Governor Henry McMaster has appointed, Eric Bedingfield, governmental affairs director at Greenville Technical College, as chairman of the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund Board. That group is charged with disbursement decisions for South Carolina Opioid Settlement Funds from the 2022 National Opioids Settlement and future settlements.
More than $360 million is coming to South Carolina over the next 18 years due to settlements with three of the nation’s top wholesale pharmaceutical drug distributors. Bedingfield's resume includes four years as a member of Greenville County Council, eight years working for then Congressman Mick Mulvaney, and 11 years as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Bedingfield has been involved in opioid prevention efforts since 2016, when he lost his oldest son to the crisis.