Mental Health Services

Expands mental health services under the CARE Act to include individuals diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. Requires county behavioral health agencies to provide treatment and support services to eligible individuals. Mandates state reimbursement to local agencies for additional program costs.

Authorizes emergency antipsychotic treatment for inmates found incompetent after misdemeanors. Allows emergency antipsychotics before capacity hearings for a limited period. Requires sixty-day reviews with affidavits and a ninety-day cap on orders. Sunsets the authority after a fixed term and preserves habeas rights.

Authorizes counties to create behavioral health teams to support mentally ill individuals in county jails. Enables confidential information sharing between team members to coordinate mental health care services. Requires counties to establish strict protocols for protecting shared confidential information. Mandates team members follow federal and state privacy laws when handling sensitive data.

Establishes a new pretrial diversion program allowing courts to defer prosecution for certain non-violent felonies. Requires courts to dismiss charges if defendants complete individualized diversion programs within 24 months. Excludes serious crimes like domestic violence, sexual offenses, and cases involving firearms or severe injury. Mandates quarterly progress reports and allows courts to modify or revoke diversion for non-compliance.

Makes technical changes to provisions governing assisted outpatient mental health treatment programs.

Requires hospital employees with patient contact to wear identification tags displaying their role and name. Mandates 18-point type on ID badges showing employee credentials and name in various permitted formats. Allows hospitals flexibility in displaying employee names to protect staff privacy and safety. Applies to all general acute care and psychiatric hospitals except state-operated facilities.

Expands placement options for conservatees to include more types of secured residential and nursing facilities. Requires court approval for facility transfers when specific regulations are not yet established. Mandates state agencies to update safety regulations for secured facilities by January 2027. Strengthens protections for conservatees through enhanced court oversight and annual investigations.

Expands mental health diversion programs by requiring defendants to agree their treatment plan meets their specific needs. Grants courts new authority to deny diversion if defendants pose physical safety risks to others. Limits diversion periods to two years for felonies and one year for misdemeanors. Excludes serious crimes like murder and rape from mental health diversion eligibility.

Prohibits supervision authorities from banning contact between supervised individuals and their family members. Allows authorities to restrict family contact only if the family member was a victim of the supervised person's crime. Requires written justification when prohibiting contact between a supervised person and their victim family member. Preserves courts' authority to issue protective orders and establish supervision conditions.

Expands mental health conservatorship criteria to include patients unable to accept voluntary treatment. Requires detailed treatment plans within 10 days of establishing conservatorships. Strengthens privacy protections for mental health records and court proceedings. Authorizes courts to order mental health evaluations without county approval in specific cases.

Expands restrictions on mental health diversion programs by excluding defendants charged with child abuse and trafficking. Prohibits diversion for crimes causing great bodily injury, including spousal abuse with serious injuries. Maintains existing mental health diversion options for eligible defendants with diagnosed mental disorders. Requires regular progress reports from treatment providers to courts during the diversion period.

Expands county designation to include emergency physicians for involuntary commitment processes. Extends liability protections for designated professionals in detainment actions. Requires counties include emergency physicians in designation processes with training. Provides no new state funding; counties bear designation costs.

Adds presumptive eligibility for high-risk individuals with serious mental illness. Requires a licensed clinician recommendation and service-planning criteria for enrollment. Prohibits enrollment denial solely due to a primary substance use disorder. Sets January 1, 2027 as the operative date with funding from the Behavioral Health Services Fund.

Authorizes counties to develop specialized crisis response procedures for mental health mobile crisis teams. Enables mobile crisis teams to better handle emergencies involving people with developmental disabilities or autism. Expands the scope of county behavioral health services without requiring additional funding.

Expands the use of state hospital patient Benefit Funds to include welfare services, in addition to existing education and entertainment purposes. Requires hospital administrators to provide written notifications to patients and patient groups about new ways Benefit Funds can be used. Mandates annual reporting to the Legislature by August 15th detailing how each state hospital spent their Benefit Funds in the previous fiscal year. Maintains existing patient protections requiring consent and input from patient government before spending Benefit Fund money.

Expands the Second Chance Program to include drug courts and mental health services for formerly incarcerated individuals. Requires public agencies to lead grant proposals in partnership with community organizations. Prioritizes funding for programs that combine housing assistance with mental health and substance treatment. Establishes a diverse steering committee to oversee grant distribution and program effectiveness.

Expands the CARE Court Program to include referrals from felony cases and bipolar disorder with psychotic features. Requires courts to make faster initial determinations on CARE petitions without requiring full hearings. Authorizes nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide supporting affidavits for CARE petitions. Mandates comprehensive data collection and annual reporting on program outcomes and demographic impacts.

Expands mental health diversion programs by requiring courts to consider recent mental health diagnoses. Allows courts to deny diversion if defendants pose a likely risk to public safety. Requires judges to state reasons for denying mental health diversion on the record. Prohibits diversion for serious crimes like murder, rape and sexual assault.