AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously, of those present, to advance LD 1722, a proposal to utilize Maine's opioid settlement funds to support opioid and substance use services, sponsored by Rep. Charlotte Warren, D-Hallowell.
Maine has received over $130 million as the result of lawsuits filed against opioid manufacturers and distributors for their role in the state's opioid crisis. LD 1722 directs that money awarded through litigation and settlements be moved to the Opioid and Substance Use Abatement Fund administered by the attorney general and be used to support prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery services. This funding would not replace any current or future money focused on addressing this statewide issue.
This legislation also directs the Maine Recovery Council to propose recommendations regarding the best use of settlement funds.
"Maine families and communities across the state and across generations continue to be devastated by the fiscal, social and emotional costs of untreated addiction," said Warren. "Money received by Maine as a result of lawsuits holding opioid manufacturers accountable for their products should be used to remediate and abate the crisis they created. We must act now, and LD 1722 gives us a pathway forward."
The bill faces further votes in the House and Senate in the coming weeks.
Warren is serving her fourth term in the Maine House of Representatives as House chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety. She serves the towns of Hallowell, Manchester and West Gardiner.