Judges, psychiatrists and county officials call for overhaul of Pennsylvania Mental Health Procedures Act

HARRISBURG — Judges, forensic psychiatrists and county mental‑health administrators told the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee on Thursday that the Mental Health Procedures Act of 1976 is outdated, creates legal confusion and lacks the resources needed to connect people with serious mental illness to timely care.

Those testifying recommended a wholesale rewrite that would modernize language, clarify whether forensic provisions apply to juveniles, allow consistent evaluator standards, expand coverage to severe substance use disorder and build enforceable follow‑up for assisted outpatient treatment (AOT). They also urged lawmakers to account for county funding, Medicaid rules and transportation and workforce limits before changing statutory duties.

The Act “has served our Commonwealth for approximately 50 years,” said Judge Henry Hillis of Montgomery County, who also presides over that county’s behavioral health and competency courts. “It has become increasingly clear with the passage of time that the act can and must be modified and improved.” Hillis told the committee that the statute still uses now‑unacceptable language and contains timing and evaluator provisions that produce practical problems in court. He urged allowing “a psychiatrist or a licensed psychologist” to conduct…