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Committee hears substance-abuse budget, opioid settlement spending and a federal administrative-cap issue
Summary
The Division of Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention described opioid settlement allocations, Millennium Fund awards and a federal cap that constrains administrative use of block-grant funds. The department proposes fund-source shifts to comply with a 5% administrative cap while retaining staffing.
Analyst Alex Williamson briefed the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on the Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention program (budget pages 2-085). The division administers statewide prevention and treatment services and was funded by several federal and state sources in recent years.
Williamson said recent appropriations included an $8,300,000 one-time COVID-relief appropriation in FY2022 for enhanced substance-abuse activities, an $8,000,000 State Opioid Response (SOR) appropriation in FY2023 that was made ongoing into FY2024, and a FY2024 one-time $2,500,000 for substance abuse prevention. In FY2025 the division received a $1,600,000 ongoing enhancement; $1,300,000 of that was Millennium Fund money for community-based recovery centers and $250,000 was for the Idaho Drug Free Youth program.
Williamson described a federal compliance issue: federal guidance for the Substance Use Block Grant limits administrative/personnel spending and Idaho is on a corrective action plan for exceeding a 5% administrative cap. To remain in compliance while maintaining staffing, the division requests swapping fund sources: shifting $533,900 from liquor-control (dedicated) funds to cover personnel costs and shifting $673,900 from personnel costs on a federal fund to trustee-and-benefit payments. The governor’s recommendation supports the net-zero fund-source swaps.
Senator Cook pressed the department on whether the swaps are simply an accounting change to avoid the cap. Analyst Williamson and Director Alex Adams explained the swaps reflect available dedicated funds (liquor-control) that can legally pay for personnel so more federal dollars can be devoted to trustee and benefit payments for program services. Adams said the department proposed net reductions in FTP and personnel in some line items while covering gaps with other available funds.
Williamson noted FY2024 opioid settlement distributions and that the committee had already acted on a requested adjustment for Millennium Fund transfers during the committee’s prior decision session. Representative Tanner asked about specific opioid-settlement projects (Boise State University collegiate recovery program and Idaho Drug Free Youth). Director Adams said the department is a pass-through for many of those grants and provided a brief update: Boise State’s collegiate recovery program reported hosting events and student engagement; the Drug Free Youth program has nine chapters and student events. Adams said the department will circulate more detailed updates to committee members.
No formal votes were taken at this hearing.
