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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, There is a documented national opioid crisis in | ||||||
3 | America that has claimed more than half a million lives over | ||||||
4 | the past 20 years; and
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5 | WHEREAS, The opioid crisis has touched all age, gender, | ||||||
6 | race, and economic groups across the country and here in | ||||||
7 | Illinois; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Every year, 30,000 Illinoisans use heroin, 74,000 | ||||||
9 | have an opioid use disorder, and nearly 400,000 misuse | ||||||
10 | prescription opioids; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, Illinois saw 2,151 opioid related deaths in the | ||||||
12 | first three quarters of 2020, a 36 percent increase from 2019; | ||||||
13 | and | ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a surge in | ||||||
15 | heroin and other opioid-related emergency department visits, | ||||||
16 | with overdose numbers above the average monthly rate for six | ||||||
17 | consecutive months in 2020, increasing the urgency and need | ||||||
18 | for immediate access to care as the opioid crisis has evolved | ||||||
19 | and continues to takes its toll; and | ||||||
20 | WHEREAS, The use of synthetic opioids and fentanyl, along |
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1 | with poly-substance use, continues to rise and exacerbate the | ||||||
2 | already deadly opioid crisis, raising the attention and | ||||||
3 | concern of the CDC; and | ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, The total economic and social costs of opioid use | ||||||
5 | disorder to the State of Illinois exceed $41 billion annually, | ||||||
6 | equating to nearly $600,000 for every Illinoisan with an | ||||||
7 | opioid use disorder; and | ||||||
8 | WHEREAS, Substance use treatment providers provide | ||||||
9 | life-saving health care services every day across all of | ||||||
10 | Illinois; and | ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, Substance use disorders and co-occurring mental | ||||||
12 | health disorders need to be treated as the chronic health | ||||||
13 | conditions that they are; and | ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, Thousands of lawsuits against manufacturers, | ||||||
15 | distributors, and retailers of prescription opioids are | ||||||
16 | ongoing nationwide with settlements likely to be in the | ||||||
17 | billions of dollars; and | ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, The majority of states across the country have | ||||||
19 | passed or introduced legislation and are actively planning for | ||||||
20 | appropriate resource investment of opioid settlement dollars | ||||||
21 | in the abatement and remediation of the impacts of the opioid |
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1 | crisis; and | ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, There is a desire to avoid the outcomes of | ||||||
3 | previous settlements, such as the tobacco settlement from | ||||||
4 | 1998, where less than three percent of annual settlement sums | ||||||
5 | are used for abatement and remediation of the impacts of | ||||||
6 | tobacco use; and | ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, Illinois has had other revenue generating | ||||||
8 | legislation, such as an alcohol tax, where no revenue was | ||||||
9 | invested as intended for treatment and recovery supports for | ||||||
10 | alcohol use disorder; and
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11 | WHEREAS, The impending opioid settlements provide an | ||||||
12 | opportunity to invest in and transform the opioid use disorder | ||||||
13 | treatment system in Illinois, driving equity in treatment | ||||||
14 | access and availability for communities across the State; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Defining and designating safety net substance use | ||||||
16 | treatment providers is the first step toward an equitable | ||||||
17 | health care system for Illinois residents who have been | ||||||
18 | impacted by the opioid crisis; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Illinois can take action and join other states in | ||||||
20 | appropriately investing much needed resources in areas with | ||||||
21 | the greatest level of impact for those affected by the opioid |
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1 | crisis in Illinois; therefore, be it
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2 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
3 | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
4 | we urge the Illinois General Assembly to create the Opioid | ||||||
5 | Settlement Fund, created as a special fund in the State | ||||||
6 | Treasury to receive opioid-related settlement funds to which | ||||||
7 | the State of Illinois may be entitled under any opioid-related | ||||||
8 | settlement; and be it further | ||||||
9 | RESOLVED, That all funds received by the State from an | ||||||
10 | opioid-related settlement should be deposited into the Opioid | ||||||
11 | Settlement Fund to be used for purposes related to alleviating | ||||||
12 | the opioid crisis; and be it further | ||||||
13 | RESOLVED, That of the moneys allocated to the Fund, a | ||||||
14 | portion should be dedicated as follows: (1) to provide greater | ||||||
15 | access to and availability of quality and effective opioid use | ||||||
16 | disorder treatment, (2) to provide funding to safety net | ||||||
17 | substance use treatment providers, including the allocation of | ||||||
18 | capital funding resources to such providers to expand access | ||||||
19 | to and availability of quality and effective opioid use | ||||||
20 | disorder treatment, and (3) to maximize the opportunity to | ||||||
21 | draw federal matching funds for purposes related to | ||||||
22 | alleviation of the opioid crisis; and be it further |
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1 | RESOLVED, That in addition to the moneys allocated, | ||||||
2 | subject to appropriation, at least $100,000 should, on an | ||||||
3 | annual basis, be granted to the Illinois Alcohol and Other | ||||||
4 | Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association to cover the | ||||||
5 | fees associated with the application and testing of human | ||||||
6 | services professionals in the State of Illinois who provide | ||||||
7 | substance use disorder services and mental health services; | ||||||
8 | and be it further | ||||||
9 | RESOLVED, That "opioid-related settlement" means any and | ||||||
10 | all current or future settlements reached by the State of | ||||||
11 | Illinois, independently or as part of a global or multi-state | ||||||
12 | settlement, with opioid manufacturers, distributors, | ||||||
13 | retailers, and any associated business entities; and be it | ||||||
14 | further | ||||||
15 | RESOLVED, That "safety net substance use treatment | ||||||
16 | providers" means licensed and nationally accredited substance | ||||||
17 | use treatment providers that are open 24 hours per day, are | ||||||
18 | required to admit patients 24 hours per day, are providing | ||||||
19 | medication-assisted treatment to individuals with opioid use | ||||||
20 | disorder, and are serving a higher proportion of Medicaid | ||||||
21 | beneficiaries and individuals who are uninsured; and be it | ||||||
22 | further
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23 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be |
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1 | delivered to the Governor, all Legislative Leaders, the | ||||||
2 | Attorney General, the Illinois Department of Human | ||||||
3 | Services-Department of Substance Use, Prevention and Recovery | ||||||
4 | (SUPR), and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family | ||||||
5 | Services (HFS).
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