Committee approves amendment to make DHHS recovery‑house certification mandatory

The Senate committee voted to advance an amendment (3103s) to Senate Bill 298 that would shift the state’s certification program for recovery housing from voluntary to mandatory and establish implementation steps, witnesses said.

Jake Berry, vice president of policy at New Futures, presented language developed with the Department of Health and Human Services and the New Hampshire Partnership for Recovery Residences, the state’s certifying authority. Berry said the amendment would require every recovery house to be certified by the state in order to operate, require operators to publicly post documents such as resident-rights notices and grievance procedures inside facilities, and create a filing process so houses initiating certification are on record with DHHS while they pursue full certification.

“This language would shift the DHHS certification program for recovery housing ... from voluntary to mandatory,” Berry said. He added that the amendment staggers effective dates and sets an effective date roughly one year after passage so existing houses have time to comply.

Berry said 91 houses are currently certified under the voluntary program. He said DHHS and the New Hampshire Partnership for Recovery Residences provided technical assistance and were comfortable with the proposed language.

After brief committee questions about grandfathering and timing, the committee moved the amendment and voted 'Aye' on the motion that amendment 3103s is 'ought to pass.' The transcript records multiple 'Aye' responses; no roll-call tally was given.

What happens next: With the committee’s 'ought to pass' recommendation, the amendment will be available to be adopted as the bill advances. Implementation will require DHHS to finalize procedures and for recovery-house operators to pursue certification and comply with posting requirements.