GREENFIELD — Gov. Charlie Baker has vetoed funding in this year’s budget for the regional Opioid Task Force, which has worked locally to address the growing opioid and heroin addiction epidemic since 2013.
The governor’s veto, which falls under the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office line item, cuts at least $200,000 in spending on the Franklin County Opioid Education and Awareness Task Force, another $130,000 for a pilot program for training active bystanders, and $100,000 for the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region, according to the Governor’s veto report.
The Opioid Education and Awareness Task Force later changed its name to the regional Opioid Task Force, and the two groups are the same organization, according to co-founder John Merrigan, the Franklin County Register of Probate.
However, funding for Hampshire Hope, the coalition in Hampshire County that works to fight opioid addiction, comes from a multi-year grant program under the state Department of Public Health and does not appear to be impacted by the governor’s budget vetoes, said Cherry Sullivan, the coalition’s program director.
Still, Sullivan said the Hampshire County group works closely with its counterpart organization to the north and the cuts are a concern.
“They’ve been a leader in the state and very much in western Massachusetts,” Sullivan said. “It’s confusing as to why this has happened.”
State Rep. Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington, whose district covers towns in Hampshire and Franklin counties, described the cuts to the Franklin county task force as “puzzling.”
“It’s just a groundbreaking, pioneering effort that deserves our support,” he said. “It doesn’t deserve to be cut.”
Much of the money the Franklin County task force has received from the state has gone toward developing new substance abuse education curricula in local schools, youth work programs, community policing programs, grant writing assistance for other local groups, expanding Narcan availability and training, and local substance abuse conferences among other initiatives according to a budget report from last year provided by the Task Force.
“It’s every damn penny,” Sheriff Christopher Donelan, who helped found the task force, said of the cut.
The reductions came as part of a series of cuts to earmarks across the budget, reducing it by $256 million through spending vetoes to $38.92 billion. The governor vetoed $60 million in earmarked spending and cut money from 303 line items, for a total state spending increase of 1.3 percent.
They come amid an unexpected reduction in state tax revenues, according to Kulik, the vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Representatives from the governor’s office did not respond to requests for comment Monday, but the note attached to the veto reported the funding was cut because it was “for programs not recommended.”
Kulik said the committee is currently reviewing the vetoes and developing a strategy to respond. He said the volume of vetoes took him by surprise given how closely lawmakers worked Baker to present what Kulik described as a fair and balanced budget.
Among the biggest areas of concern to lawmakers interviewed in Hampshire County are statewide cuts to early education programs, workforce development and community colleges, and funding for regional planning agencies, among others.
“There are cuts to the career centers and early child care education that could have a ripple effect here,” said state Rep. John W. Scibak, D-South Hadley.
Scibak and Kulik said they are also concerned about cuts to the Northwestern district attorney’s office budget, which they were still trying to better understand this week.
Kulik said the governor has vetoed about $657,000 of a $1 million budget increase for the state’s emergency food program, money that goes to organizations such as the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in Hatfield.
“That would have a serious local impact,” he said.
He said he’s also concerned about severe cuts to the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which provides funding to the arts, humanities and sciences. The council’s $14 million budget, which provides grants to various organizations in the arts and humanities, is being slashed by more than half.
“That is very troubling to the Pioneer Valley and Hampshire County because of the very strong connection of arts and culture to the economy,” he said.
Kulik said exactly which earmarks will get an override vote has not been determined, but he expects the Task Force will be among them.
“My priority very much includes the Task Force. I realize we’ve been putting many more resources into the opioid crisis over last few years, but I think Franklin County has led the state in establishing locally based programs in education and treatment, and it’s a real shining example for whole commonwealth for how communities can really tackle this problem in a comprehensive way,” he said. “To reduce now is penny wise and pound foolish.”
Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru, said that he expects the entire local delegation will push for an override vote to reverse the cuts.
“I cant imagine this isn’t one of the big things we’re gonna get overridden,” he said.
That vote, which would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, could come as early as next week, he said. It must be taken by July 31.
“If (the House) sends it over, we’ll take a close look at it,” said Pete Wilson, a spokesman for Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst. “The Task Force does very good work for something that’s a significant problem in the county, so we’ll wait and see. It’s something he’ll look forward to discussing with his colleagues in the House.”
Mark said he was both surprised and disappointed by the veto. “I know he’s been talking a lot about opioid abuse, and the Opioid Task Force has been one of most widely recognized and renowned programs. It’s been on CNN, it’s attracted national attention, so I don’t understand where this is coming from.”
Launched as a collaborative effort among the Franklin County sheriff’s department, the Northwestern district attorney’s office and the local courts to address addiction and overdose deaths regionally, the Task Force includes members of law enforcement, health care, local legislators, social service agencies, educational institutions and members of the recovery community.
The group has worked to expand access to the overdose-reversal drug Narcan, disseminate educational materials, launch the state’s first Family Drug Court, and coordinate the development of various other substance abuse services and events.
Merrigan also expressed surprise at the veto in light of Baker’s strong support for efforts to fight the opioid epidemic.
“This kind of just slash-and-burn approach to earmarks, given the crisis we’re facing in the commonwealth, probably isn’t a good idea,” Merrigan said. “I’m surprised, because generally he’s been supportive. I think we’ve been kind of a model for other agencies in this part of the state, in terms of how we mobilize and do outreach to the families and schools, and recovery community to see what we could do.”
Donelan echoed Merrigan, calling the cuts “disconcerting.”
“Some people view earmark as a dirty word, but in this instance it’s a very direct assault on a very difficult issue,” he said. “It’s a good use of government resources, and it shouldn’t be tainted just because it’s called an earmark.”
Merrigan said if state support for the task force is not forthcoming or a veto override is unsuccessful, the group would likely be forced to continue on a volunteer basis, the way it originally started.
“When this first started, we were hustling and bustling to get it off the ground, and we were fortunate when our legislators stepped in,” he said. “Our delegation helped initially and we’re confident they’ll help support us.”
Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, the third founder, also decried the vetoes.
“It really doesn’t make any sense, it’s a short-sighted approach,” he said. “It’s critical for the people in our region that they have a coordinated effort toward getting treatment and recovery and making smart decisions when it comes to opioid abuse.”