Act No. 163 Page 1 of 1
2024
This act summary is provided for the convenience of the public and members of the General Assembly. It
is intended to provide a general summary of the act and may not be exhaustive. It has been prepared by the
staff of the Office of Legislative Counsel without input from members of the General Assembly. It is not
intended to aid in the interpretation of legislation or to serve as a source of legislative intent.
Act No. 163 (S.186). An act relating to the systemic evaluation of recovery residences and
recovery communities
Subjects: Human services; substance use disorder; recovery residences; recovery
communities; systemic evaluation
Sec. 1 of this act directs the Department of Health, in consultation with other State
agencies and community partners to develop and recommend a certification program for
recovery residences operating in the State that choose to obtain certification. It lists
multiple elements that the proposed certification program must address, including
establishing a grievance and review process for complaints against certified recovery
residences; identifying distinct certification levels; and establishing policies and
procedures related to resident rights. The Department of Health is directed to submit a
report containing its recommended proposal and corresponding draft legislation to the
General Assembly by January 15, 2025.
Sec. 2 of this act requires the Department of Health to complete an assessment of
certified and noncertified recovery residences. The assessment shall include the creation
of a comprehensive inventory of all recovery residences in the State. The Department of
Health is directed to submit the results of the assessment to the General Assembly by
December 15, 2025.
Sec. 3, effective July 1, 2024 through July 1, 2026, enables a recovery residence to
immediately exit or transfer a resident if certain conditions are met. These conditions
require that prior to any exit or transfer, the recovery residence has developed and
adopted a residential agreement and obtained a resident’s written consent, the resident
violated the substance use policy in the residential agreement or engaged in acts of
violence that threatened the health or safety of other residents, and the recovery residence
provided or arranged for a stabilization bed or other alternative temporary housing.
Sec. 4, effective July 1, 2024 through July 1, 2026, directs data collection pertaining to
recovery residence-initiated exits and transfers. The Department of Health is required to
submit aggregated data to the General Assembly on February 1, 2025 and 2026.
Effective Date: July 1, 2024
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Statutes affected:
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Official: 9-4452, 9-4452(b)
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Unofficial: 9-4452, 9-4452(b)
As Enacted: 9-4452, 9-4452(b)