Title: SOBER Homes Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Studying Outcomes and Benchmarks for Effective Recovery Homes Act or the SOBER Homes Act
This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to study and make recommendations on recovery housing. Recovery housing refers to shared living environments free from alcohol and illicit drug use and centered on peer support and connection to services that promote sustained recovery from substance use disorders.
As part of the study, NASEM must identify relevant research and data gaps that hinder reporting on the quality and effectiveness of recovery housing. After publication of the study, the Department of Health and Human Services must contract with an appropriate entity to conduct research to fill those gaps.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2367 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2367

   To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter an 
  agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
Medicine to conduct a study on the quality and effectiveness of covered 
     recovery housing in the United States, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 5, 2021

   Mr. Levin of California introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to enter an 
  agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
Medicine to conduct a study on the quality and effectiveness of covered 
     recovery housing in the United States, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Studying Outcomes and Benchmarks for 
Effective Recovery Homes Act'' or the ``SOBER Homes Act''.

SEC. 2. NAS STUDY AND REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through 
the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall 
enter into an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study, which may include a 
literature review and case studies as appropriate, on--
            (1) the quality and effectiveness of recovery housing in 
        the United States, including the availability in the United 
        States of high-quality recovery housing and whether that 
        availability meets the demand for such housing in the United 
        States; and
            (2) State, Tribal, and local regulation and oversight of 
        recovery housing.
    (b) Topics.--The study under subsection (a) shall include a 
literature review of studies that--
            (1) examine the quality of, and effectiveness outcomes for, 
        the types and characteristics of covered recovery housing 
        programs listed in subsection (c); and
            (2) identify the research and data gaps that must be filled 
        to better report on the quality of, and effectiveness outcomes 
        related to, covered recovery housing.
    (c) Type and Characteristics.--The types and characteristics of 
covered recovery housing programs referred to in subsection (b) consist 
of the following:
            (1) Nonprofit and for-profit covered recovery housing.
            (2) Private and public covered recovery housing.
            (3) Covered recovery housing programs that provide services 
        to--
                    (A) residents on a voluntary basis; and
                    (B) residents pursuant to a judicial order.
            (4) Number of clients served, disaggregated to the extent 
        possible by covered recovery housing serving--
                    (A) 6 or fewer recovering residents;
                    (B) 10 to 13 recovering residents; and
                    (C) 18 or more recovering residents.
            (5) Bedroom occupancy in a house, disaggregated to the 
        extent possible by--
                    (A) single room occupancy;
                    (B) 2 residents occupying 1 room; and
                    (C) more than 2 residents occupying 1 room.
            (6) Duration of services received by clients, disaggregated 
        to the extent possible according to whether the services were--
                    (A) 30 days or fewer;
                    (B) 31 to 90 days;
                    (C) more than 90 days and fewer than 6 months; or
                    (D) 6 months or more.
            (7) Certification levels of staff.
            (8) Fraudulent and abusive practices by operators of 
        covered recovery housing and inpatient and outpatient treatment 
        facilities, both individually and in concert, including--
                    (A) deceptive or misleading marketing practices, 
                including--
                            (i) inaccurate outcomes-based marketing; 
                        and
                            (ii) marketing based on non-evidence based 
                        practices;
                    (B) illegal patient brokering;
                    (C) third-party recruiters;
                    (D) deceptive or misleading marketing practices of 
                treatment facility and recovery housing online 
                aggregators; and
                    (E) the impact of such practices on health care 
                costs and recovery rates.
    (d) Report.--The arrangement under subsection (a) shall require, by 
not later than 12 months after the date of entering into the 
agreement--
            (1) completing the study under such subsection; and
            (2) making publicly available (including through 
        publication on the internet) a report that contains--
                    (A) the results of the study;
                    (B) the National Academy's recommendations for 
                Federal, State, and local policies to promote the 
                availability of high-quality recovery housing in the 
                United States;
                    (C) research and data gaps;
                    (D) recommendations for recovery housing quality 
                and effectiveness metrics;
                    (E) recommended mechanisms to collect data on those 
                metrics, including with respect to research and data 
                gaps; and
                    (F) a summary of allegations, assertions, or formal 
                legal actions on the State and local levels by 
                governments and nongovernmental organizations with 
                respect to the opening and operation of recovery 
                housing.
    (e) Definitions.--In this subsection:
            (1) The term ``covered recovery housing'' means recovery 
        housing that utilizes compensated or volunteer onsite staff who 
        are not health care professionals to support residents.
            (2) The term ``effectiveness outcomes'' may include 
        decreased substance use, reduced probability of relapse or 
        reoccurrence, lower rates of incarceration, higher income, 
        increased employment, and improved family functioning.
            (3) The term ``health care professional'' means an 
        individual who is licensed or otherwise authorized by the State 
        to provide health care services.
            (4) The term ``recovery housing'' means a shared living 
        environment that is or purports to be--
                    (A) free from alcohol and use of nonprescribed 
                drugs; and
                    (B) centered on connection to services that promote 
                sustained recovery from substance use disorders.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2022.

SEC. 3. FILLING RESEARCH AND DATA GAPS.

    Not later than 60 days after the completion of the study under 
section 5, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall enter into 
an agreement with an appropriate entity to conduct such research as may 
be necessary to fill the research and data gaps identified in reporting 
pursuant to such section.
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