Bill Summaries: S692 USE OF OPIOID SETTLEMENT FUNDS.

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  • Summary date: Apr 8 2021 - View Summary

    Establishes the Opioid Abatement Fund (Fund) to include funds the State receives from the judgment in State of North Carolina, ex rel Joshua H. Stein, Plaintiff v. McKinsey and Company, Inc., in the General Court of Justice, Superior Court Division, Wake County. Requires the Fund to be used to cover the State's costs investigating and pursuing the claims in the case and to remediate the harms caused to North Carolina and its citizens by the opioid epidemic. Specifies that money in the Fund is to be expended only for the following purposes and in accordance with subsequent acts of the NCGA appropriating these funds and directing their use: (1) to expand employment and transportation supports through innovative pilot programs in industries in North Carolina that suffered the greatest job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic and are most relied upon by individuals recovering from opioid use disorders to reenter the workforce; (2) to support individuals with opioid use disorder who are involved in the criminal justice system through programs and initiatives designed to accomplish the specified pre- and post-arrest diversion programs, medication-assisted treatment programs, and reentry programs; (3) to expand evidence-based treatment supports and to improve connections to care, especially for individuals hospitalized for overdose who are uninsured or underinsured, through the following specified activities or initiatives; and (4) to develop evidence-based supportive housing services that are inclusive of individuals with substance use disorders. Prohibits expending funds from the Fund until the settlement funds have been appropriated by an act of the NCGA and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services has consulted specified NCGA committees.