Baker Signs $328M Budget With Money For Opioid Treatment
BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a $328 million spending bill.
Related: Baker Calls For Limits On Prescription Painkillers Amid Opioid Crisis
The supplemental budget includes nearly $28 million for opioid treatment and prevention programs. It deposits $120 million into the state's rainy day fund and sets aside $113 million to help pay down the state debt.
The budget signed Monday also includes $2.2 million for staffing needs at the Department of Children and Families and $1 million for training for adoptive and foster families.
DCF has come under scrutiny for its handling of the case of Bella Bond, the 2-year-old whose body was found on a Boston Harbor beach in June.
Baker said the extra spending on opioid treatment and prevention is critical given the state's heroin and opioid overdose epidemic.
Massachusetts has confirmed 1,089 opioid overdose deaths in 2014.
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