(The Center Square) – Seventy-five million dollars from the federal opioid settlement is expected to head toward the state’s Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry in the latest budget proposal, but Attorney General Kris Mayes and some lawmakers are unhappy about it. Mayes might sue over the proposed use of the money, saying it would act as a “sweep” to help with the budget deficit in an illegal fashion, according to Capitol Media Services . The budget is far from finalized as of Friday morning, but lawmakers could pass a budget on Friday night or Saturday morning.
The proposed budget is the result of months of negotiations between Gov. Katie Hobbs’ office and Republican legislative leadership. The memorandum of understanding on the opioid settlement states that Arizona plans to “prioritize” roughly 30% of the state’s funds for a list of purposes including “Department of Corrections and related prison and jail opioid uses.
” “That MOU notwithstanding, the amount of money that is apparently being swept this year, and over the next few years ($195 million) to send just to DOC exceeds 30% of the state share just to send to DOC. Additionally, a JLBC analyst said yesterday in caucus hearings that $75 million is going to be used to backfill the DOC budget hole in the current fiscal year,” Mayes’ office stated. “The Attorney General does not dispute there is a need for opioid funding in prisons and had proposed around $10 million for those .
