(The Center Square) – The Arizona Senate passed Senate Bill 1308, which is designed to strengthen regulations of sober living homes.
Senators approved this bill by a 20-7 vote Tuesday.
SB 1308’s sponsor, Sen. Frank Carroll, R-Peoria, told The Center Square that if the bill becomes law, it will clarify “ what the authority is and what the scope is going to be” of a sober living home.
He added this bill will eliminate problematic sober living homes and tackle fraud related to the homes.
The legislation explains the Department of Human Services’ requirements for licensing, oversight and regulation of sober living homes, which are residences designed to help people maintain sobriety.
SB 1308 creates minimum standards and requirements for the homes.
These requirements include a mandate for the DHS or a third-party contractor to inspect homes and substantiate their compliance with state law.
Furthermore, SB 1308 creates penalties for sober living homes that violate Arizona law. This bill also increases punishment for civil penalties.
If an investigation confirms that a sober living home violated state law, the owner will face a $1,000 fine for each violation.
SB 1308 requires fingerprint clearance cards for people applying for a state license and employees of these facilities.
According to the Phoenix business Castillo Law, these cards are a “clearance provided by Arizona Department of Public Safety determining the suitability of certain candidates for particular professions and activities that are regulated.”
If employees are denied a fingerprint clearance card, they can still work at the facility if they pass a background check and complete treatment for substance use successfully.
SB 1308 also states sober living homes must comply with “local zoning, building, fire and licensing ordinances.”
Carroll said there were many unlicensed sober living homes in his district, which includes all of Peoria and part of another city, Surprise.
He added he identified 140 unlicensed sober living home facilities in Surprise that were causing problems.
Carroll said neighbors of these living homes complained about “drunkenness and bad behavior.”
The state senator said Surprise adopted an ordinance to shut down 135 of these unregulated living homes. However, when these homes were shut down, according to Carroll, they moved to different parts of Arizona.
Carroll said the decision was made that Arizona “needed a statewide effort to put an umbrella over all of these unlicensed homes and put an end to it.”
He explained this is for safety, the well-being of people trying to get sober and keeping peace and order.
The Arizona Senate issued a news release that many of these homes in the state are “unlicensed and unregulated.”
To illustrate, a 30-year-old man named Johnwick Nathan defrauded the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment for almost $21 million. Nathan received four years of probation for this crime last year.
“This bill puts bad actors on notice and ends the gravy train of taxpayer dollars to those attempting to milk the system for easy money,” Carroll said.
The senator said this is the second time he has introduced this bill.
During last year’s Arizona Legislature, SB 1361 failed to become law. However, Carroll said he expects the House to pass the bill this legislative session and for Gov. Katie Hobbs to sign it into law.
