Summary#

PR26-0793 is the Extension of Substance Use and Targeted Outreach Grants Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2026. It declares an emergency so a separate emergency amendment could be considered after one reading; it does not itself amend the Department of Behavioral Health Establishment Act of 2013 or the Opioid Abatement Fund Establishment Act of 2022. Its stated goal is to avoid a break in targeted outreach grants while a permanent program is put in place.

• The resolution takes effect immediately and declares the circumstances an emergency.
• It sets out the intended substance of a separate amendment: continue all current FY2026 grantees at their existing locations, using the Opioid Abatement Fund, until the permanent program is formally established and starts.
• That amendment would also authorize the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) to spend money from the Fund on the grants. The resolution itself does not make that change to the Fund’s legal rules.
• The resolution does not itself award grants, set grant amounts, or establish application or oversight rules.

What it means for you#

• Current grant organizations and people served by them: The resolution alone does not extend grants or require outreach services to continue. The separate amendment described in the resolution would continue funding all current FY2026 grantees at their existing locations until the permanent program formally starts.
• DBH: The resolution does not itself direct DBH to spend Fund money. That direction and authority are described as part of the separate amendment.
• Residents and taxpayers: The resolution does not directly change taxes, benefits, or eligibility for services.
• General public: The resolution allows the related emergency amendment to be considered after one reading; it does not itself enact that amendment. The supplied materials do not include the separate amendment, so its final legal effect cannot be verified here.

Money#

No cost estimate for this resolution or the proposed grant extension is provided in the available material.

• The resolution itself does not appropriate money or authorize spending.
• The recitals say DBH’s FY2026 budget included $1 million in one-time local funding and $750,000 in recurring local funding for outreach grants, and that the permanent program was fully funded in the FY2027 budget.
• The recitals also say DBH received $2.4 million in federal State Opioid Response grants. They do not say how much of that money would go to the current grantees.
• The separate amendment described in the resolution would allow use of the Opioid Abatement Fund, but the amount needed is not stated.

What is unclear#

• The separate emergency amendment is not supplied, so its exact wording, funding amount, and start and end dates cannot be checked.
• The resolution describes continued funding “until” the permanent program is established and starts, but does not set a deadline.
• The materials do not explain how the proposed continuation would fit with new grants DBH planned to issue or federal grant opportunities already announced.
• The resolution does not set grant amounts, performance requirements, reporting rules, or a process for deciding when the permanent program has formally started.

Case for#

• The resolution appears intended to prevent a gap in outreach services while the permanent program begins.
• The recitals say FY2026 grantees were told their funding would end on September 30, 2026, and describe the emergency as a continuing public-health crisis.
• Allowing the related amendment to be considered after one reading could speed action on the funding transition.

Case against#

• The resolution does not itself continue grants or release Fund money; those effects depend on a separate amendment not included in the materials.
• It enables that amendment to be considered after one reading, leaving less time for review than the usual process.
• The resolution gives no estimate of the cost of continuing all current grants or explains how long Fund money might be needed.