Summary#

B26-0792, the Extension of Substance Use and Targeted Outreach Grants Temporary Amendment Act of 2026, would temporarily amend the Department of Behavioral Health Establishment Act of 2013 and the Opioid Abatement Fund Establishment Act of 2022. Its stated goal is to continue targeted outreach services without disruption. The Council has passed it, but it takes effect only after mayoral approval (or a veto override) and a 30-day congressional review; it expires 225 days after taking effect.

• The Department of Behavioral Health must issue Fiscal Year 2027 grants, subject to available funds, to organizations that received Fiscal Year 2026 grants under the 2025 pilot law.
• The grants are for direct support, relationship development, and resource brokering for people needing substance use and behavioral health services in the listed locations in Wards 1, 2, 5, and 6.
• The Department may issue grants for services at additional locations.
• The Opioid Abatement Fund must be used to reissue grants to all those Fiscal Year 2026 grantee organizations, if funding is available.

What it means for you#

• People seeking services in the listed areas: The grants are intended to continue outreach and support there. The bill does not guarantee that any particular person will receive services.
• Fiscal Year 2026 grantee organizations: They are the organizations named for Fiscal Year 2027 grants, subject to available funds. The bill does not set out grant amounts or award terms.
• Department of Behavioral Health: It must issue the grants, subject to available funds. It may also fund services at other locations.
• Residents and taxpayers: The bill authorizes use of the Opioid Abatement Fund for these grants. It does not change taxes, create a fine, or establish a new agency.

Money#

The bill requires grants but makes them subject to available funds; no cost estimate is included in the supplied material.

• The Opioid Abatement Fund must be used for the reissued grants if it has funding available.
• The bill’s adopted fiscal impact statement is not included, so the total public cost and grant amounts are unknown.

What is unclear#

• How much each grant will be, and how many services the available funds can support.
• What grant conditions, oversight, or reporting requirements will apply.
• What “vicinity and related geography” means for the listed locations.
• How the 225-day expiry affects grants or services that would otherwise continue through Fiscal Year 2027.
• The parent Acts are not supplied, so the existing grant rules and how this bill changes them could not be verified against current law.

Case for#

• The bill appears intended to avoid a break in outreach by directing grants to organizations that already received grants under the pilot.
• Naming service areas gives the Department and grantees specific locations for the required outreach.
• Allowing grants for additional locations gives the Department some flexibility to fund services beyond those listed.

Case against#

• The grants depend on available funds, but the bill does not state how much money is available or how it will be divided.
• The bill requires awards to prior grantees but does not explain whether or how other organizations could receive grants.
• The bill does not set out grant terms, performance measures, or how the Department will decide whether services are effective.
• Its short term may create uncertainty about whether services can continue after the Act expires.