SB 900 — Substance Abuse Services

Florida Senate - 2019 CS for SB 900 By Senatorthe HarrellCommittee 25-00638C-19on 2019900__Children, AFamilies, billand toElder beAffairs; entitled An act relating to substance abuse services;

and Senator Harrell 586-02927-19 2019900c1 A bill to be entitled An act relating to substance abuse services;

providing legislative intent;

authorizing the department, a behavioral health managing entity, or the Medicaid program to reimburse peer specialist services as a recovery service;

encouraging Medicaid managed care plans to use peer specialists in providing recovery services;

specifying that a local governmental entity is not prohibited from requiring mandatory certification of recovery residences for certain purposes;

requiring the Sober Homes Task Force within the Office of the State Attorney of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit to submit a report to the Legislature containing certain recommendations;

requiring that a single-family or two-family dwelling used as a recovery residence be deemed a single-family or two-familytwo family dwelling for purposes of the Florida Building Code;

7991 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

8193 Section 1. Subsection (2) of section 394.4572, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

397.417 Peer Specialists.— (1) An(1) The individualLegislature mayintends seekto certificationexpand asthe ause of peer specialistspecialists ifas he or she has been in recovery from a substancecost-effective usemeans disorderof orproviding mentalservices illnessby forensuring atthat leastpeer 2specialists years,meet orspecified ifqualifications, hemeet ormodified shebackground hasscreening atrequirements, leastand 2are yearsadequately ofreimbursed experiencefor astheir aservices. family member or caregiver of a person with a substance use disorder or mental illness.

(2) The(2) An departmentindividual shallmay approveseek onecertification oras morea third-partypeer credentialingspecialist entitiesif forhe theor purposesshe ofhas certifyingbeen peerin specialists,recovery approvingfrom traininga programssubstance use disorder or mental illness for individualsat seekingleast certification2 asyears, peeror specialists,if approvinghe continuingor educationshe programs,has andat establishingleast the2 minimumyears requirementsof andexperience standardsas thata applicantsfamily mustmember achieveor tocaregiver maintainof certification.a person with a substance use disorder or mental illness.

(3) The department shall approve one or more third-party credentialing entities for the purposes of certifying peer specialists, approving training programs for individuals seeking certification as peer specialists, approving continuing education programs, and establishing the minimum requirements and standards that applicants must achieve to maintain certification.

(3) An(4) An individual providing department-funded recovery support services as a peer specialist shall be certified pursuant to subsection (2).(3).

(4) An(5) An individual who is not a certified peer specialist may not advertise recovery services to the public in any way, or by any medium;

or provide recovery services as a peer specialist, unless the person is exempt under subsection (3).(4).

Section(6) Peer 7. Subsectionsspecialist (1)services andmay (6)be ofreimbursed sectionas 397.487,a Floridarecovery Statutes,service arethrough amended,the anddepartment, subsectiona (11)behavioral ishealth addedmanaging toentity, thator section,the toMedicaid read:program.

Medicaid managed care plans are encouraged to use peer specialists in providing recovery services.

Section 7. Subsections (1) and (6) of section 397.487, Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsections (11), (12), and (13) are added to that section, to read:

(12) This section does not prohibit a local governmental entity from requiring mandatory certification of recovery residences as part of a reasonable accommodation process to protect the health and safety of the residents.

(13) By January 1, 2020, the Sober Homes Task Force within the Office of the State Attorney of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit shall submit a report to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives which contains recommendations on mandatory statewide certification of recovery residences.

402434 In the event there is a dispute between the owners of the buildings specified in paragraph (b) and a local authority requiring a more stringent uniform firesafety standard for sprinkler systems, the State Fire Marshal shall be the final administrative interpreting authority and the State Fire Marshal’s interpretation regarding the uniform firesafety standards shall be considered final agency action.