Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

Vermont Senate Bill S0077 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	BILL AS INTRODUCED S.77
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6	6	S.77 1
7	7	Introduced by Senators Lyons, Gulick and Harrison 2
8	8	Referred to Committee on 3
9	9	Date: 4
10	10	Subject: Human services; opioid use disorder; Opioid Abatement Special 5
11	11	Fund; expenditures 6
12	12	Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to appropriate 7
13	13	funds from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund for use in fiscal year 2026. 8
14	14	An act relating to fiscal year 2026 appropriations from the Opioid 9
15	15	Abatement Special Fund 10
16	16	It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 11
17	17	Sec. 1. APPROPRIATIONS; OPIOID ABATEMENT SPECIAL FUND 12
18	18	(a) In fiscal year 2026, the following sums shall be appropriated from the 13
19	19	Opioid Abatement Special Fund established in 18 V.S.A. § 4774: 14
20	20	(1)(A) $1,976,000.00 to the Department of Health to fund 26 outreach 15
21	21	or case management staff positions within the preferred provider network for 16
22	22	the provision of services that increase motivation of and engagement with 17
23	23	individuals with substance use disorder in settings such as police barracks, 18
24	24	shelters, social service organizations, and elsewhere in the community. 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.77
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29	29	(B) It is the intent of the General Assembly that these positions shall 1
30	30	be funded annually by the Opioid Abatement Special Fund unless and until the 2
31	31	Special Fund does not have sufficient monies to fund this expenditure. 3
32	32	(2)(A) $1,100,000.00 to the Department of Health for the purpose of 4
33	33	awarding grants to the City of Burlington for establishing an overdose 5
34	34	prevention center upon submission of a grant proposal that has been approved 6
35	35	by the Burlington City Council and meets the requirements of 18 V.S.A. 7
36	36	§ 4256, including the guidelines developed by the Department of Health. 8
37	37	(B) It is the intent of the General Assembly to continue to appropriate 9
38	38	funds from the Opioid Abatement Special Fund through fiscal year 2028 for 10
39	39	the purpose of awarding grants to the City of Burlington for the operation of 11
40	40	the overdose prevention center, unless and until the Special Fund does not have 12
41	41	sufficient monies to fund this expenditure. 13
42	42	(3)(A) $1,200,000.00 to the Department of Health for recovery 14
43	43	residences certified by the Vermont Alliance for Recovery Residences, 15
44	44	including at least two new recovery residences certified by the Vermont 16
45	45	Alliance for Recovery Residences. 17
46	46	(B) It is the intent of the General Assembly that recovery residences 18
47	47	be funded annually at not less than fiscal year 2025 levels, unless and until the 19
48	48	Special Fund does not have sufficient monies to fund this expenditure. 20
49	49	(4)(A) $1,050,000.00 to the Department of Health for syringe services. 21 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.77
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54	54	(B) It is the intent of the General Assembly that syringe services be 1
55	55	funded annually at not less than fiscal year 2025 levels, unless and until the 2
56	56	Special Fund does not have sufficient monies to fund this expenditure. 3
57	57	(5) $800,000.00 to the Department of Health for grants to providers for 4
58	58	ongoing support for contingency management. 5
59	59	(6) $32,157.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to the 6
60	60	Brattleboro Fire Department to establish community training programs on the 7
61	61	administration of opioid antagonists, CPR, first aid, and Stop the Bleed 8
62	62	protocols. 9
63	63	(7) $44,229.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to the 10
64	64	Champlain Housing Trust to continue a pilot program providing access to 11
65	65	wound care and preventative health care in three low-barrier shelters within 12
66	66	Chittenden County. 13
67	67	(8) $800,000.00 to the Department for Children and Families’ Office of 14
68	68	Economic Opportunity to support long-term programs at shelters for 15
69	69	individuals experiencing homelessness, including harm-reduction supports and 16
70	70	clinical nursing programs. 17
71	71	(9) $309,000.00 to the Department of Health for HCRS’ Project 18
72	72	Connectionworks to reduce opioid use disorder morbidity and mortality in 19
73	73	Windham County through prevention, treatment, and recovery services. 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.77
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78	78	(10) $35,000.00 to the Department of Corrections for distribution to 1
79	79	Pathways Vermont to implement a contingency management pilot program in 2
80	80	Chittenden County for individuals under the supervision of the Department of 3
81	81	Corrections. 4
82	82	(11) $50,0000.00 to the Judicial Branch to train Vermont’s judges on 5
83	83	issues related to opioid use disorder and strategies for use in dockets statewide. 6
84	84	(12) $76,000.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to 7
85	85	Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform to fund an outreach worker position. 8
86	86	(13) $200,000.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to Elevate 9
87	87	Youth Services to establish Healthy Youth Program counselors at the 10
88	88	Basement Teen Center at Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Washington County. 11
89	89	(14) $100,000.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to Friends 12
90	90	for Change’s Youth Center for the purpose of delivering intervention strategies 13
91	91	and harm reduction supports to youth and young adults. 14
92	92	(15) $170,000.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to 15
93	93	Spectrum Youth and Family Services for two new positions to expand opioid 16
94	94	use disorder screening, treatment, and case management services to youth in 17
95	95	Chittenden and Franklin Counties. 18
96	96	(16) $80,000.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to Prevent 19
97	97	Child Abuse Vermont for the purpose of teaching parenting skills and 20 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.77
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102	102	providing social and emotional parenting supports for individuals with opioid 1
103	103	use disorder. 2
104	104	(17) $850,000.00 to the Department of Disabilities, Aging, and 3
105	105	Independent Living for distribution to HireAbility Vermont to provide 4
106	106	specialized employment services for individuals with opioid use disorder in 5
107	107	Burlington, Newport, Rutland, and Bennington. 6
108	108	(18) $550,000.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to 7
109	109	Northeast Kingdom Community Action to hire four peer support specialists to 8
110	110	assist individuals with opioid use disorder who are transitioning out of 9
111	111	homelessness into safe, permanent housing. 10
112	112	(19) $150,000.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to 11
113	113	Connecticut Valley Addiction Services, Inc. to expand opioid use treatment in 12
114	114	rural Windsor County. 13
115	115	(20) $300,000.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to 14
116	116	Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform and the Johnson Health Center to 15
117	117	continue and improve the Managed Medical Response Partnership. 16
118	118	(21) $30,000.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to 17
119	119	Treatment Associates of Washington County Mental Health to hire an 18
120	120	embedded recovery coach. 19 BILL AS INTRODUCED S.77
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125	125	(22) $20,824.00 to the Department of Health for distribution to 1
126	126	Umbrella to provide integrated services between domestic and sexual violence 2
127	127	providers and partners in recovery in northeastern Vermont. 3
128	128	(b) All grant agreements associated with funds appropriated pursuant to 4
129	129	this section shall require outcome and measurements data to be collected and 5
130	130	reported to the department issuing the grant. 6
131	131	Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE 7
132	132	This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025. 8