Pennsylvania Senate Bill SB909

Pennsylvania 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 7/8/25
• Refer: 7/8/25

Caption

In powers and duties of the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, further providing for regulatory flexibility during opioid epidemic.

Summary

SB 909 amends the Administrative Code of 1929 to expand and clarify the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs’ authority to relax certain staffing regulations during an opioid epidemic. The bill specifically suspends portions of existing regulations that would otherwise bar certain individuals from serving as counselors or counselor assistants in licensed drug and alcohol treatment facilities, so long as they meet specified conditions and receive clinical supervisor approval. Those eligible include people with lived experience in addiction and recovery, as well as individuals who have completed at least one year in an internship or apprenticeship program, provided they have an individualized training plan or have completed required staff-development training. The bill also prohibits the department, during an opioid epidemic, from creating or enforcing new qualification requirements, including new credentialing mandates, for positions covered under the staffing rules for drug and alcohol treatment activities. It defines an “opioid epidemic” as a public health crisis in which illicit opioid use causes more than 1,000 confirmed overdose deaths per year for at least three consecutive years in Pennsylvania, based on Department of Health reporting. The act would take effect 60 days after enactment.

Impact

SB 909 would amend Section 2303-A of the Administrative Code, limiting the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs’ ability to enforce or add staffing qualifications in licensed substance use disorder treatment settings during a qualifying opioid epidemic. In practice, it would broaden the pool of people who may work in counseling-related roles and restrict regulatory changes that could otherwise raise credentialing barriers for treatment providers. The bill affects state administrative law and the staffing standards in 28 Pa. Code Chapter 704 governing drug and alcohol treatment activities.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes, the measure appears to be framed as a workforce-flexibility and access-to-treatment proposal rather than a controversial regulatory overhaul. Its sponsors appear to support using experienced, supervised individuals—including people in recovery—to help address staffing shortages in addiction treatment during a public health emergency. No formal vote history or transcript is available here, so there is no documented opposition or support beyond the bill’s structure and sponsorship.

Contention

The main policy tension is between increasing treatment workforce capacity quickly during an opioid crisis and maintaining traditional credentialing and qualification standards for counselors and counselor assistants. Supporters are likely to favor the bill’s reliance on lived experience, apprenticeships, and supervisor approval to expand staffing options. Potential critics may worry that suspending or limiting qualification requirements could reduce professional standards, consistency, or patient protections in licensed treatment facilities. The bill also gives the department less discretion to impose new credentials during the epidemic, which could be seen as either necessary flexibility or an undue constraint on regulatory oversight.