Mississippi Senate fails to override governor’s veto of opioid funds for nonprofits
Mississippi lawmakers on Wednesday did not override Gov. Tate Reeves’ veto of $1.55 million in opioid settlement funds allocated to three nonprofits. The veto was issued after the governor expressed concerns about the vetting process.
During a rare return to the state Capitol, the House of Representatives quickly moved to override the veto of House Bill 1924, which allocates about $30 million received from pharmaceutical companies responsible for the opioid epidemic. The veto affected funds for the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence, Hope Squad, and Finally First, totaling $1.55 million.
Reeves cited a lack of proper vetting by the Opioid Fund Advisory Council as the reason for his veto. He stated he believed approving the funds without knowing the organizations’ specific purposes and qualifications would be imprudent. The veto was met with a unanimous 110-0 vote in the House to override, but the Senate failed to do so, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed.
Lawmakers who opposed the override said the organizations were legitimate and that application errors, attributed to human mistakes, prevented their inclusion in the final review report. Supporters highlighted efforts to bring Hope Squad—a program supporting students’ mental health—to schools in five southern counties and emphasized the potential impact of losing the funding.
Hope Squad’s founder, Paige Roberts, said application errors kept the organizations from being vetted properly. She noted that Hope Squad would have expanded its reach in Mississippi with the funds, and parents had already contacted her about the program’s future in local schools.
Reeves encouraged the nonprofits to reapply for funding in the next grant cycle, emphasizing that their exclusion was due to procedural issues, not a judgment of their worthiness. A spokesperson for the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office expressed commitment to ensuring the funds are distributed efficiently. The next application cycle is scheduled to open in August, with nearly $300 million available through 2040 for opioid abatement efforts across the state.
Source: Original Article
