SB 65: Medication Assisted Treatment Amendments - Utah

Amended 1/28/2025 09:01:497 → Substitute #1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's human services licensing laws to clarify definitions related to residential treatment programs and recovery residences, and to require the Office of Licensing to establish rules about medication-assisted treatment use in these facilities. The changes primarily involve technical updates to definitions and a requirement that licensed facilities cannot refuse clients based on their use of medication-assisted treatment.

Scope change

The bill maintains the same scope but adds specific requirements for residential treatment programs and recovery residences regarding medication-assisted treatment, and updates several definitions to clarify what constitutes a boarding school versus a therapeutic facility.

DEFINITION

Updated definitions for 'boarding school' and 'residential treatment program' to clarify distinctions between educational facilities and therapeutic facilities, and to specify when treatment services are considered incidental versus primary.

Added new definition for 'medication assisted treatment' to clarify it means prescribed FDA-approved medications like buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone used to treat substance use withdrawal or disorder.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that licensed residential treatment programs and recovery residences cannot refuse clients based solely on their use of medication-assisted treatment when recommended by a licensed prescriber.

Added requirement that licensed residential treatment programs and recovery residences must allow clients to receive medication-assisted treatment as recommended by a licensed prescriber or provider.

TECHNICAL

Made technical and conforming changes to section numbers and cross-references throughout the definitions section to align with current code structure.

Amended Excerpts 1/28/2025 09:01:497 → Amended 1/28/2025 09:01:497 · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's human services licensing definitions to clarify how medication-assisted treatment programs are classified and regulated. The changes update terminology to align with current practices and ensure consistent oversight of residential treatment programs and recovery residences.

Scope change

The bill modifies the scope of regulated entities by adding specific definitions for 'boarding school' and 'congregate care program' that distinguish between educational institutions and treatment facilities, affecting which programs require specific licensing.

DEFINITION

Updated definition of 'boarding school' to clarify that it does not include therapeutic schools and specifies conditions under which schools can provide limited treatment services.

Added new definition for 'congregate care program' to include outdoor youth programs, residential support programs, residential treatment programs, and therapeutic schools under a unified regulatory framework.

Added new definition for 'associated with the licensee' to clarify who is subject to licensing requirements, including owners, employees, contractors, and volunteers, while excluding certain board members and supervised visitors.

Modified the definition of 'child-placing agency' and related terms to ensure clarity about custody arrangements for adoption and foster care purposes.

TECHNICAL

Made technical amendments to formatting and numbering throughout the definitions section to align with current legislative standards.

Enrolled → Amended Excerpts 1/28/2025 09:01:497 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's human services licensing laws to explicitly require residential treatment programs and recovery residences to allow clients to receive medication-assisted treatment (MAT) as recommended by licensed prescribers, rather than refusing care based on medication use. The amendment also clarifies the definition of medication-assisted treatment to specifically include opioids like buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. These changes ensure that individuals recovering from substance use disorders can access necessary medical treatments without discrimination in licensed residential care settings.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on residential treatment programs and recovery residences licensed under Utah law, but it now explicitly mandates that these facilities cannot refuse clients based on their use of medication-assisted treatment.

REQUIREMENT

Added explicit requirement that qualified residential treatment programs and recovery residences must allow clients to receive medication-assisted treatment as recommended by licensed prescribers.

Added provision that Medicaid provider contracts with qualified residential treatment programs and recovery residences must include language obligating compliance with MAT rules.

DEFINITION

Clarified the definition of medication-assisted treatment to specifically name opioids (buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone) to reduce ambiguity about what medications are covered.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting changes to bill text structure and line numbering.

Substitute #1 → Substitute #2 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill substitutes a new version of SB 65 that updates definitions and requirements for medication-assisted treatment in residential treatment programs and recovery residences. The changes include renumbering several definitions, clarifying what constitutes a 'boarding school' versus a therapeutic facility, and updating the House Sponsor name from 'LONG TITLE' to 'Steve Eliason'. The substantive policy content regarding medication-assisted treatment rules remains consistent with the previous version.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on medication-assisted treatment in residential treatment programs and recovery residences, with no expansion or reduction of applicability.

TECHNICAL

House Sponsor name changed from 'LONG TITLE' to 'Steve Eliason'

Definition renumbering adjustments throughout the text, including changes from (32) to (33) and removal of duplicate numbering

Formatting and spacing adjustments throughout the document

DEFINITION

Updated cross-references in boarding school definition to align with new numbering scheme

Introduced → Enrolled · 6 edits · Mar 26, 2025

MODERATE

This bill amends Utah's human services licensing laws to clarify definitions related to residential treatment programs and recovery residences, and requires these facilities to allow clients to receive medication-assisted treatment as recommended by prescribers. The changes update terminology to align with current practices and ensure facilities cannot discriminate against clients using prescribed medications for substance use disorders.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of regulated programs by clarifying definitions for boarding schools, therapeutic schools, recovery residences, and residential treatment programs, and adds specific requirements for medication-assisted treatment accommodations.

DEFINITION

Updated and renumbered definitions for multiple program types including boarding schools, therapeutic schools, recovery residences, and residential treatment programs to clarify what each category includes and excludes.

Modified the definition of boarding schools to clarify that they do not provide treatment services unless provided on a limited incidental basis, and explicitly excluded therapeutic schools from this definition.

Updated the definition of recovery residences to specify requirements for supervised living environments and clarify what does not constitute a recovery residence, including residential treatment programs and certain self-governed housing arrangements.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that licensed residential treatment programs and recovery residences cannot refuse clients based solely on their use of medication-assisted treatment and must allow clients to receive such treatment as recommended by licensed prescribers.

TECHNICAL

Made technical corrections to cross-references between sections, updating section numbers from (40)(a) to (42)(a) to reflect renumbering of the code.

ENFORCEMENT

Added requirement that the Office of Licensing must establish and enforce rules concerning medication-assisted treatment use in residential treatment programs and recovery residences.

Medication Assisted Treatment Amendments

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