2023 Connecticut General Statutes › Title 17a - Social and Human Services and Resources › Chapter 319j - Addiction Services › Section 17a-674d. - Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee. Membership. Duties.

(a) There is established an Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to ensure (1) that proceeds received by the state pursuant to section 17a-674c are allocated and spent on substance use disorder abatement infrastructure, programs, services, supports and resources for prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction, and (2) robust public involvement, accountability and transparency in allocating and accounting for the moneys in the fund.
(b) The committee shall consist of the following members:
(1) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's designee;
(2) The Attorney General, or the Attorney General's designee;
(3) The Commissioners of Children and Families, Mental Health and Addiction Services and Public Health, or said commissioners' designees, who shall serve as ex-officio members;
(4) The president pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the majority leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, the minority leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, the Senate and House chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, or their designees, provided such persons have experience living with a substance or disorder or are the family member of a person who has experience living with a substance use disorder;
(5) Seventeen individuals representing municipalities, who shall be appointed by the Governor;
(6) The executive director of the Commission on Racial Equity in Public Health, or a representative of the commission designated by the executive director; and
(7) Six individuals appointed by the commissioner as follows: (A) A provider of community-based substance use treatment services for adults, who shall be a nonvoting member; (B) a provider of community-based substance use treatment services for adolescents, who shall be a nonvoting member; (C) an addiction medicine licensed health care professional with prescribing ability, who shall be a nonvoting member; and (D) three individuals with experience living with a substance use disorder or family members of an individual with experience living with a substance use disorder.
(c) The commissioner shall be co-chairperson of the committee. The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate shall appoint a co-chairperson from among the individuals representing municipalities appointed pursuant to subdivision (5) of subsection (b) of this section. The co-chairpersons of the committee shall be nonvoting members.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes, it shall not be a conflict of interest for a trustee, director, officer or employee of an organization, or for any person having a financial interest in such organization, to serve as a member of the committee, provided such trustee, director, officer, employee or person shall disclose such position or interest to all other members of the committee and abstain from deliberation, action and vote by the committee under this section that specifically concerns the organization of which such member is a trustee, director, officer or employee, or in which such member has a financial interest.
(e) All initial appointments to the committee shall be made not later than October 1, 2022. Each member of the committee, other than the ex-officio members, shall serve for a term of two years, shall serve no more than two consecutive terms and may serve until a successor is appointed, except that in the event of any vacancy, the appointing authority shall fill such vacancy for the unexpired portion of such term. Any member of the committee may be removed by the appointing authority for misfeasance, malfeasance or wilful neglect of duty.
(f) The committee shall have the following duties and powers:
(1) Recommend and approve policies and procedures for administration of the committee and criteria for the application, awarding and disbursement of moneys from the fund, to be used for the purposes set forth in section 17a-674c;
(2) Recommend and approve goals, objectives, rationales for such goals and objectives, sustainability plans and performance indicators relating to: (A) Substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction efforts, including, but not limited to, methods of engaging persons who utilize harm reduction services in treatment and recovery; (B) reducing disparities in access to prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction programs, services, supports and resources; and (C) 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; and
(3) Approve the allocation of moneys from the fund.
(g) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 2-5, the department shall:
(1) Employ a full-time manager of the committee and provide public health research and policy expertise, support staff, facilities, technical assistance and other resources to (A) assist the manager of the committee in planning and supporting the functions of the committee, including ensuring that proceeds received by this state pursuant to section 17a-674c are allocated and spent on substance use disorder abatement infrastructure, programs, services, supports, and resources for prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction, and (B) ensure robust public involvement, accountability and transparency in allocating and accounting for the moneys in the fund;
(2) Utilize, where feasible, appropriations from the General Fund and existing infrastructure, programs, services, supports or other resources to address substance use disorders, overdoses and drug-related harms;
(3) Prepare for review and approval by the committee of the department's goals, objectives, rationales for such goals and objectives, sustainability plans and performance indicators relating to (A) substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction efforts, including, but not limited to, methods of engaging persons who utilize harm reduction services in treatment and recovery, and (B) reducing disparities in access to prevention, treatment, recovery and harm reduction programs, services, supports and resources;
(4) Evaluate applications and make recommendations to the committee for the awarding of contracts and disbursements of moneys from the fund exclusively for permissible expenditures set forth in section 17a-674c;
(5) Upon receipt of final approval by the committee, disburse moneys from the fund exclusively for permissible expenditures set forth in section 17a-674c;
(6) Approve suspensions of allocations of moneys from the fund to recipients found by the committee or commissioner to (A) be substantially out of compliance with applicable contracts, policies, procedures, rules, regulations or state or federal law, or (B) have used such awards for a purpose other than an approved purpose, provided the committee may resume approval of such allocations once the committee has determined the recipient has adequately remedied the cause of such suspension;
(7) Maintain oversight over the expenditure of moneys from the fund to ensure moneys are used exclusively for the purposes set forth in section 17a-674c, including, but not limited to, implementing procedures for evaluating the effectiveness of the infrastructure, programs, services, supports or resources that are funded pursuant to said section; and
(8) Implement and publish on the department's Internet web site policies and procedures for administration of the committee and for the application, awarding and disbursement of moneys from the fund, to be used for the purposes set forth in section 17a-674c.
(h) On or before October 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, recipients of moneys from the fund shall file with the committee an annual report for the prior fiscal year detailing the effectiveness of infrastructure, programs, services, supports or resources that were funded, including, but not limited to, the following:
(1) A description of how the recipient used the moneys for their intended purposes;
(2) The number of individuals served, delineated by race, age, gender and any other relevant demographic factor, which shall be reported in a deidentified manner;
(3) A specific analysis of whether the infrastructure, program, service, support or resources reduced mortality or improved prevention, treatment, harm reduction or recovery outcomes; and
(4) If a plan to ensure the sustainability of the infrastructure, program, service, support or resources funded exists, a summary of such plan.
(i) The committee shall hold quarterly public meetings. A meeting may be called by the chairperson or by a majority of the committee's members. Members may attend meetings in person, remotely by audiovisual means or, upon approval by the chairperson, by audio-only means. For each meeting of the committee, a majority of the voting members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If there is a quorum, then all actions of the committee shall be taken by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members present at the meeting. Each voting member shall have one vote. The committee shall terminate when all moneys received pursuant to section 17a-674c have been received and disbursed unless the Attorney General certifies that additional moneys are anticipated.
(j) The department shall create and maintain an Internet web site where the committee shall publish (1) meeting minutes, including, but not limited to, records of all votes to approve expenditures of moneys from the fund, (2) recipient agreements and reports required under subsection (h) of this section, (3) policies and procedures approved by the committee, and (4) the committee's annual reports.
(P.A. 22-48, S. 3.)
History: P.A. 22-48 effective July 1, 2022.