Republicans block Evers spending plan for opioid settlement

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Legislature’s Republican-controlled budget committee is objecting to Gov. Tony Evers’ plans to spend $31 million Wisconsin will receive in a multi-state settlement with drug manufacturers over the opioid crisis. The state Department of Health Services received its first $6 million payment on July 29. The agency wants to spend the money on expanding the use of Narcan, a drug that can reverse overdose effects, new treatment facilities, helping tribes address overdose deaths and enhancing data collection. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Joint Finance Committee objected to the plan on Wednesday. The committee’s leaders, Rep. Mark Born and Sen. Howard Marklein, say they want to improve the spending plan.