Human Services members press General & Housing to remove opioid‑abatement money for recovery housing from draft 8.1

Representative Theresa Wood and Representative Lara McGuire of the House Human Services Committee told the General & Housing panel on March 13 that proposed appropriations in draft 8.1 using opioid abatement settlement funds created a jurisdictional and process concern and should be removed from the housing bill.

"Jurisdiction for substance use services is in my committee," Representative Theresa Wood said, describing the established budget and review process for the opioid abatement settlement fund and the advisory committee that vets proposals. Representative Lara McGuire, who led the Health Department budget team and the advisory fund review, told the housing committee that the advisory committee had reviewed 54 proposals this round and recommended funding for 20; she said the advisory committee chose not to take up one recovery‑housing proposal that had been submitted to it.

Why it matters: draft 8.1 included language and appropriations that drew directly on the opioid abatement settlement fund. Human Services members argued that diverting or reallocating those funds outside the advisory process would be unfair to applicants who followed the fund's application and prioritization procedures.

What Human…