I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8868 
To amend title V of the Public Health Service Act to provide for increased 
oversight of recovery housing, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 3, 2020 
Mr. TRONE (for himself, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, and Mr. LEVIN of Cali-
fornia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend title V of the Public Health Service Act to provide 
for increased oversight of recovery housing, and for other 
purposes. 
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 ‘‘Excellence in Recovery 
Housing Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. CLARIFYING THE ROLE OF SAMHSA IN PROMOTING 
THE AVAILABILITY OF HIGH-QUALITY RECOV-
ERY HOUSING. 
Section 501(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290aa) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (24)(E), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(2) in paragraph (25), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(26) collaborate with national accrediting enti-
ties and reputable providers and analysts of recovery 
housing services and all relevant Federal agencies, 
including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Serv-
ices, the Health Resources and Services Administra-
tion, other offices and agencies within the Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services, the Office of 
National Drug Control Policy, the Department of 
Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban De-
velopment, and the Department of Agriculture, to 
promote the availability of high-quality recovery 
housing for individuals with a substance use dis-
order.’’. 
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SEC. 3. DEVELOPING GUIDELINES FOR STATES TO PRO-
MOTE THE AVAILABILITY OF HIGH-QUALITY 
RECOVERY HOUSING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Sec-
retary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall de-
velop, and publish on the internet website of the Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, con-
sensus-based guidelines and nationally recognized stand-
ards for States to promote the availability of high-quality 
recovery housing for individuals with a substance use dis-
order. Such guidelines shall— 
(1) be developed in consultation with national 
accrediting entities and reputable providers and ana-
lysts of recovery housing services and be consistent 
with the best practices developed under section 550 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa); 
and 
(2) to the extent practicable, build on existing 
best practices and suggested guidelines developed 
previously by the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration. 
(b) PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.—Before finalizing 
guidelines under subsection (a), the Secretary of Health 
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and Human Services shall provide for a public comment 
period. 
(c) EXCLUSION
OF GUIDELINE
ON TREATMENT 
SERVICES.—In developing the guidelines under subsection 
(a), the Secretary may not include any guideline or stand-
ard with respect to substance use disorder treatment serv-
ices. 
(d) SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT SERV-
ICES.—In this section, the term ‘‘substance use disorder 
treatment services’’ means items or services furnished for 
the treatment of a substance use disorder, including— 
(1) medications approved by the Food and 
Drug Administration for use in such treatment, ex-
cluding each such medication used to prevent or 
treat a drug overdose; 
(2) the administering of such medications; 
(3) recommendations for such treatment; 
(4) clinical assessments and referrals; 
(5) counseling with a physician, psychologist, or 
mental health professional (including individual and 
group therapy); and 
(6) toxicology testing. 
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SEC. 4. COORDINATION OF FEDERAL ACTIVITIES TO PRO-
MOTE THE AVAILABILITY OF HIGH-QUALITY 
RECOVERY HOUSING. 
Section 550 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290ee–5) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (e), (f), and 
(g) as subsections (h), (i), and (j), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(e) COORDINATION OF FEDERAL ACTIVITIES TO 
PROMOTE THE AVAILABILITY OF HIGH-QUALITY RECOV-
ERY HOUSING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH A SUBSTANCE 
USE DISORDER.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary, and the Secretary 
of the Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment, shall convene and serve as the co-chairs of an 
interagency working group composed of representa-
tives of each of the Federal agencies described in 
paragraph (2) (referred to in this section as the 
‘working group’) for the following purposes: 
‘‘(A) To increase collaboration, coopera-
tion, and consultation among such Federal 
agencies, with respect to promoting the avail-
ability of high-quality recovery housing. 
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‘‘(B) To align the efforts of such agencies 
and avoid duplication of such efforts by such 
agencies. 
‘‘(C) To develop objectives, priorities, and 
a long-term plan for supporting State, Tribal, 
and local efforts with respect to the operation 
of high-quality recovery housing that is con-
sistent with the best practices developed under 
this section. 
‘‘(D) To coordinate inspection and enforce-
ment among Federal and State agencies. 
‘‘(E) To coordinate data collection on the 
quality of recovery housing. 
‘‘(2) FEDERAL
AGENCIES
DESCRIBED.—The 
Federal agencies described in this paragraph are the 
following: 
‘‘(A) The Department of Health and 
Human Services. 
‘‘(B) The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services. 
‘‘(C) The Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration. 
‘‘(D) The Health Resources Services Ad-
ministration. 
‘‘(E) The Indian Health Service. 
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‘‘(F) The Department of Housing and 
Urban Development. 
‘‘(G) The Department of Agriculture. 
‘‘(H) The Department of Justice. 
‘‘(I) The Office of National Drug Control 
Policy. 
‘‘(J) The Bureau of Indian Affairs. 
‘‘(K) Any other such agency or subagency 
as the chair determines necessary and appro-
priate. 
‘‘(3) MEETINGS.—The working group shall 
meet on a quarterly basis. 
‘‘(4) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Beginning not 
later than one year after the date of the enactment 
of this section and annually thereafter, the working 
group shall submit to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, the Committee on Ways and Means, the 
Committee on Agriculture, and the Committee on 
Financial Services of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri-
tion, and Forestry, and the Committee on Finance 
of the Senate a report describing the work of the 
working group and any recommendations of the 
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