HB1249 requires the State’s recovery residence certification framework to include a prohibition on certified recovery residences refusing services to people who are receiving medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. It also bars a certified recovery residence from making admission or continued stay contingent on a person stopping MAT or changing the way they receive it. The bill applies to recovery residences that are certified through a credentialing entity approved by the Department of Health.
The measure amends the Health-General Article provisions governing recovery residence certification. Under the bill, the credentialing entity must build these protections into its certification requirements, and a certificate of compliance remains valid for one year. The bill does not create a clinical treatment mandate for recovery residences; rather, it regulates the conditions under which certified recovery residences may deny or condition housing/services. It takes effect October 1, 2026.
Impact
HB1249 changes Maryland law governing certified recovery residences by adding explicit anti-discrimination protections for individuals using medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder. It requires credentialing entities to include these protections in certification standards, which affects how recovery residences are approved, inspected, and potentially decertified. The practical effect is to prevent certified recovery residences from excluding residents solely because they are lawfully receiving MAT, and to align recovery residence policies with continued treatment access.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received generally favorable treatment in the legislature, passing both chambers by substantial margins and advancing as a chaptered law. The available record shows no committee transcript opposition, and the bill was reported favorably from committee and adopted by the House before final enactment. Overall, the voting history suggests broad support for protecting access to recovery housing for people in treatment.
Contention
The main point of contention is the balance between recovery residence autonomy and access for people receiving medication-assisted treatment. Supporters of the bill are effectively seeking to prevent housing discrimination against individuals in MAT, while potential opponents may be concerned that recovery residences should be able to set abstinence-based rules or maintain house standards. The bill resolves that tension by requiring certified residences to accept residents on MAT and prohibiting conditions that force treatment changes, but it does not appear to address non-certified residences or broader treatment-policy disputes.
An Act to amend and reenact § 37.2-431.1 of the Code of Virginia and to amend and reenact the second enactment of Chapter 608 of the Acts of Assembly of 2025, relating to recovery residences; regulations.