Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Opioid Settlement Funds topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Officials brief committee on opioid settlement funds, new permanent fund and spending limits
Summary
Attorney general’s office, DHHS and county officials outlined how opioid settlement money has been split between state and counties, the new permanent fund structure created by HB 10 and constraints on spending, including a prohibition on using principal and restrictions on supplanting.
State legislative staff, the attorney general’s office, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Utah Association of Counties updated the Health and Human Services Committee on the status and rules governing opioid settlement funds received by Utah.
Seth Anderson, policy analyst with the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, told the committee that Utah has received about $105,000,000 of expected settlement money to date and that the state is scheduled to receive payments over many years. “Utah has received about $105,000,000 of the expected $543,000,000 to date, which will be paid out over the next 17 years roughly,” he said. The settlements generally split money between the counties and the state.
The 2025 Legislature restructured state settlement proceeds in HB 10, creating a permanent fund and directing the state treasurer to invest principal; appropriations can be made only from investment earnings, not from principal. Anderson said the Legislative Fiscal Analyst and the governor’s budget office estimated approximately $3,000,000 will be available for appropriation in fiscal year 2027 under the new structure.
Daniel Burton and Douglas Crapo of the attorney general’s office described statutory limits on the use of funds, citing Utah Code provisions and master settlement agreements. They said statutes prohibit using settlement money to reimburse expenditures incurred before the funds were received and prohibit supplanting — replacing existing funds with settlement proceeds. The Office of Substance Use and Mental Health (S.U.M.) within DHHS is the central reporting entity; subdivisions that receive funds must report annually on funds received, individuals served and performance measures.
Representatives of the Utah Association of Counties reported county-level receipts and spending patterns through June 30, 2025. Association staff said counties together received roughly $65,000,000 and have spent about $15,000,000 to date, leaving about $50,000,000 unspent. Counties reported common uses of funds included naloxone purchases, medication-assisted treatment in jails and drug courts; some counties said small annual receipts led them to save funds for multiyear projects.
DHHS staff described how state agencies and local partners have used settlement funds for pilot programs and behavioral-health initiatives, including treatment access expansions, jail-based MOUD (medication for opioid use disorder) programs, recovery community centers and funding for the Office of the Medical Examiner.
Committee members asked whether counties could invest their shares to create ongoing revenue; county representatives said they would bring that question back to county leadership. No committee vote was taken; presenters invited follow-up questions and provided resources and dashboards for tracking receipts and appropriations.
