2] and each may also direct their shares to the state.[3]

What can this share be spent on?

In general, and with limited exceptions,[4] this share must be spent on the approved purposes described in the national settlement agreement’s (non-exhaustive) Exhibit E,[5] which includes prevention, harm reduction, treatment, recovery, and other strategies.

Though local governments are encouraged to use monies on forward-looking strategies,[6] they may use their shares to reimburse past abatement expenditures if those reimbursement uses are documented through a resolution or equivalent action.[7]

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

Local governments decide autonomously. Decisionmakers for the cities and towns will ultimately decide for themselves how to spend their monies on Exhibit E uses.[8]

Is this share attached to an explicit bar against supplantation?

No, supplantation is not prohibited. Like most states, Rhode Island does not explicitly prohibit supplantation uses of its opioid settlement funds. This means that City and Town Share may be spent in ways that replace (or “supplant”) — rather than supplement — 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.com’s for an updated collection of states’ and localities’ available expenditure reports.

Not applicable.

1. (“20% directly to the Participating Cities and Towns (‘City and Town Share’) for Approved Purposes in accordance with Section III below”), (“Exhibit A … assigns each Eligible City or Town a percentage share of funds”), (defining “Participating City or Town” to mean those that are signatories to the MOU and participants to the settlement agreements, with the following cities and towns listed as explicitly eligible in : “Barrington, Bristol, Burrillville, Central Falls, Charlestown, Coventry, Cranston, Cumberland, East Greenwich, East Providence, Exeter, Foster, Glocester, Hopkinton, Jamestown, Johnston, Lincoln, Little Compton, Middletown, Narragansett, New Shoreham, Newport, North Kingstown, North Providence, North Smithfield, Pawtucket, Portsmouth, Providence, Richmond, Scituate, Smithfield, South Kingstown, Tiverton, Warren, Warwick, West Greenwich, West Warwick, Westerly, and Woonsocket”). ↑

2. (“Participating Cities and Towns may, and are encouraged to, share, pool, or collaborate on opioid abatement efforts with their respective allocation of the City and Town Share in any manner they choose”). ↑