Alcohol misuse prevention and treatment fund.
Alcohol misuse prevention and treatment fund. Changes the name of the addiction services fund to the alcohol misuse prevention and treatment fund (fund) and makes corresponding changes. Provides for the transfer of the first 6% of the excise taxes collected on alcoholic beverages to the fund before the allocation and distribution of that alcoholic beverage excise tax revenue to the state general fund and to cities and towns. Provides for the transfer of the first 6% of the excise taxes collected on certain alcoholic beverages to the fund before the transfer of that excise tax revenue to the state construction fund. Specifies that the division of mental health and addiction (division) shall set aside the transfers of alcoholic beverage tax revenue deposited into the fund for use in making grants to local coordinating councils for substance use prevention and treatment and mental health related purposes. Requires the division to adopt guidelines and standards for awarding grants, prescribe the form used to apply for a grant, establish a maximum grant amount, and establish annual reporting requirements.
The bill, HB1434, proposes to create a new fund called the Alcohol Misuse Prevention and Treatment Fund. It changes the current name of the addiction services fund to this new name and updates related references. The bill aims to allocate the first 6% of the excise taxes on alcoholic beverages to this new fund, before any other distributions to the state general fund, cities, and towns. Similarly, it would allocate the first 6% of excise taxes on certain alcoholic beverages to the fund before these taxes go to the state construction fund. The Division of Mental Health and Addiction would manage these funds, using them to grant money to local councils for substance use prevention and treatment, and mental health services. The division must establish guidelines, forms, maximum grant amounts, and reporting requirements for these grants.
This bill would primarily affect state and local agencies responsible for administering funds related to alcohol misuse prevention and treatment. It aims to ensure that a portion of alcohol excise taxes are directly used for prevention and treatment initiatives. The bill has been introduced and is currently under review in the legislative process, having passed a committee report and been recommitted for further consideration.
As of January 21, 2025, the bill was introduced and referred to the Committee on Public Policy. On February 4, 2025, the committee reported that the bill should pass with amendments, and it was then recommitted to the Committee on Ways and Means. Additional co-sponsors have been added to the bill since its introduction.