Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Corrections Recovery Coaching topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Federal earmark for statewide recovery coaching cut from continuing resolution, state says
Summary
Committee heard that a $1,060,000 congressionally directed spending request to expand recovery coaching in Vermont correctional facilities was not included in the federal continuing resolution; state staff said opioid-settlement funds currently support the work through FY2026 but future funding is uncertain.
The Senate Institutions Committee heard Thursday that a $1,060,000 congressionally directed spending (CDS) request to expand peer recovery coaching across Vermont correctional facilities was not included in the federal continuing resolution.
Isaac, policy director, told the committee the CDS request for about $1.88 million had been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Peter Welch’s office but "that CDS along with all other CDSs was not included in the federal continuing resolution." He said the missing CDS means the specific federal earmark will not arrive as expected.
The chair of the committee told members the committee’s earlier letter to appropriations had noted the $1,060,000 was "dependent on the federal continuing resolution as a near mark," and that staff had recently been told the federal package did not include the earmark. Isaac said the state is in close contact with its federal delegation and is tracking whether other appropriated CDS funds could be affected, but he added, "we're not expecting that to happen as of this moment because that is money that's already been appropriated by Congress."
Committee members were reminded that the recovery coaching expansion already has funding from the state’s opioid settlement dollars that covers the work through fiscal year 2026. Isaac said the turning-point centers currently supported by settlement funds receive about $80,000 each for the two-year cycle — "40,000 per year per center" — and that the CDS request was intended to avoid returning to the settlement pool for continued funding.
Multiple committee members said the loss of the CDS will force planners to consider whether to request a budget adjustment or seek a recommendation from the opioid settlement advisory committee to continue the work. Isaac said the state will pursue the CDS or other federal/state sources in future funding cycles but cautioned that competition for opioid-settlement dollars is high.
The committee did not take formal action on the matter at the meeting. Members asked staff to continue tracking the federal appropriations outcome and report back to the committee and to the opioid settlement advisory committee if alternative funding routes are needed.
