SUD Treatment Priorities

RCPA seeks a system in Pennsylvania that allows providers to remain viable and continue to provide crucial health and human services to individuals and families in need.

A person in a tan suit stands at a wooden podium outdoors, speaking to a group of people near a stone building.

For SUD treatment, that means working to shape an environment in which our members can provide safe, quality services in a system that is less administratively burdensome and where transparency and accountability exist among all stakeholders. 

Our current efforts aim to support the specific SUD priorities we’ve outlined for 2026.
Those efforts include:

  • Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs


  • Legislation to Watch

    S.B. 1352: Allowing for the Creation of a Two-Year Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) License for Providers


    S.B. 716: Updating the Mental Health Procedures Act to Recognize Substance Use Disorder and Alcohol Dependence as Mental Illnesses 

  • Regulatory Reform

    Opioid Treatment Programs: 42 CFR Part 8 Final Rule

Legislation to Watch

S.B. 1352: Allowing for the Creation of a Two-Year Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) License for Providers

On June 9, 2026, Senator Michele Brooks, Majority Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, introduced S.B. 1352, legislation that will create a two-year Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) license for providers who are accredited by a national accrediting body and whose license is in good standing and has not been provisional for at least two consecutive years.


In introducing her legislation, which has strong bipartisan support, Senator Brooks intends to provide regulatory relief to qualifying substance use disorder treatment providers in the Commonwealth by allowing them to obtain a multi-year license from DDAP instead of full annual inspections.


In her co-sponsorship memo, Senator Brooks wrote, “Addiction treatment providers across Pennsylvania face mounting administrative pressures, including workforce shortages, financial strain, and increasingly complex compliance demands. Too often, audits, inspections, and duplicative regulatory requirements force providers to spend more time on paperwork than on patient care.

“By allowing multi-year licenses for stable, well-run programs, we can reduce disruption and offer real relief to these providers, helping to ensure the system remains sustainable and viable for those who need it.”


The legislation directs DDAP to conduct a single licensing inspection for each two-year licensing period. The inspection shall constitute the required licensure inspection for that period and may not be conducted as separate annual inspections. The scope and depth of the inspection shall be equivalent to that of a standard one-year licensing inspection and may not be expanded on the basis that the inspection covers a two-year period.


Providers are encouraged to contact their elected state officials and urge them to support this legislation. For assistance with this, contact RCPA SUD Treatment Services Policy Director Jason Snyder.

Additional Information:

SB 716: Updating the Mental Health Procedures Act to Recognize Substance Use Disorder and Alcohol Dependence as Mental Illnesses

Senator Laughlin’s S.B. 716 intends to amend Pennsylvania’s Mental Health Procedures Act (MHPA) by defining substance use disorder (SUD) as a mental illness, thereby subjecting those with an SUD to the same procedures outlined in MHPA, including an involuntary commitment to a 120-hour hold in a psychiatric hospital, which is commonly referred to as a 302 (Section 302 of MHPA).


RCPA represents nearly 400 licensed substance use disorder (SUD) treatment facilities in Pennsylvania. Our SUD treatment providers represent the entire continuum of SUD treatment, from the outpatient level of care up to hospital-based residential services that employ addiction psychiatrists who work daily with those with SUD and mental illness. Based on input from these varied levels of expertise and real-world experience, published research on the process, and experiences from other states with involuntary commitment laws, RCPA opposes S.B. 716.

RCPA determined its position after months of discussion and analysis, including:

  • Written input from the entire RCPA SUD treatment provider membership;
  • Extensive conversations and meetings with RCPA members, including SUD and mental health treatment providers, the SUD Steering Committee, and governmental entities;
  • Multiple meetings with staff from key legislators’ offices, including Sen. Laughlin;
  • Multiple meetings with the Shapiro administration; and
  • A review of published research detailing experiences other states have had with involuntary commitment for SUD.