LANSING, Mich. — The entire Senate Republican caucus on Wednesday signed onto a letter by Sen. Mark Huizenga to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel urging her to end the agency’s effort to disband the Opioid Advisory Commission.
“I worked to create the Opioid Advisory Commission, which includes both Republican and Democrat appointees, to oversee our state’s portion of the nationwide opioid settlement and ensure that the funds are allocated effectively,” said Huizenga, R-Walker. “The goal was to keep politics out of the equation and instead focus on how best to use the funds to address an addiction crisis that continues to devastate families across Michigan.”
A plan by state Democrats to eliminate the commission has been in the works for months, according to an internal email to MDHHS officials obtained by Bridge Michigan through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Michigan is set to receive $1.6 billion over 18 years from certain opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies — with half of those funds going to local communities and half being administered by the state.
The letter to Hertel states: “This critical funding belongs to the people of Michigan, who rightfully expect these dollars to be spent responsibly for their intended purpose. Disbanding the commission would remove a prudent check and balance between the Legislature and executive administration in ensuring transparency and accountability — protecting these funds against dubious deals made in the dark behind closed doors.”
Public Act 84 of 2022, sponsored by Huizenga, created the Opioid Advisory Commission within the Legislative Council to review local, state, and federal initiatives related to education, prevention, treatment, and services for people and families affected by substance use disorders and make funding recommendations to the Legislature.
“We urge your department to abandon its effort to disband the Opioid Advisory Commission and hope to continue working together on solutions that provide the critical resources Michiganders are counting on. Michigan families are depending on this commission’s oversight to ensure these funds are used effectively to save lives,” Huizenga wrote in the letter.
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