TITLE 3: HUMAN RESOURCES
DIVISION 2: HEALTH
§ 21302. Opioid Proceeds Council. (a) Council established. There is established an Opioid Proceeds Council. (b) Purpose. The purpose of the Proceeds Council is to ensure that proceeds received by the Commonwealth pursuant to this Act are allocated and spent on the Commonwealth’s substance use disorder abatement, infrastructure, programs, services, supports, and resources for prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction; and to ensure accountability and transparency in allocating monies for the Fund. (c) Council Membership. (1) The Council shall be composed of three (3) voting members. The Council may approve nonvoting members as needed. (2) The Council voting members shall exist as follows: (A) Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation or designee; (B) Attorney General or designee; (C) Governor or designee. (d) Council duties and powers. (1) The Council shall have the following duties and powers: (A) Recommend and approve policies and procedures for the administration of the Council and for the application, awarding, and disbursement of monies from the Fund, to be used for the purposes set forth in this Act; (B) Recommend and approve goals, objectives, and their rationales, sustainability plans, and performance indicators relating to substance use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction efforts; (C) Approve awards of monies from the Fund exclusively for permissible expenditures set forth in this Act; and (D) Approve suspension of allocation of monies from the Fund to recipients found by the Council to be substantially incompliant with the Council policies and procedures, rules, or regulations of the Northern Mariana Islands; or to have used such awards for a purpose other than an approved purpose. The Council may resume approval of such allocations once the Council has determined the recipient has adequately remedied the cause of such suspension. (2) Employ an executive director and staff to support the meetings and functions of the Council and direct the day-to-day activities. (e) Council Members. (1) The Council shall hold at least quarterly public meetings each year. A meeting may be called by their chair or by a majority of the Council’s members. Members may attend meetings in person, remotely by audiovisual means, or upon approval by the chair, by audio-only means.
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TITLE 3: HUMAN RESOURCES
DIVISION 2: HEALTH
(2) Meetings shall be publicized and held in a manner reasonably designed to facilitate in-person and live-stream attendance by residents throughout the Commonwealth. The Council shall function in a manner consistent with the Open Government Act, as amended and codified at 1 CMC §§ 9901-9917 and with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended. (f) Voting. For each meeting of the Council, a majority of members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If there is a quorum, then all actions of the Council shall be taken by an affirmative vote of a majority of the members present at the meeting. (g) Compensation. Members may be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses for travel to attend a Council meeting, which shall take place within the CNMI. (h) Conflicts of Interest. In compliance with the Government Ethics Code at 1 CMC §§ 8501-8577, the members must disclose to the Council, refrain from participating in discussions and recuse themselves from voting on any matter before the Council if members have a conflict of interest. (i) Termination. The Council will terminate when all monies received pursuant to the Fund have been received and disbursed unless the Attorney General certifies that additional monies are anticipated. Source: PL 23-19, § 2 (April 19, 2024), modified. Commission Comment: In codifying PL 23-19, the Commission re-numbered this section under Article 12, pursuant to 1 CMC § 3806(a).
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