SB 913: Substance use disorder treatment: facilities.

Existing law requires laboratories or certified outpatient treatment programs that lease, manage, or own housing that is offered to individuals using the laboratory or outpatient treatment services to maintain separate housing contracts stating that payment for the housing is the patients responsibility and does not depend on insurance benefits. Existing law requires alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities to only offer discounted postdischarge housing and specified transportation services under certain conditions, including that the patient enters into a repayment plan for any subsidized rent.

This bill would authorize a city attorney of a city in which the housing units are located or the district attorney of a county a county counsel or a county behavioral health agency if the housing units are located in the unincorporated area of the county, with the consent of the State Department of Health Care Services, to enforce the above provisions.

Existing law grants the sole authority in state government to the State Department of Health Care Services to license adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities, and authorizes the department to conduct site visits to licensed facilities for the purpose of determining compliance with applicable statutes and regulations.

This bill would additionally authorize a city, or a county if a facility is located within the unincorporated area of the county, with the approval of the department, to conduct site visits, and would require the department to develop a process that allows a city or county to request approval from the department for the city or county to conduct a site visit, or to request that the department conduct a site visit, as specified.