MN Senate passes bill to distribute $300M from opioid suit

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Senate voted unanimously to start disbursing about $300 million that the state is receiving as part of a settlement with opioid distributors and manufacturers last year.

Counties and cities across Minnesota will be receiving 75% of the $296 million settlement. The money is part of a $26 billion nationwide settlement with manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson. The bill also extends the state’s license and registration fees imposed on opioid manufacturers by the Legislature in 2019.

The Senate passed the bill on a 66-0 vote. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison thanked lawmakers for moving the bill forward.