State Representative Danny Bentley (R-Russell) and Treasurer Allison Ball will serve on the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission. Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced membership Monday. Legislators established the commission when they unanimously passed House Bill 427 during the 2021 Regular Session.
The commission will administer the commonwealth’s portion of a historic $483 million settlement with opioid companies. The Kentucky League of Cities worked closely with the legislature and the attorney general on the agreement that requires 50% of Kentucky’s settlement to go to city and county governments. The commission will not address usage of the local portion.
“We are on the cusp of providing communities across the commonwealth with the resources they need to address the opioid epidemic and its effects,” said Cameron. “The commission is an important part of this process and will ensure that the funds are put toward — among other things — treatment, recovery, housing, transportation, education, and wrap-around services. The commission members represent a broad and bipartisan coalition of stakeholders who are committed to addressing this crisis, and I appreciate their willingness to serve.”
Cameron named W. Bryan Hubbard as the commission’s executive director. Hubbard currently serves as executive director of the Attorney General’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control.
Members of the commission include:
- Allison Ball, State Treasurer
- Danny Bentley, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives
- Vic Brown, representing law enforcement
- Karen Butcher, representing citizens at-large
- Eric Friedlander, representing the Cabinet for Health and Family Services
- Bryan Hubbard, representing the attorney general
- Van Ingram, representing the drug treatment and prevention community
- Karen Kelly, appointed by the president of the Senate
- Von Purdy, representing citizens at-large
- Dr. Jason Roop, representing victims of the opioid crisis
- Dr. Sharon Walsh, representing the HEALing Communities Study Team at the University of Kentucky
