I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 472 
To amend the Fair Housing Act to better protect persons with disabilities 
and communities. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 12, 2017 
Mr. ISSA (for himself, Mr. MOULTON, Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California, Mr. 
CALVERT, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. ROYCE of California, and Mr. ROHR-
ABACHER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend the Fair Housing Act to better protect persons 
with disabilities and communities. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safe Recovery and 
Community Empowerment Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ZONING AND LICENSING OF RESIDENTIAL RECOV-
ERY FACILITIES. 
The Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 807 (42 U.S.C. 3607) 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 807A. Nothing in this title, or other Federal 
law, relating to protections for persons with disabilities, 
prohibits any local, State, or Federal government body 
from— 
‘‘(1) requiring by law, regulation, or ordinance 
a reasonable minimum distance between residential 
recovery facilities within a particular area zoned for 
residential housing, provided that the limitation— 
‘‘(A) is necessary to preserve the residen-
tial character of the zoned area; and 
‘‘(B) allows for some residential recovery 
facilities to be located within the zoned area; 
and 
‘‘(2) requiring that a residential recovery facil-
ity and its owner or operator— 
‘‘(A) obtain an operating license or use 
permit; or 
‘‘(B) satisfy a set of consumer protection 
standards, which may include a maximum ca-
pacity requirement.’’. 
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SEC. 3. RESIDENTIAL RECOVERY FACILITY RESIDENTS’ 
BILL OF RIGHTS. 
Residential recovery facilities receiving direct or indi-
rect payments or reimbursements or other remunerations 
from Medicare, Medicaid, or any other Federal healthcare 
program, or via private insurance purchased on a Federal 
exchange or subsidized by the Federal Government, for ei-
ther housing, recovery services, or testing or monitoring 
for drugs or alcohol, shall ensure the following: 
(1) Each residential recovery facility resident 
residing in the home or receiving addiction treat-
ment services be provided a safe living environment 
completely free from illicit drugs, alcohol, firearms, 
harassment, abuse, or harm. 
(2) Residential recovery facility residents live in 
a licensed, or registered residence that has com-
mitted to following standards approved by States 
and localities, if such standards are in place. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 802 of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 
3602) is amended by adding to the end the following: 
‘‘(p) ‘Current, illegal use of a controlled substance’ 
means the discrete, occasional, frequent, or ongoing illegal 
use of a controlled substance at the present time or in 
the reasonably recent past. 
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‘‘(q) ‘Residential recovery facility’ means a residence 
that provides housing to individuals in recovery from drug 
or alcohol addiction with the promise of providing a clean 
and sober environment in return for direct or indirect pay-
ment to an owner, operator, or compensated staff person, 
including payment to a third party, a portion of which is 
then provided to the residential recovery facility owner or 
operator for their services.’’. 
Æ 
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