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Utah House passes mental-health, ombudsman and retirement bills; recorded votes send multiple measures to the Senate
Summary
The Utah House on Feb. 7, 2018, advanced a package of bills including extensive amendments to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Act, changes to long-term care ombudsman duties, and clarifications to retirement forfeiture notification procedures; several measures passed by recorded votes and will be transmitted to the Senate.
The Utah House of Representatives on Feb. 7, 2018, passed several bills on third reading and moved additional measures forward, voting to transmit them to the Senate for consideration.
The most substantive debate centered on House Bill 99, "Substance Abuse and Mental Health Act Amendments," which the sponsor described in a section-by-section presentation that spanned peer-support certification, involuntary-commitment procedures, and hospital and law-enforcement protocols. The sponsor said the bill establishes certification and supervision standards for peer support specialists (including both substance-use and mental-health peer specialists), defines "community mental health center" and "mental health officer" with reference to clinical codes (DSM-5/ICD-10), clarifies involuntary commitment processes and court hearings, and permits a provider to hold a voluntarily admitted patient an additional 48 hours in specified circumstances. The bill also adds language to govern secure areas in behavioral health units and directs certain…
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