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House amends opioid-abatement funding to keep Burlington overdose prevention center whole
Summary
The Vermont House amended and approved H.218, an appropriations bill drawing from the opioid abatement special fund, including a divided roll-call on funding for the Burlington overdose prevention center. The House later approved the bill on third reading.
The Vermont House on March 27 amended and advanced H.218, legislation setting fiscal 2026 appropriations from the opioid abatement special fund, including a contentious roll-call on a $1.1 million award to Burlington for an overdose prevention center.
H.218 was presented for second reading by Representative McGuire of Rutland City, who summarized the advisory process established in Act 118 of 2022 and outlined the advisory committee's selection of 20 initiatives from 54 applications that will receive FY2026 funding from the state opioid settlement. McGuire described line items that include outreach and case management, contingency-management pilots for supervised individuals, grants for recovery residences, as well as specific awards to community organizations statewide.
The House Appropriations Committee offered an amendment to align total appropriations with the opioid settlement advisory committee and Department of Health recommendations. Representative Bloomley of Burlington told the chamber the committee’s amendment would appropriate the full $1,100,000 recommended for Burlington’s overdose prevention center and avoid holding that funding “hostage” to the budget adjustment act (BAA) process because settlement funds historically have been slow to flow.
Representative from Milton, speaking during floor debate, asked the body to divide the question so members would vote separately on section 1, subdivision A5—the appropriation to Burlington—citing personal concerns about safe-injection sites and noting a family overdose loss. The House sustained the request and moved to a roll-call vote on that subdivision.
When the clerk called the roll, the House recorded 87 votes in favor and 58 opposed on section 1, subdivision A5; the ayes prevailed and the amendment retained the $1.1 million award for Burlington’s overdose prevention center. Later, the House voted to amend and read the bill a third time; the third reading was ordered and the bill was advanced as amended.
Discussion and votes distinguished formal appropriation choices from broader arguments about safe-injection sites. Supporters, including the member from Burlington, argued the center saves lives and can catalyze treatment: “Safe injection sites save lives. No one has died at a safe injection site,” Representative Bloomley said. Opponents and some members expressed reluctance to support funding for a site that had been the subject of a gubernatorial veto in a prior term and asked that votes be separated.
The bill text replaces some statutory terminology—substituting “medication for opioid use disorder” for older phrasing—and requires outcome measurements in all grant agreements funded from the special fund. Appropriations enumerated in testimony and the bill included awards to municipal emergency responders, housing and harm-reduction programs, recovery residences, youth services, peer-support positions, and pilot programs for contingency management.
What happens next: H.218 will proceed with the appropriations as amended; implementation of each grant or program will be governed by the Department of Health and the statutory requirements described in the bill and accompanying committee reports.
Votes at a glance: The House recorded a roll-call of 87–58 on section 1, subdivision A5 (Burlington overdose prevention center), and later approved the committee-recommended amendments and advanced H.218 on third reading.
