Long-delayed regulations and $250 license fee slated to debut for some Pa. recovery houses
HARRISBURG — More than three years after passage of a law meant to provide greater oversight for drug and alcohol recovery houses that get public money in Pennsylvania, regulations and licensing still have not happened.
But state Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jennifer Smith told lawmakers Wednesday the regulations are likely to be activated soon.
“We have already hired staff. We have already created the system by which they submit their application,” Smith said, adding that the cost of a license will be $250.
Recovery houses are viewed as an important component in Pennsylvania’s drug abuse treatment infrastructure. Addicts who have completed initial stages of recovery in treatment centers often choose to live in such residential, group settings in part to provide support to each other. There are more than 800 homes active in the state.
The General Assembly acted to regulate them in 2017 following reports of illicit activity involving the homes.
That year, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported addicts had become “a cash crop” used by some treatment centers and recovery houses to create a perpetual money churn.
The Morning Call reported this week that despite a 2017 recommendation from then-Auditor General Eugene DePasquale that treatment centers pay for their business licenses, the state still gives them out for free.
State Rep. Meghan Schroeder, a Bucks County Republican, pointed out during a budget hearing Wednesday that it had been more than three years since the recovery house law passed.
Much of the implementation delay, according to Smith, came from the decision to seek public input on the draft regulations — even though such a move was not required.
“We received a lot of comments as a result of that, and so it did take us quite a bit of time to get through those to make those alterations,” Smith said.
Another department official, Ellen DiDomenico, testified that as many as 60 recovery houses receive public money.
“The recovery houses that receive dollars now, they all have an intention of applying for and receiving a license,” Smith said. “In addition to those, there are several hundred more that have indicated interest.”
She added, “We believe that we are ready to go.”