Article
from the Times Picayune-
June 9th, 2004 reflecting the testimony to
support an end to Louisiana Oxford House contracting with the State
Office of Addictive Disorders in the House Appropriations Committee,
where it passed, and then went to the full House, and passed.
HOME ZONE: A Metairie-inspired bill to restrict the location of group
homes for recovering drug addicts and alcoholics advanced out of the
House this week.
The
Appropriations Committee approved House Bill 1645 by an 11-0 vote
Wednesday, and the full House voted 100-0 Thursday to send it to the
Senate.
Rep. Steve
Scalise, R-Jefferson, and Sen. Ken Hollis, R-Metairie, drafted the
bill after the national Oxford House organization opened a six-bed
group home in the Airline Park subdivision in February. Neighbors
objected, noting that Jefferson Parish law prohibits more than four
unrelated adults from living together in residentially zoned areas.
But the federal Fair Housing Act defines recovering addicts as
disabled, and, in combination with the Americans With Disabilities
Act, that trumps the local zoning law.
The Metairie
home is one of 33 that Oxford House operates in
Louisiana
for the state Department of Health and Hospitals, Scalise said. HB
1645 would prohibit the department from contracting with group homes
that do not comply with local zoning law.
"We'd like to
change the federal law, too," Scalise said. "But in the meantime, this
bill says the state can't enter into a contract with a local group
home unless they agree to abide by the zoning."
Kerrie
Becker of
the Airline Park Civic Association and
Ray
Baas
, president of the Civic League of East Jefferson, testified for the
bill in committee, Scalise said.
HB 1645 is in
the hands of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee. If
approved by the Senate and signed by
Gov.
Kathleen
Blanco,
the measure would affect current group homes when their contracts come
up for renewal. Scalise said the
Metairie home's
current contract expires June 30.
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