LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Joseph Bellino on Thursday sent a letter to the chair of the Senate Health Policy Committee urging him to end any legislative effort to disband the Opioid Advisory Commission.
“Both as a senator and as someone in recovery from addiction, I strongly urge you to reconsider such an ill-advised move,” Bellino, R-Monroe, wrote in his letter to Sen. Kevin Hertel. “The commission plays a crucial role in ensuring transparency and accountability as our state manages our opioid settlement dollars, which are critical to addressing this epidemic. Dissolving it now would be a major setback in the fight against addiction and overdose deaths.”
A plan by state Democrats to eliminate the commission has been in the works for months, according to an internal email to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services officials obtained by Bridge Michigan through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Michigan is set to receive $1.6 billion over 18 years from certain opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies — with half of those funds going to local communities and half being administered by the state.
The letter mentions that Hertel recently criticized the current structure of two separate councils and referred to the commission’s work as a “political fight… over control of the process.”
“This isn’t political for me; it’s personal. I’ve seen how this crisis impacts families across Michigan. This isn’t a Republican or Democrat problem — it’s a problem that impacts our entire state,” Bellino said. “To prevent politics from standing in the way of people getting the help they need, the Opioid Advisory Commission is made up of both Republican and Democrat appointees. This bipartisan structure was a major reason the creation of the commission received overwhelming legislative support.
“I’ve personally struggled with addiction my entire life, but thankfully, I was able to access the resources I needed to recover. All I’m asking for is the same chance for others.”
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