Minnesota lawmakers reached an 11th-hour deal Monday that could generate more than $20 million a year in fees from prescription drugmakers to combat the opioid epidemic.
Supporters say the agreement, announced hours before the Legislature's adjournment deadline at midnight Monday, could make Minnesota the first state in the nation to establish a separate state fund dedicated to opioid addiction prevention and treatment.
"This is a day I'm really proud to be a legislator," said Rep. Dave Baker, a Willmar Republican whose 25-year-old son Dan died of an overdose in 2011. "This is going to save a lot of lives."
Lawmakers in both chambers approved the compromise language Monday night, the House 109-25 and the Senate 60-3. It now heads to the desk of Gov. Tim Walz, who is expected to sign it.
Versions of the proposal passed both chambers with bipartisan support earlier this session. But the legislation hit a snag in recent weeks amid a disagreement over whether to lower or roll back some licensing fees if the state wins a legal settlement in one of several pending lawsuits against the companies that make prescription drugs.
After a week of intense negotiations, lawmakers brokered a compromise to lower the fees on some companies in five years if the fund reaches $250 million, either through a large settlement or from the fee collections. At that point, the amount paid by the largest opiate manufacturers would drop from $305,000 to a little more than $5,000 a year. Supporters say even then, roughly $12 million would be generated each year.
Democrats initially resisted linking the fees to possible settlements in the pending lawsuits.
"This bill is not about retribution, it's about taking care of the needs of Minnesotans and making sure we don't have any more lost people, lost loved ones," said Republican Sen. Julie Rosen, chief author of the Senate bill and a key figure in the negotiations. "This is one thing we could have done, and we got it done."