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Secret meetings by board overseeing Pa.'s $1 billion in opioid settlements draw criticism
Spotlight PA link: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2023/06/pa-opioid-settlement-trust-secret-meetings-public-records/
Tom VanKirk leads a board with power over a vast amount of money. The Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust is responsible for ensuring counties and other local governments appropriately spend hundreds of millions of dollars expected to come their way from settlements with opioid companies. That money is intended to help Pennsylvania respond to a crisis that kills thousands of people annually in the state.
When VanKirk and his fellow board members first met publicly in late March, he told the audience they intended “to be as transparent as possible.” But before that public meeting, the trust had met in secret for months. Board members selected a bank to administer the funds, discussed how counties are allowed to spend money, and waived a requirement for counties to file spending reports with the trust this year, according to recently released meeting minutes. The minutes appear to show board members cast votes on issues at least six separate times in those meetings.
All of that and more was done outside of the public view — even though the court order creating the trust requires it to operate under Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act. That law, with limited exceptions, requires official actions and deliberations by a quorum of members of public agencies to take place at public meetings.
And while the trust members began holding public meetings in late March, they continue to operate in ways that are less transparent than what is standard practice for school boards, municipal leaders, and even several independent state boards. The trust and its administrators have also withheld documents — including ones related to hiring outside entities — from the public for weeks and months after votes.
When VanKirk and his fellow board members first met publicly in late March, he told the audience they intended “to be as transparent as possible.” But before that public meeting, the trust had met in secret for months. Board members selected a bank to administer the funds, discussed how counties are allowed to spend money, and waived a requirement for counties to file spending reports with the trust this year, according to recently released meeting minutes. The minutes appear to show board members cast votes on issues at least six separate times in those meetings.
All of that and more was done outside of the public view — even though the court order creating the trust requires it to operate under Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act. That law, with limited exceptions, requires official actions and deliberations by a quorum of members of public agencies to take place at public meetings.
And while the trust members began holding public meetings in late March, they continue to operate in ways that are less transparent than what is standard practice for school boards, municipal leaders, and even several independent state boards. The trust and its administrators have also withheld documents — including ones related to hiring outside entities — from the public for weeks and months after votes.
- more at link -
It's understandable that Covid restrictions made it difficult for the Opioid Board to hold public meetings for the first few months. I believe they were sensible in having zoomer meetings instead - but why the secrecy? Why haven't the meeting transcripts been released to Spotlight PA and other journalists? It's a lot of money the Board is sitting on, and meanwhile financial assistance was promised to many Pennsylvania families that were victimized by opioid abuse.
If this Board isn't helping those victims, they have failed their charter. There must be oversight, but who's watching the overseers?
