Advocacy Alert: New York SB 6544A and Illinois HB 4949

April 19, 2018

Ethical practices for substance abuse treatment centers are continuing to get legislative focus.

Both New York Senate Bill 6544A and Illinois House Bill 4949 deal with different areas of these concerns.

New York SB 6544A, sponsored by Senator Fred Akshar, is geared toward amending the mental hygiene law and would prohibit the practice of substance use disorder patient brokering in the state of New York. It has passed the Senate, but still needs to pass the Assembly before moving on to be signed by the Governor.

Meanwhile, Illinois HB 4949 -- sponsored by Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, Lou Lang, Mary E. Flowers, Deb Conroy, Laura Fine, Steven A. Andersson, and LaToya Greenwood -- amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practice Act. It would prohibit certain practices related to mental health and substance use disorder treatment marketing and to require certain information be provided in promotional materials. It is still currently being debated in the House.

BHAP supports both of these bills and the legislative efforts to add legitimacy to treatment facilities and curb unethical practices.

Please contact Senator Akshar for New York residents and Rep. Feigenholtz, Lou Lang, Mary E. Flowers, Deb Conroy, Laura Fine, Steven A. Andersson, and LaToya Greenwood for Illinois residents to show your support of these bills.

A reminder that if you are a BHAP member, you can access Frequently Asked Question pages for both New York and Illinois.

Questions? Concerns?

As always, we want your input.

If you have any questions about BHAP's advocacy efforts, please contact us.