House Human Services flags questions on recovery funding, moves $40,000 bereavement request up

House Human Services reviewed Health Department budget proposals on substance-use prevention and recovery and recommended further review of several items in a separate bill, H.218, while forwarding a $40,000 general-fund request for a bereavement peer-support group as the department team’s highest-priority general-fund ask.

The committee’s health-department presenters told members that, because draft appropriation language is still preliminary, “we are not putting the language on our committee webpage at this point in time because all of it is in very draft form.” The presenters asked the panel to defer fuller action on several line items until the committee meets later to take up H.218, a companion bill that will carry opioid-abatement spending decisions.

Why it matters: several of the Health Department’s line items relate to opioid-abatement settlement money, Medicaid matching rules and the use of new special funds (including the cannabis excise tax). Committee members said moving the items into H.218 will allow the panel to review how special funds and budget constructs interact with Medicaid match and global-commitment options.

What the committee discussed

- Opioid-abatement spending and H.218: Health department staff and committee members agreed to move some appropriations discussion into H.218. As one presenter put it, H.218 will contain “money that is being appropriated from the opioid abatement special fund in a separate bill.” Committee members said H.218 will allow review of how previously appropriated opioid-settlement dollars and new requests interact.

- Cannabis excise-tax funds and prevention: The presenters said the governor’s recommended budget includes $3,000,000 in general fund plus an additional $6,750,000 from special funds tied to the cannabis excise tax for prevention activities. Committee staff said they do not recommend adjustments at this time but plan to ask Dr. Levine for clarification about how the cannabis-related dollars would be used and how outcomes would be measured.

- Aftercare navigators: The budget includes $320,000 (three positions) for aftercare navigators tied to correctional facilities to help people leaving incarceration connect to housing and supports. Staff said the program is intended to be non-duplicative of other efforts but noted possible overlaps with other recovery initiatives that will be discussed in H.218.

- Pilot Recovery Campus: The presenters described a proposed pilot 15-bed recovery housing site. They said $500,000 in the governor’s budget is intended for securing a site (not yet fully explained) and an additional $1,000,000 is for services. Committee staff reported they have not been able to get a clear accounting of a remaining $500,000 referenced in the budget documents and recommended moving discussion of this pilot to H.218 for fuller review.

- Recovery residences and recovery centers: Committee materials show a previously appropriated $1,200,000 for recovery residences and $1,060,000 for recovery centers that staff indicated had not yet been spent; members asked for clarification before deciding whether and how to reallocate or reauthorize those amounts.

- Empty Arms bereavement peer support: Committee staff recommended adding $40,000 in general-fund support for Empty Arms, a nonprofit that provides peer support to families who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, early infant loss or pregnancy termination for medical reasons. Presenters said the organization reaches several hundred people annually and that no comparable statewide service exists; the department team recommended the $40,000 request as its highest-priority new general-fund ask for the Health Department.

Committee direction and next steps

- The committee did not take a formal vote on the Health Department package at this meeting. Members directed staff to: (1) ask Dr. Levine to clarify intended uses and outcome measures for cannabis-excise and opioid-abatement spending, (2) clarify the purpose and accounting for the Pilot Recovery Campus budget lines, and (3) confirm the status of previously appropriated recovery-residence and recovery-center funds.

- The department team moved the $40,000 Empty Arms request to its highest-priority list; members emphasized that this recommendation is not a final funding commitment and that the request will be considered alongside other departments’ high-priority items at a later roll-up.

Quotes

“We are not putting the language on our committee webpage at this point in time because all of it is in very draft form,” a committee presenter said, explaining why additional detail is not yet public.

“We were requested to do that and appropriations said, okay, so that's what we're doing,” a presenter said of moving opioid-abatement appropriations into H.218.

Clarifying details and unknowns

- Cannabis funding: $3,000,000 general fund plus $6,750,000 from special funds (cannabis excise tax) — how exactly those funds will be allocated and measured was described as “not specified” pending discussion with Dr. Levine. - Aftercare navigators: $320,000 for three positions attached to corrections facilities; described as non-duplicative but potentially connectable to other efforts — funding source noted as general fund in the governor’s budget. - Pilot Recovery Campus: presenters said $500,000 appears intended for securing a site, $1,000,000 for services, and another $500,000 is listed in budget materials but its purpose was “not specified.” - Empty Arms: $40,000 general-fund request; presenters said the group serves several hundred people annually.

Who spoke (as identified in the transcript)

- Committee chair (identified as the meeting’s chair) — committee official leading the session (government) - “Doctor Levine” — referenced Health Department official; presenters said they would ask Dr. Levine for clarification (government) - Nolan — staff member who addressed budget details and spreadsheets (government) - Eason — staff member referenced on prevention high-school funding (government) - Brenda — committee member who raised recovery-residence/center funding and priorities (committee member) - Eric — staff member mentioned in discussion of opioid-related line items (government)

Authorities referenced

- H.218 (bill) — referenced_by: ["health-department-budget-and-substance-use-funding"] - Opioid Abatement Special Fund — referenced_by: ["health-department-budget-and-substance-use-funding"] - Governor’s FY26 budget (unnamed formal citation) — referenced_by: ["health-department-budget-and-substance-use-funding"] - Medicaid Global Commitment (programmatic construct) — referenced_by: ["health-department-budget-and-substance-use-funding"]

Discussion vs. decision

- Discussion points: scope and intent of cannabis-excise spending; whether aftercare navigators duplicate other services; unclear accounting for portions of the Pilot Recovery Campus request; status of previously appropriated recovery residence/recovery center funds. - Directions: staff to follow up with Dr. Levine on details, move substantive opioid-abatement-related items to H.218 for further review, and to confirm status of the $1,200,000 and $1,060,000 previously appropriated. - Decisions: the department team recommended the $40,000 Empty Arms grant as a highest-priority new general-fund ask; no final funding decisions made at this meeting.

Proper names

[{"name":"Empty Arms","type":"organization"},{"name":"H.218","type":"other"},{"name":"Opioid Abatement Special Fund","type":"other"},{"name":"House Human Services","type":"other"}]

Searchable_tags:["opioid","H218","cannabis excise tax","aftercare navigators","Empty Arms","recovery housing","Medicaid","Health Department"]

Provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"s_26.025","local_start":0,"local_end":48,"evidence_excerpt":"let's have health department go first. I thought so. Yeah.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"s_1085.62","local_start":0,"local_end":112,"evidence_excerpt":"as a result, the $40,000 in general fund moved to the, highest priority as as your team's recommendation for MP arms.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]}