big changes are on the horizon for New Jersey's addiction recovery industry lawmakers this week considered a series of bills to reform how treatment centers operate and services are provided after the state's Watchdog this winter issued a scathing report uncovering widespread fraud and unethical conduct within the recovery world as senior correspondent Joanna gagas reports Advocates are mostly behind the overhaul but want to know why policy was drafted without input from those who know the addiction recovery process best these are three people out of 3,000 die each year three people out of 3,000 and it's not because of a lack of resources or awareness like what's missing and what's missing is the input of the people who lived through this Advocates from the drug and alcohol recovery space showed up to an assembly oversight reform and federal relations hearing to challenge a package of 10 bills up for a vote that would make some major changes to addiction and Recovery support systems in New Jersey you're trying to win a war without talking to the soldiers who are walking off the field one of the bills would change the requirements for peer Recovery Specialists requiring them to have a GED or high school diploma which clinicians and peer support Personnel in the room said would do irreparable damage to the supports that exist for those struggling with addiction in the field we have um many folks who would be pushed out of the field or not be allowed to enter the field if that part of this regulation remains in place having requirements like a GED or a no criminal history there will be none us I don't know how El to say that peers are peers we have lived experience for a reason so I'm always happy to share again evidence on how effective including peers were the package of bills came as a reaction to a recent State Commission of investigation report called the Dirty business of getting clean that highlighted some predatory practices in the recovery field including some who use illegal marketing schemes to profit off of patients a method called patient brokering or body brokering one bill would tighten regulations and penalties around that these are dangerous individuals we believe they're Predators call centers will hijack the names of good programs such as carrier we know of many times it's actually happened and people think they're coming to a program such as carrier and they end up out of state you know they book plane tickets and they're they're on a plane to Texas and and different areas so that is one that we're really hopeful for that there will be some some change but another bill that raised concern would create stronger regulations around Sober Living homes and halfway houses one of the greatest needs in the state of New Jersey is recovery housing this would set back because we housing 10 years I think that there's a lot of nim or not my backyard feelings that that come into play when you try to open these homes um and without the municipal workaround provided by the cslr I worry that we run into that risk but as the advocat spoke they heard something unusual for a bipartisan committee unanimous support for the bills and unanimous support for listening to their feedback based on the seci report uh we felt it necessary the leadership felt it necessary to try and address some of these issues so what I do want to say is that everyone has heard you who said some of the language was 10 years old the definitions here need some updating I think those are changes that can and should and will be made Vice chair priman yes chairman Atkins yes the bills released the bills were all released from committee but chairman Atkins and all of the committee members promised to continue working with these groups to adjust the language it's a start say these Advocates oh I was frustrated to see it released however I am thrilled at the committee's response to our showing and I really do think that if it has to exist we'll be able to revise it significantly those revisions promised to take place before the bills Advance any further in Trenton I'm Joanna gagas and J Spotlight news support for the medical report is provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey an independent lensey of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association [Music]