Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances mental‑health bill after agencies and advocates press for edits and safeguards
Summary
SB 709, which would expand and clarify assisted community treatment (ACT) procedures and crisis-intervention standards, moved forward after the Department of Health and Attorney General recommended deleting duplicative sections and narrowing the AG’s role to court proceedings; disability advocates urged caution about involuntary treatment and legal representation for respondents.
The committee advanced Senate Bill 709 following extensive testimony from the Department of Health, the Attorney General’s office and disability-rights advocates.
SB 709 would require the Department of Health to respond to reports about persons with severe mental illness who need assistance, provide procedures for evaluating whether an individual meets criteria for assisted community treatment (ACT), and require certification and training standards for crisis‑intervention officers.
Attorney General staff told lawmakers their office supports clarifying amendments that limit the AG’s role to court proceedings for treatment‑over‑objection, addressing stakeholder concerns that earlier drafts sought AG involvement in administrative orders. The Department of Health told the committee it supports sections of the bill that clarify training and administrative processes but recommended deleting two sections (sections two and four) as duplicative of existing law and practice; DOH said the main gap has been execution and resource constraints rather than statutory authority.
Disability Rights Center and other advocates urged care in expanding involuntary procedures. "In order to constitutionally drug people against their will, the state has to prove it is in their best interest and there is no less intrusive alternative," an attorney representing advocacy interests told the committee and urged attention to due-process protections, including legal representation in proceedings.
Committee chair and staff said they accepted AG and DOH drafting proposals intended to limit duplication and ensure the AG’s role is properly constrained to court proceedings; they advanced the bill with those changes and noted outstanding concerns about legal representation and broader constitutional issues that advocates raised.
Outcome: SB 709 advanced to conference committee with AG and DOH-recommended deletions and clarifications; the committee asked for further written input and said it would note process concerns in the committee report.
