Iowa Gov. Reynolds announces $17.5 million for opioid recovery programs

Iowa lawmakers failed to agree on a plan to spend $47.5 million in opioid settlement funds earlier this year.

Liam Halawith, Politics Editor

May 16, 2024

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks during Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Caucus Night Watch Party at the Sheraton in West Des Moines on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Republican voters assembled statewide to participate in the caucuses despite the cold and extreme winter weather across the state. Former President Donald Trump won the caucuses in a dominant and early fashion with 51 percent support from Republicans while DeSantis trailed in second with 21 percent as of 11:15 p.m. Around 250 people showed up to listen to DeSantis. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Daily Iowan)

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that $17.5 million in state American Rescue Plan Act funds will be used to offer a range of opioid prevention and recovery programs on Thursday.

Reynolds’ announcement comes after Iowa lawmakers failed to agree on a plan to spend over $47 million in opioid settlement funds this legislative session. The funds come from a multi-state lawsuit that former Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat, led against opioid manufacturers and pharmacies for ignoring red flags in the opioid epidemic.

Lawmakers were split on how to spend the money, with both chambers advancing competing proposals in the legislative session’s final days. This is the second year lawmakers have failed to allocate the funds after receiving the funds in late 2022.

The House Republican proposal would create a council within the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services consisting of agency heads and stakeholder experts to review and pass along grant proposals for the funds, needing final approval by Iowa lawmakers. It also included $12.5 million for special projects recommended by the governor.

Senate Lawmakers would have appropriated 75 percent of the funds to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and 25 percent to the Iowa Attorney General’s office.

Reynolds is directing federal funds to address the opioid epidemic in the state in the meantime. The $17.5 million includes:

$500,000 to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services for an Opioid Use Prevention Campaign
$1 million to an Opioid Prescription Prevention Program to provide training to healthcare providers in prescribing opioids to surgery patients
$10 million for a grant program administered by Iowa HHS and the Iowa Economic Development Authority to expand or build new treatment and recovery providers
$3 million to complete the Youth Standing Strong, or YSS, Ember Recovery Campus in Cambridge, Iowa, a teen residential addiction treatment center
$3 million for a grant program administered by Iowa HHS and the Iowa Finance Authority to build a network of sober living environments

“I’m disappointed that a bill to spend a portion of Iowa’s opioid settlement money never reached my desk this session,” Reynolds said in a news release on Thursday. “Since legislation was not passed, I’m leveraging federal funds to make this investment in the health and well-being of Iowans.”

According to a database maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures, the state has utilized over 75 percent of the $1.4 billion it received from the federal government as part of the American Rescue Plan Act.