Committee approves bill requiring facilities to notify custodial parent when noncustodial parent is admitted to mental-health facility

A House committee voted to report Senate Bill 970 due pass after considering a measure that would require notification to custodial parents when a noncustodial parent is admitted to a Department of Mental Health facility.

Representative Kevin West presented the bill, saying it "would require that non custodial parents, if they have to go into, a a facility within the Department of Mental Health, would have to notify the custodial parent, so that there's not any confusion, when it comes to visitation." He moved for adoption and yielded for questions.

Representative Schreiber asked whether the bill was a request bill; West said it was a request bill from former Senator Kyle Loveless. Members also asked whether the facility would be the notifying party; West said it would be handled "as throughout that that admitting process the custodial parent would get notification from the facility." When asked about punishment or recourse if notification did not occur, West said the bill contains no punishment mechanism: "At this point there there's not a punishment involved. Hopefully it doesn't get to that point. It's it's really just that notification." He added that any failure would likely prompt facilities to make internal policy changes.

Members also asked whether a failure of notification could affect custody determinations. West said it could be considered in future proceedings but did not foresee immediate changes to custody without further evidence.

The committee recorded the vote as "9 aye, 1 nay." The chair declared the motion passed and said "The bill will be recorded due pass."