2023 House Bill 4690

House Fiscal Agency Analysis

House Bill 4690 would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure to require a court that orders a defendant to attend a court-ordered substance use disorder recovery program as part of a sentence or deferred proceeding to ask on the record whether the defendant has an objection to a religious element of that program. If the defendant objects to a religious element, the court would have to identify a secular treatment program that the defendant confirms on the record eliminates their religious objection. The court would have to allow the defendant to participate in a secular treatment program online if one is not available locally.