Amendment #1170 to H4400

Opioid Reduction Program

Representatives Markey of Dartmouth, McMurtry of Dedham and Tosado of Springfield move to amend the bill in section 2, in item 4000-0300 by adding the following: “; provided further that not less that $10,000,000 shall be expended for a grant program to be known as the Opioid Reduction Program, to be administered by the executive office of health and human service, to support regional, multi-disciplinary approaches to combat substance use disorder through coordinated programs for prevention, intervention, and recovery; provided, that the secretary of health and human services shall distribute grant funds through a competitive grant program that gives preference to applications that:

(1) demonstrate high levels of opioid addiction and substance abuse in a region;

(2) demonstrate a commitment to regional, multi-jurisdictional strategies to deal with those community substance use disorder issues, including written commitments for municipalities, law enforcement agencies, community-based organizations and government agencies to work together;

(3) clearly outline a comprehensive plan for municipalities to work with law enforcement, community-based organizations and government agencies to address opioids and substance use disorder, and enhance prevention, treatment and recovery support.

(4) make a written commitment to match grant funds with a 25 per cent match provided either by municipal or private contributions; and

(5) identify a local governmental unit to serve as fiscal agent; provided further, that clusters of municipalities, in partnership with nonprofit organizations and other agencies, including district attorneys' offices, shall be eligible to apply for these funds; provided further, that those funds shall be considered one-time and grants awarded to public agencies shall not annualize in fiscal year 2019; provided further, that administrative costs for successful grant applications shall not exceed 3 per cent of the value of the grant; provided further, that no grant funds shall be expended on food or beverages; provided further t hat the executive office of health and human services shall publish guidelines and an application for the competitive portion of the grant program not later than September 15, 2018 and that awards shall be made to applicants not later than December 31, 2018; provided further, that the executive office of health and human services may expend not more than $100,000 of the sum appropriated in this item for its costs in administering this program; provided further, that the executive office of health and human services shall submit a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means detailing the amount of the grants awarded to recipients and descriptions of the grants; and provided further, that each grant recipient shall provide the executive office of health and human services with a comprehensive list of the best practices that have been instituted as a result of these grants” and in said item by striking out the figures “$103,377,269” and inserting in place thereof the figures “$113,377,269”.

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #1170 to H4400

Opioid Reduction Program