Assembly committee amends AB550 to narrow competency commitments, advances bill

Assembly Judiciary Committee Chair Miller and committee members voted to amend and advance Assembly Bill 550, a measure that revises how the state handles defendants found incompetent to proceed in criminal cases.

Committee policy analyst Cesar Mungarello summarized the proposal: “Assembly bill 5 50 revises provisions governing incompetent criminal defendants,” and said the Division of Public and Behavioral Health submitted an amendment that narrows who may be committed and adds procedural requirements.

The amendment requires that only defendants previously ordered to competency treatment may be committed, mandates comprehensive risk assessments and timely filing procedures, removes certain petition and presumption requirements, and clarifies that the state and its agents are not liable for debts or damages caused by individuals discharged from conditional release, according to Mungarello’s summary. The bill is sponsored by the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means.

Assemblymember LaRue Hatch moved to amend and do pass the bill; Assemblymember Gonzales seconded the motion. Chair Miller called for a voice vote; members responded “aye,” and Miller said the motion passed unanimously. Miller said she would assign the floor statement to Assemblymember Hardy.

No public testimony was recorded on AB550 during this meeting. The committee closed the work session after advancing the bill.

Background: The committee identified the bill as a rewrite of competency-related procedures and noted the Division of Public and Behavioral Health as the source of amendments; no statute citations or bill text excerpts beyond the summary were presented during the session.

Votes at the meeting: the committee voted to amend and do pass AB550; the motion passed unanimously and the floor statement was assigned to Assemblymember Hardy.