OML UPDATE AT-A-GLANCE
Here are the top three things you need to know from this past week:
· On Wednesday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that Ohio and other state reached a $26 billion settlement with the three largest drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson. Under the settlement, McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health Inc., will collectively pay up to $21 billion over 17 years, Johnson & Johnson will pay up to $5 billion over nine years, and law firms involved in the case will receive over $2 billion in fees and expenses. According to Attorney General Yost, Ohio could receive up to $1.03 billion if local governments sign onto the agreement. Read more about the opioid settlement agreement discussions below.
· Today, an Ohio-specific Opioid Settlement meeting was held to discuss the OneOhio agreement, which was the first state-local government allocation agreement concerning future opioid settlements reached in 2019. The meeting was held at the Ohio Department of Public Safety and was also broadcast to multiple satellite locations across the state. You can find the Executive Summary of the proposed settlement HERE. Read more about the meeting and the ongoing opioid settlement discussions in the article below.
· FirstEnergy Corp., the company at the center of the HB 6 corruption scandal, has agreed to pay a $230 million penalty after the company was charged federally with bribing former House Speaker Larry Householder and former Public Utilities Commission of Ohio chairman Sam Randazzo. The fine will be split in half between the federal government and the state. The $115 million that Ohio will receive will be allocated a program that assists Ohioans with paying utility bills.
ONEOHIO MEETING HELD TODAY TO DISCUSS OPIOID SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
On Wednesday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced that Ohio and other states reached a $26 billion settlement with the three largest drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson. The announcement came in advance of an Ohio-specific Opioid Settlement meeting that took place today, July 23 at the Ohio Department of Public Safety. For those unable to attend in Columbus, the meeting was also broadcast at multiple satellite locations across the state.
According to Attorney General Yost, Ohio could receive up to $1.03 billion if local governments sign onto the agreement. In 2019, Ohio negotiated OneOhio, the first state-local government allocation agreement concerning future opioid settlements. As a result of OneOhio, municipalities are able to use their agreement to negotiate an Ohio-specific settlement that could move forward independent of any national settlement.
According to the leadership of the legal teams representing Ohio’ public entities, the discussion was coordinated to allow communities in Ohio to accelerate the timeline for relief from the Big Three Distributors. Attendees received up-to-date information on the nature of the current settlement discussions with the Big Three Distributors and gain an understanding of how their community can participate in the effort to craft an Ohio-specific resolution for everyone’s benefit.
In addition to municipalities, the meeting included representatives from the Governor’s office, the Attorney General’s office, as well as counsel representing subdivisions throughout Ohio. We will keep our members up to date on the results of the meeting and any updates regarding the opioid settlement agreement.
OHIO EPA TO HOLD TWO WEBINARS ON ISSUES IMPACTING MUNICIPALITIES
The Ohio EPA is holding two webinars in the coming weeks that should be of interest to Ohio’s municipalities. The first will be held on Thursday, July 29 from 10 a.m. through 11 a.m. and will focus on the basics of the Risk Management Program (RMP) as directed under Ohio Revised Code and how it applies to both Water Treatment Plants (WTP) and Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Learn more and register HERE.
Additionally, on Thursday, August 12, at 10 a.m. through 11 a.m., the Ohio EPA is holding a webinar entitled “Environmental Regulations of Businesses In Your Community.” This webinar will provide information related to the environmental regulations affecting both large and small businesses in Ohio communities, and explain Ohio EPA's permitting, inspection and enforcement procedures. The webinar will be an overview of Air Pollution Control Regulations, Water
Regulations, Solid and Hazardous Waste Regulations, and Ohio EPA’s Compliance Assistance Services that can help municipalities better understand and manage these regulations. Learn more and register HERE.
PEP RESOURCES ON LAW ENFORCEMENT POLICIES AND CYBERSECURITY
We want to make our members aware of the resources available to them through the Public Entities Pool of Oho (PEP).
PEP Police Academy is pleased to provide PEP Members with July’s law enforcement policy and legal memorandum: Pursuit Policy. To access the PEP Police Academy’s Sample Policy and Legal Memorandum: Pursuit Policy, visit the PEP Police Academy Sample Policies after logging into the PEP website HERE. To customize the sample policy, members may consult with an attorney through the PEP Legal Access Hotline at (877) 250–5545. Visit www.pepohio.org for more details.
Additionally, PEP provides members with valuable resources on the important issue of cybersecurity. Having a Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan (CSIRP) is one of the top IT recommendations made to members after a Cyber IT Risk Control visit. To make it easy for members, PEP’s Cyber IT Risk Control Department has developed a video presentation that examines a sample CSIRP that public entities can follow to help reduce the risks and top ways hackers exploit vulnerabilities.
While no plan can provide complete protection, a CSIRP will help prevent the most common ways a public entity’s network can be attacked. Topics covered are:
· The Importance of Having a Plan
· Creating a Cyber Incident Response Plan
· Cyber Incident versus Cyber Breach
You can watch the “PEP Incident Response Plan Presentation” recording HERE.
