COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio has decided not to move forward with a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a fund to ensure future settlement money from government lawsuits over the opioid epidemic is used to address that problem.
House Speaker Larry Householder and Minority Leader Emilia Sykes said on Tuesday that the House will not sign off on the measure by Dec. 18, the deadline for the Ohio General Assembly to approve a proposal in time to make the March ballot.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office distributed a memo last week saying that establishing the fund as a March ballot issue is the best path to making sure the money isn’t diverted to other uses.
In a statement, Attorney General Dave Yost said the proposal’s failure “has zero impact on the state or its legal claims.”
