---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 290kk–3"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "290kk–3"
heading: "Educational requirements for personnel in drug treatment programs"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/290kk-3"
units:
  - "Chapter 6A — Public Health Service"
  - "Subchapter III–A — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration"
  - "Part J — Services Provided Through Religious Organizations"
---

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

- (a) **Findings—** The Congress finds that—
  - (1) establishing unduly rigid or uniform educational qualification for counselors and other personnel in [drug](/usc/42/11851.md?p=4) [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) [programs](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) may undermine the effectiveness of such [programs](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4); and
  - (2) such educational requirements for counselors and other personnel may hinder or prevent the provision of needed [drug](/usc/42/11851.md?p=4) [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a).
- (b) **Nondiscrimination—** In determining whether personnel of a [program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) [participant](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-11) that has a record of successful [drug](/usc/42/11851.md?p=4) [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) for the preceding three years have satisfied [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) or local requirements for education and training, a [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) 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](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) or local government would credit for purposes of determining whether the relevant requirements have been satisfied.

## Source credit

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title V, § 596C, formerly § 584, as added Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(7) [title I, § 144], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–622; renumbered § 596C, Pub. L. 119–44, title I, § 107(a)(2), Dec. 1, 2025, 139 Stat. 674.)