Summary#

B26-0791, the Extension of Substance Use and Targeted Outreach Grants Emergency Amendment Act of 2026, would amend the Department of Behavioral Health Establishment Act of 2013 and the Opioid Abatement Fund Establishment Act of 2022. Its stated goal is to let existing grantees continue targeted outreach services without disruption. It has passed the Council and been delivered to the Mayor; if approved or enacted over a veto, it would last no longer than 90 days.

• The Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) would have to issue Fiscal Year 2027 grants to the organizations that received these grants in Fiscal Year 2026, if funds are available.
• The grants would support direct help, relationship-building, and connecting people with resources for substance use and behavioral health services in named areas of Wards 1, 2, 5 and 6.
• DBH may also issue grant awards for services at additional locations.
• The Opioid Abatement Fund would have to be used to reissue grants to all Fiscal Year 2026 grantees for these purposes, subject to available funds.

What it means for you#

• People seeking services: The bill directs grants for outreach in the listed areas. It does not give individuals a new right to services or set out how to access them.
• Fiscal Year 2026 grantees: Their organizations would be the recipients of the required Fiscal Year 2027 grants if funds are available. The bill does not require them to apply.
• DBH: The department would have to issue the grants, and may fund additional locations. The bill does not set application, selection, or appeal procedures.
• Taxpayers: The bill directs use of the Opioid Abatement Fund; it does not establish a tax or fee.

Money#

The bill directs grant funding from the Opioid Abatement Fund, but no cost figure is provided in the supplied material.

• The Council adopts the Budget Director’s fiscal impact statement, but that statement’s amount is not included here. No publicly available information.
• The grants depend on available funds. The bill does not state how much is available or how much each organization would receive.

What is unclear#

• The supplied material does not include the full amended Acts, so the existing grant rules and other limits on the Fund cannot be verified.
• The bill does not set grant amounts, service targets, reporting rules, or oversight requirements.
• It does not explain how DBH would decide whether funds are available or how it would handle a shortfall.
• The bill would last no longer than 90 days, but it does not explain how that period would fit with grants for Fiscal Year 2027.
• “Additional locations” is not defined, and the bill does not explain how communities or service users would be involved in choosing them.

Case for#

• Continuing grants to the same organizations could help avoid a break in outreach services while the organizations work in the named areas.
• The bill identifies specific areas and types of support, while allowing DBH to fund services at additional locations.
• Using the Opioid Abatement Fund gives a named funding source, subject to the money available in that Fund.

Case against#

• The bill directs grants to existing grantees rather than setting out a process for comparing them with other organizations or updated needs.
• The bill requires grants only if funds are available, so it does not guarantee that every grantee will receive funding.
• It does not set amounts, performance measures, or reporting requirements, leaving important details to be determined outside the bill.
• The emergency measure’s maximum 90-day duration may make the timing of Fiscal Year 2027 grants uncertain.