The Oregon Senate on June 26 passed House Bill 2005 C, a sweeping package that revises when and how people with serious mental illness may be detained or committed for involuntary treatment and includes related budget appropriations.

Supporters said the bill modernizes definitions and time frames for civil and criminal involuntary hospitalization and adds funding to help communities manage civil commitments and court-ordered competency matters. Opponents and some members flagged concerns about local land-use impacts tied to siting new community residential treatment facilities.

Senator Lori Brzezinski, the bill carrier, described the measure as “a step in the right direction,” saying it modifies when a defendant may be committed, clarifies several definitions, and adds a $5.4 million general-fund appropriation to the Oregon Health Authority for payments to community mental health programs and $1.1 million to the Public Defense Commission to provide counsel for financially eligible persons. Brzezinski told colleagues the bill is intended both to address long-running state issues and to respond to federal court monitoring of the state's mental-health system.

Senator Kathleen Gelser Bluhin, who said she was “not sure how I’m going to answer” when her name was called, praised the bill’s work on civil commitment language and noted it removes older stigmatizing phrasing. Gelser Bluhin warned that civil commitment “is not a part of the criminal justice system” and urged continued work to protect individual rights and expand community supports so people do not lose rights because services are unavailable.

Senator Chris McLean objected to a provision that allows local governments to site residential treatment facilities inside urban growth boundaries without standard plan amendments or conditional use permits when certain conditions apply; McLean said the change could reduce industrial land available for economic uses.

Senator Tim Reynolds and other members who spoke in favor emphasized the bill’s urgency, noting a federal court monitor recently found Oregon out of compliance and that the state faces fines tied to individuals awaiting placement. Brzezinski said the bill includes sunset provisions the legislature expects to revisit after meeting federal requirements.

The Senate approved the measure; the clerk announced that House Bill 2005 C “having received a constitutional majority is declared passed.” The measure now proceeds as required for enactment.