Support Builds For Congressman Issa’s Sober Homes Reform Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (RealEstateRama) — Local government continues lining up behind Congressman Issa’s bill that would allow communities the ability to implement oversight of sober living facilities. The Orange County Board of Supervisors now becomes the second local government in our district to announce it’s support of the Safe Recovery and Community Empowerment Act (H.R. 6070). The City of San Clemente previously endorsed the legislation earlier in September.

In a letter to Congressman Issa, Chairwoman Lisa Bartlett, writing on behalf of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, thanked the Congressman for introducing the legislation and expressed the Board’s support.

“The proliferation of sober living homes in Orange County has created concerns over the impacts on surrounding neighborhoods resulting from overconcentration and the challenges that federal, state and local governments face with establishing requirements and standards,” Chairwoman Bartlett wrote. “This measure would provide local governments with the tools to develop oversight of sober living homes, which will benefit the residents of sober living homes and the community they reside in. For these reasons, the Orange County Board of Supervisors is on record supporting H.R. 6070.”

You can read the letter of support from the Orange County Board of Supervisors here.

“One of the most important parts of working in Congress, is listening to our community and seeing where we can help return power back to local government,” said Congressman Darrell Issa. “Concerns over the growth and rapid proliferation of sober living facilities are one of the single biggest issues I hear about from constituents, local leaders and others throughout our district. This simple update will ensure local government has the tools it needs to help solve these problems. I’m proud to have the support of the Orange County Board of Supervisors and look forward to continuing advancing our solution to this issue.”

Congressman Issa recently held town hall meetings in Oceanside and San Clemente on Sober Living Homes where constituents came out in the hundreds, packing meeting rooms to the brim to share their concerns on the proliferation of these facilities.

The City of San Clemente previously endorsed the Congressman’s legislation in September and also issued a letter of support on September 20. Congressman Issa’s bill would:

Correct the Fair Housing Act to specifically clarify that state or local governments may enact and enforce zoning ordinances or other regulations that would limit the number of sober homes within a particular neighborhood
Enable states and cities to require sober homes to be licensed and registered and to meet state-passed standards
Enable sober home zoning to be enforced only if necessary to preserve the residential character of communities and if it allows at least some sober homes to be located within a particular area
Require sober homes receiving payments or reimbursements for housing or drug testing services from Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, or via private insurance purchased on an exchange to meet a set of standards and to provide residents with a safe and sober living environment that is completely free from illegal drugs, alcohol, abuse, and harm.