Title
PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS FUND ACT - 2026 OPIOID SETTLEMENT AMENDMENTS
Body
BE IT ENACTED BY THE CHEROKEE NATION:
Section 1. Title and Codification
This act shall be known and cited as the "Cherokee Nation Public Health and Wellness Fund Act" or alternatively the "Cherokee Nation Public Health and Wellness Fund, as amended" and codified at Title 68, Chapter XX "Revenue and Taxation", of the Cherokee Nation Code, which is hereby amended in accordance with the Act.
Section 2. Legislative Intent and Purpose
The purpose of this Act is to establish a revenue source for the public health of Cherokee Nation citizens throughout the Cherokee Nation Reservation. Revenues shall be generated from unrestricted third party revenue collected by Cherokee Nation's Health Services. This revenue shall be used to provide Cherokee Nation citizens access to personal health, including access to wellness/fitness centers and substance abuse treatment facilities. LA 13-22 amended LA 12-21 the Act to expand its purposes further and to address the use of certain opioid industry litigation settlement funds. LA 02-23 clarifies the unrestricted nature of third party revenue collections for the Public Health and Wellness Fund and further expands the purpose of the Act to address the use of certain additional opioid industry litigation settlement and e-cigarette industry settlement funds. LA 27-25 makes technical or grammatical amendments, clarifies and expands upon the usage of the formally designated "Public Health and Wellness Fund" for "Public Health and Wellness Activities and Infrastructure," and increases the percentage of third party revenue earmarked for the Public Health and Wellness fund from 7% to 10% beginning in fiscal year 2026. LA [##] makes technical or grammatical amendments and, based on the Council's finding that substance use disorder substantially contributes to incarc...
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