An act relating to fiscal year 2027 Opioid Abatement Special Fund and Substance Misuse Prevention Special Fund appropriations

New subsection (a) requires the Department of Health to review all previous Opioid Abatement Special Fund appropriations by December 1, 2026 and make recommendations to the Advisory Committee and legislative committees on which appropriations could be funded in future years by the Substance Misuse Prevention Special Fund instead.

Added a new review criterion requiring the Advisory Committee to assess 'the appropriateness of the Opioid Abatement Special Fund as a funding source' when reviewing previously funded programs, signaling a potential shift of ongoing funding to the Substance Misuse Prevention Special Fund.

The FY2028 proposal suspension was narrowed: changed from 'shall not accept funding proposals or make funding recommendations' to 'shall not accept new funding proposals,' allowing the Advisory Committee to still make recommendations on existing programs while only blocking brand-new proposals.

Removed the 'Notwithstanding 18 V.S.A. section 4772(e)' override language that had been used to supersede the Advisory Committee's annual recommendation process.

A short-form summary section was added at the beginning of the official version, including sponsor names (Representatives Maguire, Bishop, Cole, Eastes, Garofano, Noyes, and Wood), subject line, and statement of purpose. This is standard formatting for official legislative documents.

The document header changed from 'AS PASSED BY HOUSE' to 'BILL AS PASSED BY THE HOUSE' and page count updated from 8 to 16 pages to accommodate the added short form.

In the short form, Section 6 refers to the 'Opioid Settlement Advisory Council' while the full text consistently uses 'Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee.' This appears to be a drafting inconsistency in the short form only.

Recovery bed funding in Section 1(6) was restructured: the House version allocated $900,000 for NARR level III+ beds plus $300,000 for NARR beds in specifically named regions (Brattleboro, Middlebury, Addison, Randolph, Chester, St. Albans). The enacted version consolidates this into a single $1,200,000 appropriation covering both American Society of Addiction Medicine level 3.1 opioid use disorder residential treatment beds and NARR level III+ beds, replacing the named regions with a priority for 'unserved and underserved regions of the State.'

New Section 1(10) appropriates $500,000 to the Department of Health for distribution to recovery centers, with allocations determined in consultation with the Vermont Recovery Network.

New Section 1(11) appropriates $287,000 to the Department of Public Safety to expand the Public Safety Enhancement Team's harm reduction and strategic community intervention efforts.

New Section 1(12) appropriates $875,000 to the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living to fund specialized employment services for individuals with opioid use disorder through HireAbility Vermont.

The House version's amendment to 2023 Acts and Resolves No. 22, Sec. 14 included a $91,712.66 wound care telehealth consultation pilot program. This item was removed in the enacted version.

New Section 2 establishes legislative intent for Burlington's overdose prevention center: if a location is procured, being fit up, and operational or imminently operational during the FY2027 budget adjustment process, the General Assembly intends to appropriate up to $1,100,000 to the Department of Health for a grant to the City of Burlington. Subsection (b) expresses intent to continue annual appropriations through at least FY2028 for operation of the center.

The FY2028 proposal suspension (Section 7) was modified to add 'Notwithstanding 18 V.S.A. section 4772(e)' and expanded the review purpose to include assessing 'the appropriateness of the Opioid Abatement Special Fund as a funding source' and to inform recommendations for fiscal year 2029 and thereafter.

The bill title was expanded from 'An act relating to fiscal year 2027 Opioid Abatement Special Fund appropriations' to 'An act relating to fiscal year 2027 Opioid Abatement Special Fund and Substance Misuse Prevention Special Fund appropriations,' reflecting the broader scope of the enacted legislation.

New Section 3 states it is the General Assembly's intent that HireAbility Vermont be funded using General Fund monies in fiscal year 2028 and thereafter, signaling a transition away from Opioid Abatement Special Fund financing.

New Section 8 requires the Department of Health to submit quarterly reports to the General Assembly on Opioid Abatement Special Fund expenditures, identifying unobligated or unspent funds with explanations. Reports are due October 1, 2026 and July 1, 2027 to the Joint Fiscal Committee, and January 1, 2027 and April 1, 2027 to relevant House and Senate committees. Reports must also be posted on the DOH website.

New Section 12 amends 18 V.S.A. section 4812 to require the Department of Health to report to legislative committees on its specific spending proposal from the Substance Misuse Prevention Special Fund for the coming fiscal year, including an estimate of monies anticipated to remain unallocated at year's end.

New Section 10 requires the Department of Health to submit a syringe recovery plan to legislative committees by December 15, 2026, containing recommendations for implementing one or more syringe recovery models statewide. The plan must require syringe service providers to report the percentage of distributed syringes that are returned or otherwise collected.

The Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee amendment (Section 5) adds a new subsection (e) requiring the committee to vote on its recommendations annually, base them on outcomes from previous grantees, consult with the Office of the Attorney General on allowable fund uses, present recommendations to the Department of Health, and submit written recommendations to four legislative committees addressing how each meets statutory criteria. Priority consideration must be given to services requiring ongoing funding.

Appropriates $455,000 to the Department of Health for 26 outreach or case management staff positions within the preferred provider network to engage individuals with substance use disorder in community settings.

Appropriates $1,600,000 to the Department of Health for recovery residences certified by the Vermont Alliance for Recovery Residences, intended to be funded annually unless the fund is insufficient.

Appropriates $850,000 to the Department of Health for syringe services, intended to be funded annually unless the fund is insufficient.

Appropriates $1,100,000 to the Department of Corrections for peer recovery center coaches in correctional facilities and probation/parole offices for group and individual coaching and reentry support; administrative expenses are excluded.

Appropriates $250,000 to the Department for Children and Families Office of Economic Opportunity for long-term shelter programs including harm-reduction supports, transportation, and clinical nursing programs.

Appropriates $900,000 for new recovery residence beds at NARR certification level III or above, plus $300,000 for new NARR-certified beds in Brattleboro, Middlebury, Addison, Randolph, Chester, St. Albans, or other identified regions.

Appropriates $248,000 for the PREVENT Program to expand EMS training on carrying and administering buprenorphine after naloxone administration.

Appropriates $35,000 to subsidize room and board for individuals in Rutland Mental Health Services transitional housing program.

Appropriates $237,646 for distribution to Springfield Project Action to support public safety enhancement team coordinator positions in five regions of Vermont.

Appropriates $288,935 for Elevate Youth Services to create a low-barrier drop-in teen center in Barre providing food, activities, peer counselors, and treatment connections.

Appropriates $124,999 for Greater Falls Connections to enhance youth engagement, education, prevention staffing, and programming space.

Appropriates $200,000 for Interaction: Friends for Change to increase access to community-based therapy, housing, crisis, medical, recovery, and employment supports for youth in Windham County.

Appropriates $26,697 for Winooski Partnership for Prevention to deliver medicine safety education to elementary-aged youth during school with family engagement.

Reverts $444,000 from opioid provider satellite accounts, $8,287.34 from wound care, and $1,000,000 from stabilization beds back to the Opioid Abatement Special Fund in fiscal year 2027.

Adds a carryforward provision stating that unless reverted by future legislation, all appropriations under this section shall carry forward until fully expended, notwithstanding the general two-year reversion rule in 32 V.S.A. 703.

Amends 18 V.S.A. 4772 to require the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to demonstrate broad ongoing consultation with individuals living with opioid use disorder and to require each funding proposal to include a sustainability plan addressing future expenses apart from the Special Fund.

Suspends the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee's acceptance of new funding proposals for fiscal year 2028 unless a proposal was previously identified in statute as intended for annual funding; instead the committee must review outcomes and sustainability of previously funded programs.

Requires the Department of Health to review all prior appropriations from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund by December 1, 2026 and recommend which could be funded in future years by the Substance Misuse Prevention Special Fund.

Sets the effective date as July 1, 2026.