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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, There is a documented national opioid crisis in
3America that has claimed more than half a million lives over
4the past 20 years; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The opioid crisis has touched all age, gender,
6race, and economic groups across the country and here in
7Illinois; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Every year, 30,000 Illinoisans use heroin, 74,000
9have an opioid use disorder, and nearly 400,000 misuse
10prescription opioids; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Illinois saw 2,151 opioid related deaths in the
12first three quarters of 2020, a 36 percent increase from 2019;
13and
 
14    WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a surge in
15heroin and other opioid-related emergency department visits,
16with overdose numbers above the average monthly rate for six
17consecutive months in 2020, increasing the urgency and need
18for immediate access to care as the opioid crisis has evolved
19and continues to takes its toll; and
 
20    WHEREAS, The use of synthetic opioids and fentanyl, along

 

 

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1with poly-substance use, continues to rise and exacerbate the
2already deadly opioid crisis, raising the attention and
3concern of the CDC; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The total economic and social costs of opioid use
5disorder to the State of Illinois exceed $41 billion annually,
6equating to nearly $600,000 for every Illinoisan with an
7opioid use disorder; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Substance use treatment providers provide
9life-saving health care services every day across all of
10Illinois; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Substance use disorders and co-occurring mental
12health disorders need to be treated as the chronic health
13conditions that they are; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Thousands of lawsuits against manufacturers,
15distributors, and retailers of prescription opioids are
16ongoing nationwide with settlements likely to be in the
17billions of dollars; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The majority of states across the country have
19passed or introduced legislation and are actively planning for
20appropriate resource investment of opioid settlement dollars
21in the abatement and remediation of the impacts of the opioid

 

 

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1crisis; and
 
2    WHEREAS, There is a desire to avoid the outcomes of
3previous settlements, such as the tobacco settlement from
41998, where less than three percent of annual settlement sums
5are used for abatement and remediation of the impacts of
6tobacco use; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Illinois has had other revenue generating
8legislation, such as an alcohol tax, where no revenue was
9invested as intended for treatment and recovery supports for
10alcohol use disorder; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The impending opioid settlements provide an
12opportunity to invest in and transform the opioid use disorder
13treatment system in Illinois, driving equity in treatment
14access and availability for communities across the State; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Defining and designating safety net substance use
16treatment providers is the first step toward an equitable
17health care system for Illinois residents who have been
18impacted by the opioid crisis; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Illinois can take action and join other states in
20appropriately investing much needed resources in areas with
21the greatest level of impact for those affected by the opioid

 

 

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1crisis in Illinois; therefore, be it
 
2    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
3HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4we urge the Illinois General Assembly to create the Opioid
5Settlement Fund, created as a special fund in the State
6Treasury to receive opioid-related settlement funds to which
7the State of Illinois may be entitled under any opioid-related
8settlement; and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That all funds received by the State from an
10opioid-related settlement should be deposited into the Opioid
11Settlement Fund to be used for purposes related to alleviating
12the opioid crisis; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That of the moneys allocated to the Fund, a
14portion should be dedicated as follows: (1) to provide greater
15access to and availability of quality and effective opioid use
16disorder treatment, (2) to provide funding to safety net
17substance use treatment providers, including the allocation of
18capital funding resources to such providers to expand access
19to and availability of quality and effective opioid use
20disorder treatment, and (3) to maximize the opportunity to
21draw federal matching funds for purposes related to
22alleviation of the opioid crisis; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That in addition to the moneys allocated,
2subject to appropriation, at least $100,000 should, on an
3annual basis, be granted to the Illinois Alcohol and Other
4Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association to cover the
5fees associated with the application and testing of human
6services professionals in the State of Illinois who provide
7substance use disorder services and mental health services;
8and be it further
 
9    RESOLVED, That "opioid-related settlement" means any and
10all current or future settlements reached by the State of
11Illinois, independently or as part of a global or multi-state
12settlement, with opioid manufacturers, distributors,
13retailers, and any associated business entities; and be it
14further
 
15    RESOLVED, That "safety net substance use treatment
16providers" means licensed and nationally accredited substance
17use treatment providers that are open 24 hours per day, are
18required to admit patients 24 hours per day, are providing
19medication-assisted treatment to individuals with opioid use
20disorder, and are serving a higher proportion of Medicaid
21beneficiaries and individuals who are uninsured; and be it
22further
 
23    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be

 

 

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1delivered to the Governor, all Legislative Leaders, the
2Attorney General, the Illinois Department of Human
3Services-Department of Substance Use, Prevention and Recovery
4(SUPR), and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family
5Services (HFS).