Treatment Center Accountability Act Exposed

The Treatment Center Accountability Act is listed under ALEC's Public Safety and Elections Task Force and was included in the 1995 ALEC Sourcebook of American State Legislation. According to ALEC.org, the Act was approved by the Board of Directors in January, 1995. (Accessed on 1/8/2016).

ALEC Bill Text

Summary

This Act would require public treatment centers to track participants in their programs for at least one year to assess whether they are staying off drugs. Additionally, this Act requires centers to administer random drug tests to ensure the accuracy of the data and requires the compilation of information on employment, education, and criminal history.

Model Legislation.

{Title, enacting clause, etc.}

Section 1. {Title.}

This Act shall be known and may be cited as the Treatment Center Accountability Act.

Section 2. {Annual reports.}

(A) As a requirement to qualify as a recipient of referrals from state sentencing courts, a treatment center or program shall submit an annual report to the department of mental health.

(B) Information in the report should include, but is not necessarily limited to:

(1) total number of participants and the number referred by the department of corrections;

(2) a description of the type of program administered and the center's budget;

(3) each participant's employment and educational progress, criminal history, and the results of randomly administered drug tests before, during, and a minimum of one year after treatment.

Section 3. {Records.}

The department of mental health shall:

(A) make an inventory of all in-state owned centers that contract with the state;

(B) collect the information required of treatment centers and programs;

(C) investigate the accuracy of the information submitted; and

(D) collect the information from the department of corrections, the department of revenue, and the department of elementary and secondary education on recidivism rates, employment, and educational records of those referred to each treatment center or program.

Section 4. {Restrictions.}

Treatment centers or programs may not be considered for receipt of state funds or corrections referrals if they:

(A) do not submit the annual reports;

(B) submit inaccurate reports; and

(C) do not incorporate random and periodic drug testing in their programs or as part of their follow-up.

Section 5. {Contents of annual report.}

Each year the department of mental health shall submit to the governor and the legislature a treatment center evaluation report. The report shall include, but is not limited to, the following information:

(A) the employment, educational, and criminal history and drug testing results of participants in each program that received referrals;

(B) an inventory of all in-state owned treatment centers that contract with the state or their programs;

(C) the information submitted by each treatment center or program that submitted such information;

(D) information on which centers and programs received referrals and the number of such referrals.

Section 6. {Severability clause.}

Section 7. {Repealer clause.}

Section 8. {Effective date.}

ALEC's Sourcebook of American State Legislation