Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA
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A state oversight board is expected to reconsider a range of programs, including money for county coroners, initiatives connected to district attorney offices, and media campaigns.
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The board is responsible for oversight of the state’s opioid settlement money, which is expected to exceed $1 billion.
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A lot of people hope opioid settlement money will save lives. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, who negotiated settlements with opioid companies as Pennsylvania's attorney general, said in 2021 that the funds would “be earmarked to offer and expand life-saving treatment options.
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Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed increasing taxpayer money for child care, but advocates say the ultimate cost needs to be far higher.
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Counties are waiting to hear if an oversight board will publicly approve their strategies.
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County district attorneys are in line for millions of dollars, but under-resourced public defenders say they’ve been sidelined.
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As billions from opioid settlements pour into states, Pennsylvania's efforts against addiction could be hamstrung because clean syringes could be considered illegal drug paraphernalia.
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Spotlight PA and WESA are requesting opioid settlement spending reports from all 67 counties in Pennsylvania to provide transparency into the process.
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Counties must report how they spent tens of millions of dollars they received in the first rounds of opioid settlement payments.
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A bill to legalize syringe services in Pa. just passed a historic hurdle, but GOP opposition remainsThe CDC says new users of syringe services programs are more likely to enter drug treatment. But providers in most of Pennsylvania risk arrest.