AR HB1951

Custodians under the Adult Maltreatment Custody Act may only consent to withholding life-saving treatment if consistent with an advance directive.

Adds Adult Protective Services Unit representative to surrogate designation hierarchy for healthcare decisions, ranked after other adult relatives.

Allows guardians, surrogates, and supervising healthcare providers to deviate from advance directives if the individual expressed contrary intentions after execution or if circumstances materially changed and deviation aligns with current medical best practices.

Requires court proceedings under the Arkansas Healthcare Decisions Act to be expedited and addressed within 2 business days, with petitions deemed granted if court does not act within that timeframe.

Modifies guardian appointment proceedings to require evidence of incapacity include oral testimony or sworn written statement from one or more qualified professionals.