Mississippi Legislature Aims to Bypass Advisory Council in Opioid Settlement Spending
The Mississippi Legislature is preparing to vote on its own plan to allocate nearly $60 million in opioid settlement funds, according to sources. House and Senate negotiators released the proposed budget late Friday, with both chambers facing a Monday deadline to approve final versions.
The plan diverges from recommendations made by a state advisory council, which was established last year to oversee most of the funds. Lawmakers are seeking to gain authority to spend the money without adhering to the council’s advice, despite previous laws requiring their input.
Updates to seven appropriations bills, covering agencies such as the Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Health, and the Department of Mental Health, instruct agencies on how to use the funds starting July 1. The bills will require approval from the Legislature and signature from Gov. Tate Reeves before becoming law.
Mississippi Today analyzed the proposed appropriations and compared them with the advisory council’s recommendations. The newsroom also requested records from organizations that applied for funding last fall, linking application narratives to the proposed line items. As of last fall, Mississippi had spent less than $1 million of its opioid funds, which could total about $421 million by 2040.
Lawmakers control about 85% of the funds, with much of the money initially allocated for legal fees. Last year, legislation was enacted to direct most of the funds toward opioid addiction projects with input from the advisory council, which was managed by Attorney General Lynn Fitch. However, recent proposals suggest increasing legislative discretion over the funds.
Sen. Nicole Boyd, a Republican from Oxford and sponsor of a reform bill, told Mississippi Today that she hopes to pass legislation before finalizing the distributions. The bill would give lawmakers more authority to modify the recommended funding amounts but still require that funds be spent on projects reviewed by the council.
Despite this, lawmakers are proposing to allocate funds for projects not reviewed by the council. For example, the Department of Employment Security is set to receive $1 million for an addiction recovery-to-work program, even though it never submitted an application. Lawmakers also plan to send $4.5 million to community mental health centers and $250,000 to the nonprofit Finally First for youth prevention efforts.
Notably, the Legislature intends to fund clinical trials for the psychedelic drug ibogaine with $5 million. Some allocations, such as the $500,000 for Hope Squad, lack clear details about the organizations or plans involved. Additionally, the nonprofit Finally First submitted an application that was not scored by the advisory council, raising questions about the process.
Attorney General Fitch’s office did not respond to inquiries about the unreviewed application. Finally First’s CEO, Comelia Walker, expressed disappointment that the council did not review her organization’s application, which she said was submitted well before the deadline. She noted that the lack of review deprived her organization of an opportunity to compete for funding, describing it as “hurtful.”
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