§ 4772. Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee

(a) Creation. There is created the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to provide advice and recommendations regarding remediation spending from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund established pursuant to this subchapter.

(b) Membership.

(1) The Advisory Committee shall be composed of the following members and shall reflect the diversity of Vermont in terms of gender, race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, and socioeconomic status and ensure inclusion of individuals with lived experience of opioid use disorder and their family members whenever possible:

(A) the Commissioner of Health or designee, who shall serve as a nonvoting chair;

(B) the Chief Prevention Officer established pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 2321;

(C) one current member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House;

(D) one current member of the Senate, appointed by the Committee on Committees;

(E) a primary care prescriber with experience providing medication-assisted treatment within the Blueprint for Health hub and spoke model, appointed by the Executive Director of the Blueprint for Health, to provide a statewide perspective on the provision of medication-assisted treatment services;

(F) a provider with academic research credentials, appointed by the University of Vermont, to provide a statewide perspective on academic research relating to opioid use disorder;

(G) two individuals with lived experience of opioid use disorder, including at least one of whom is in recovery, one member appointed by the Howard Center’s Safe Recovery program and one member appointed by the Vermont Association of Mental Health and Addiction Recovery, to provide a statewide perspective on the experience of living with opioid use disorder;

(H) an assistant judge, appointed by the Vermont Association of County Judges; and

(I) seven individuals, each employed by or an agent of a different city or town that collectively reflect Vermont’s diverse population and geography, appointed by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.

(2)(A) The term of office of each appointed member shall be four years. Of the members first appointed, eight shall be appointed for a term of three years and eight shall be appointed for a term of four years. Members shall hold office for the term of their appointments and until their successors have been appointed. All vacancies shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment. Members are eligible for reappointment.

(B) A member may be removed from the Advisory Committee by the member’s appointing entity for cause, which includes only neglect of duty, gross misconduct, conviction of a crime, or inability to perform the responsibilities of the office. The Chair of the Advisory Committee shall simultaneously notify the Governor, the Speaker of the House, and the President Pro Tempore that the member has been removed from the Advisory Committee.

(c) Powers and duties. The Advisory Committee shall demonstrate broad ongoing consultation with individuals living with opioid use disorder about their direct experience with related systems, including medication-assisted treatment, residential treatment, recovery services, harm reduction services, overdose, supervision by the Department of Corrections, and involvement with the Department for Children and Families’ Family Services Division. To that end, the Advisory Committee shall demonstrate consultation with individuals with direct lived experience of opioid use disorder, frontline support professionals, the Substance Misuse Oversight Prevention and Advisory Council, and other stakeholders to identify spending priorities as related to opioid use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery services and harm reduction strategies for the purpose of providing recommendations to the Governor, the Department of Health, and the General Assembly on prioritizing spending from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund. The Advisory Committee shall consider:

(1) the impact of the opioid crisis on communities throughout Vermont, including communities’ abatement needs and proposals for abatement strategies and responses;

(2) the perspectives of and proposals from opioid use disorder prevention coalitions, recovery centers, and medication-assisted treatment providers; and

(3) the ongoing challenges of the opioid crisis on marginalized populations, including individuals who have a lived experience of opioid use disorder.

(d) Assistance. The Advisory Committee shall have the administrative, technical, and legal assistance of the Department of Health.

(e) Presentation. Annually, the Advisory Committee shall present its recommendations for expenditures from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund established pursuant to this subchapter to the Department of Health and concurrently submit its recommendations in writing to the House Committees on Appropriations and on Humans Services and the Senate Committees on Appropriations and on Health and Welfare.

(f) Meetings.

(1) The Commissioner of Health shall call the first meeting of the Advisory Committee to occur on or before June 30, 2022.

(2) The Advisory Committee shall meet at least quarterly but not more than six times per calendar year.

(3) The Advisory Committee shall adopt procedures to govern its proceedings and organization, including voting procedures and how the staggered terms shall be apportioned among members.

(4) All meetings of the Advisory Committee shall be consistent with Vermont’s Open Meeting Law pursuant to 1 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 5, subchapter 2.

(g) Compensation and reimbursement.

(1) For attendance at meetings during adjournment of the General Assembly, a legislative member of the Advisory Committee serving in the member’s capacity as a legislator shall be entitled to per diem compensation and reimbursement of expenses pursuant to 2 V.S.A. § 23 for not more than six meetings per year. These payments shall be appropriated from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund.

(2) Other members of the Advisory Committee shall be entitled to per diem compensation and reimbursement of expenses as permitted under 32 V.S.A. § 1010 for not more than six meetings per year. These payments shall be appropriated from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund. (Added 2021, No. 118 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 16, 2022.)