The Attorney General’s (AG) settlement with three opioid distributors is now finalized and the first distributions to eligible participating cities and counties will begin on December 1, 2022, as long as Opioid Abatement Councils (OAC) are in place.
Under the terms of the settlement agreements, local governments must establish an Opioid Abatement Council to oversee the Opioid Fund allocation, distribution, expenditures, and dispute resolution within each allocation region, as defined by the settlement
agreement. The OAC may be a preexisting regional body or may be a new body created for purposes of executing the obligations of the settlement. Failure to create an OAC before December 1, 2022, may cause payments to be delayed.
OAC membership is outlined in the One Washington MOU and includes representatives
from participating cities and counties in the region who have work or educational experience in one of the approved opioid abatement uses under the agreement. The process for determining representation will be determined by the participating local
governments, and regions may wish to build on existing regional public health structures to oversee the settlement allocations and reporting requirements.
More information on the settlement agreement and the distributions expected by each entity is available on the AG's website. AWC recently published an article with more details on
how settlement funds can be used as well as the formation of OACs. You can read the article here.