Iowa lawmakers finally spend opioid settlement dollars

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