§ 26:2G-40 — "Opioid Recovery and Remediation Advisory Council" established, Department of Human Services.

2. a. There is established in the Department of Human Services the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Advisory Council. The council shall be advisory in nature and its purpose shall be to review proposals, data, and analyses, and engage with stakeholders and community members, to develop and provide recommendations on the allocation and distribution of the State's share of proceeds from national opioid litigation resolutions. The council shall provide information, advice, and general recommendations consistent with its purpose to the Governor, the Commissioner of Human Services, and other executive branch departments and agencies. To effectuate this goal, the council shall: (1) gather and evaluate data regarding the availability of, gaps in, and barriers to substance use disorder prevention and treatment programs and recovery services; (2) solicit feedback, in a manner and method established by the council, from stakeholders, local providers, advocates, individuals with lived experience with opioid use disorders, including people who have or are in recovery from an opioid use disorder and family members of people with an opioid use disorder, the academic community, individuals with expertise in areas related to substance use disorders, community groups, and members of the public, regarding the services needed to prevent and treat substance use disorders across the State; (3) review and evaluate recommendations submitted by the public using the online portal that was established by the State on August 31, 2022 to enable members of the public to provide recommendations on the expenditure of proceeds from national opioid litigation resolutions; (4) evaluate approaches taken by New Jersey and other states in administering proceeds from national opioid litigation resolutions; (5) consult with experts and other knowledgeable individuals in both the public and private sectors on any aspect of its duties as the council deems necessary and appropriate; and (6) take any other actions as the council deems appropriate to inform its recommendations, with the purpose of promoting the equitable and efficient distribution of settlement funds, including the distribution of funds using evidence-based and evidence-informed practices and strategies. b. The council shall comprise: (1) the Commissioner of Human Services, the Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner of Children and Families, and the Attorney General, or their designees, who shall serve ex-officio; (2) at least 10 public members appointed by the Governor who reflect the diversity of New Jersey and who shall include public health and policy experts and two or more individuals who have lived experience with opioid use disorders, including one or more individuals who have or are in recovery from an opioid use disorder and one or more family members of a person with an opioid use disorder; and (3) such additional ex officio and public members as the Governor deems appropriate. c. The public members of the council shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The Commissioner of Human Services or the commissioner's designee shall serve as the chairperson of the council. d. The council shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members and shall meet at such frequencies as shall be required by the Governor as well as at the call of the chairperson. The members of the council shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the council for its purposes. e. The council shall be entitled to receive assistance and services from any State, county, or municipal department, board, commission, or agency as may be made available to it for its purposes. The Department of Human Services shall provide such staff and administrative support to the council as it requires to carry out its responsibilities. f. (1) To the extent permissible under the terms of a national opioid litigation resolution, the council shall not be required to, and may refrain from, making recommendations for expenditures that would primarily benefit counties or municipalities that were eligible to participate in the national opioid litigation resolution that yielded such funds but did not participate in the resolution, provided that nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to prevent the council from exercising its discretion to make such recommendations should it determine to do so. (2) The council may, but shall not be required to, provide information and general recommendations to counties and municipalities concerning the expenditure of the share of proceeds from national opioid litigation resolutions allocated to those counties and municipalities, and may coordinate with any similarly situated county advisory council as the chairperson deems appropriate. g. The council shall expire 180 days after all proceeds from opioid litigation resolutions are expended and the Department of Human Services issues the final report required pursuant to subsection b of section 5 of P.L.2023, c.25 (C.26:2G-43). L.2023, c.25, s.2.