Opinion: Iowa lawmakers finally spend opioid settlement dollars – thegazette.com
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May. 24, 2025 5:00 am
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For three years, most of the $56 million payment to Iowa as part of a national settlement in legal actions against opioids makers and others has been sitting in the state’s bank account, unused.
Finally, in the last hours of the Iowa Legislature’s 2025 session, Republicans agreed to a plan for distributing the dollars.
The funds for addressing opioid addiction should have begun flowing in 2023. But disagreements between House and Senate Republicans on how best to spend the money scuttled efforts in 2023 and 2024.
“For too long the majority party has failed Iowans on this issue,” said Senate Democratic leader Janice Weiner in emotional remarks. Last year, Weiner talked about her daughter who has a substance use disorder.
“Think of the good those funds could have done. … We are way late to the game,” Weiner said.
She’s right, of course. There was no good reason for sitting on the funds. If it had been a priority for Republicans, it wouldn’t have taken them this long to act.
This year, Republicans agreed to allocate $29 million to 10 specific programs addressing opioid abuse suggested by the Department of Health and Human Services.
And a $27 million share will go to department, and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. The department will get 75% of those funds while the attorney general gets 25% for crisis response, intervention treatment and recovery.
The state’s seven behavioral health districts must be consulted on how the funds are used. The department and Attorney General’s Office will present annual reports to lawmakers on how the dollars are spent and what kind of results they achieved.
House lawmakers wanted to create an advisory council to monitor the money. But Senate Republicans opposed a council, a disagreement that played a role in the long delay.
But the bill does not identify the projects that would receive money under the bill.
So, transparency could be an issue. Lawmakers should make sure all Iowans can see how settlement funds are being spent. The state is expected to get up to $235 million in settlement funds through the 2039 Fiscal Year.
The approved plan sounds good, but we’d like to see more details. We hope the money can help Iowans avoid overdose deaths. In 2023, there were 238 in Iowa. For Iowans who need help, the bill is better late than never.
(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com
Opinion content represents the viewpoint of the author or The Gazette editorial board. You can join the conversation by submitting a letter to the editor or guest column or by suggesting a topic for an editorial to editorial@thegazette.com
Jared Strong
Trish Mehaffey
Jared Strong
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This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
May. 24, 2025 5:00 am
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
For three years, most of the $56 million payment to Iowa as part of a national settlement in legal actions against opioids makers and others has been sitting in the state’s bank account, unused.
Finally, in the last hours of the Iowa Legislature’s 2025 session, Republicans agreed to a plan for distributing the dollars.
The funds for addressing opioid addiction should have begun flowing in 2023. But disagreements between House and Senate Republicans on how best to spend the money scuttled efforts in 2023 and 2024.
“For too long the majority party has failed Iowans on this issue,” said Senate Democratic leader Janice Weiner in emotional remarks. Last year, Weiner talked about her daughter who has a substance use disorder.
“Think of the good those funds could have done. … We are way late to the game,” Weiner said.
She’s right, of course. There was no good reason for sitting on the funds. If it had been a priority for Republicans, it wouldn’t have taken them this long to act.
This year, Republicans agreed to allocate $29 million to 10 specific programs addressing opioid abuse suggested by the Department of Health and Human Services.
And a $27 million share will go to department, and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. The department will get 75% of those funds while the attorney general gets 25% for crisis response, intervention treatment and recovery.
The state’s seven behavioral health districts must be consulted on how the funds are used. The department and Attorney General’s Office will present annual reports to lawmakers on how the dollars are spent and what kind of results they achieved.
House lawmakers wanted to create an advisory council to monitor the money. But Senate Republicans opposed a council, a disagreement that played a role in the long delay.
But the bill does not identify the projects that would receive money under the bill.
So, transparency could be an issue. Lawmakers should make sure all Iowans can see how settlement funds are being spent. The state is expected to get up to $235 million in settlement funds through the 2039 Fiscal Year.
The approved plan sounds good, but we’d like to see more details. We hope the money can help Iowans avoid overdose deaths. In 2023, there were 238 in Iowa. For Iowans who need help, the bill is better late than never.
(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com
Opinion content represents the viewpoint of the author or The Gazette editorial board. You can join the conversation by submitting a letter to the editor or guest column or by suggesting a topic for an editorial to editorial@thegazette.com
Jared Strong
Trish Mehaffey
Jared Strong
FOLLOW US
The Gazette has been informing Iowans with in-depth local news coverage and insightful analysis for over 140 years. Support our award-winning, independent journalism with a subscription today.
© 2025 The Gazette | All Rights Reserved.
Subscriber Services
Our Journalists
Sports Desk
Our Columnists
Our Writers
Our Writers
Our Photojournalists
Data
More Gazette
Other Links
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Share this article:
Subscriber Services
Our Journalists
Sports Desk
Our Columnists
Our Writers
Our Writers
Our Photojournalists
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source
This article was autogenerated from a news feed from CDO TIMES selected high quality news and research sources. There was no editorial review conducted beyond that by CDO TIMES staff. Need help with any of the topics in our articles? Schedule your free CDO TIMES Tech Navigator call today to stay ahead of the curve and gain insider advantages to propel your business!
