Title: Treatment-based Drug Court Programs

Summary: Authorizing a court to offer an option for verification of participation in self-help groups or activities to certain defendants; revising a provision relating to the applicability of certain licensure renewal requirements to certain substance abuse programs, etc.

Full Text:
An act relating to treatment-based drug court programs; amending s. 397.334, F.S.; authorizing a court to offer an option for verification of participation in self-help groups or activities to certain defendants; amending s. 397.403, F.S.; revising a provision relating to the applicability of certain licensure renewal requirements to certain substance abuse programs; providing an effective date. Be It Enact ed by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Subsections (6) through (10) of section 397.334, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (7) through (11), respectively, and a new subsection (6) is added to that section, to read: 397.334 Treatment-based drug court programs.-(6) If the court orders a defendant to enter into a pretrial treatment-based drug court program or a postadjudicatory treatment-based drug court program, and if the defendant is ordered to document participatio nin self-help or other support groups and activities as an element of ancillary services, as described in s. 394.67, the court may offer the defendant an option for either electronic or written verification of such participation. CS/HB 941, Engrossed 2020 Section 2. Subsection (3) of section 397.403, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 397.403 License application.-(3) Applications for licensure renewal must include proof of application for accreditation for each licensed service component providing clinical treatment by an accrediting organization that is acceptable to the department for the first renewal, and proof of accreditation for any subsequent renewals. This subsection does not apply to any offender inmate substance abuse program operated by or under an exclusive contract with a jail or the Department of Corrections. Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.