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Bill would let state continue accrediting opioid treatment programs and charge fees
Summary
SB 59‑88 would give the Department of Health explicit statutory authority to be an approved accrediting body for opioid treatment programs and set accreditation fees; the Department and tribal/nontribal partners said cuts have made state accreditation financially unstable.
Senators heard Senate Bill 59‑88, which would provide statutory authority for the Department of Health to serve as an approved accrediting body for opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and to charge accreditation fees to support that work.
Chris Blake described OTPs as providers of medication, counseling and rehabilitative services required to be accredited under federal law. Sponsor Sen. June Robinson said the bill was a department request and recommended advancing it; she called it stakeholder supported.
Megan Veith, policy director in the Department of Health, testified that OTPs are "a critical tool in our efforts to treat the opioid epidemic," and that recent budget cuts threatened the department's ability to continue accreditation. She said tribal and nontribal OTP partners requested that the department continue providing locally informed accreditation rather than relying on national bodies with burdensome requirements.
The bill also allows the Department to use appropriated opioid‑abatement settlement funds to offset accreditation costs and authorizes setting fees to cover administration. The hearing record shows stakeholder support; the committee closed public testimony and did not take final action on Feb. 18.
