The Mississippi House and Senate unanimously passed separate bills Thursday intended to ensure hundreds of millions in opioid settlement money is spent on efforts to prevent overdoses and treat addiction, Mississippi Today reported. Lawmakers expect the two chambers to enter final negotiations in the coming weeks before sending a bill to Gov. Tate Reeves, the news outlet said.
The measures would require local governments to use settlement funds on strategies that address addiction, prohibit using the money to replace existing funding and strengthen rules to prevent conflicts of interest on the Mississippi Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Council, Mississippi Today reported. Both chambers amended their bills Tuesday to address issues the news organization identified over the past year, the report said.
The legislation would reform state code governing money from national lawsuits against drug companies whose marketing of prescription pain pills helped fuel the nation’s overdose crisis, Mississippi Today said. The state is expected to receive $421 million in opioid settlements through 2040, and more than 10,000 people in Mississippi have died of overdoses since 2000, the report said. A Mississippi Today investigation found that of roughly $124 million the state had received by last summer, less than $1 million had been used to address the opioid epidemic, while significant sums went to lawyers’ fees and general expenses, the outlet reported.
Mississippi Today said the lack of restrictions on 15% of the settlement funds — the share directed to cities and counties — stemmed from guidance by Attorney General Lynn Fitch that left those local dollars unrestricted and without reporting requirements. Republican Rep. Sam Creekmore of New Albany told Mississippi Today he pushed the bill after the newsroom’s investigation and said local funds were “just sitting in a bank account.” Democrat Rep. Bob Evans of Monticello questioned why the bill does not require public reporting on local spending; Creekmore said reporting requirements could be added during negotiations, the outlet reported.
The House amendment also tasks the advisory council — created last year to solicit, review and recommend grant applications for most of the state’s settlement money — with hiring an outside group to improve the grant process, Mississippi Today reported. A Senate amendment submitted by Republican Sen. Nicole Boyd would bar council members from directly or indirectly influencing evaluations of recommendations that could benefit them and would give the Legislature more power over grant funding. Republican Sen. Brice Wiggins of Pascagoula told the Senate the changes aim to address complaints about the council’s initial recommendations, Mississippi Today reported.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
