Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§290kk–3 Educational requirements for personnel in drug treatment programs

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 6A— - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III–A— - SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION › Part Part J— - Services Provided Through Religious Organizations › § 290kk–3

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Congress says that making strict, one-size-fits-all education rules for counselors and other staff in drug treatment programs can weaken those programs and keep people from getting needed care. If a treatment program has shown successful results for the past three years, state or local governments must not treat training from a religious group as worse than training from a nonreligious group, as long as the religious training covers the same basic material the state or local government would accept.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §290kk–3

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Congress finds that—

(1)establishing unduly rigid or uniform educational qualification for counselors and other personnel in drug treatment programs may undermine the effectiveness of such programs; and

(2)such educational requirements for counselors and other personnel may hinder or prevent the provision of needed drug treatment services.

(b)In determining whether personnel of a program participant that has a record of successful drug treatment for the preceding three years have satisfied State or local requirements for education and training, a State or local government shall not discriminate against education and training provided to such personnel by a religious organization, so long as such education and training includes basic content substantially equivalent to the content provided by nonreligious organizations that the State or local government would credit for purposes of determining whether the relevant requirements have been satisfied.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 290kk–3

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73