SB122 - Mental Health Notice and Hearing Procedures

• Establishes new notice requirements for family members and interested persons when individuals are admitted, examined, or hospitalized for mental health emergencies, prioritizing notification to spouse/reciprocal beneficiary, legal parents, adult children, legal guardians, or closest adult relatives.

• Requires involuntary hospitalization petitions to include the name, address, and telephone number of at least one designated family member or relative in specified priority order.

• Mandates courts to adjourn or continue commitment hearings for failure to timely notify designated persons or for failure by the subject to contact an attorney, unless the court determines the interests of justice require otherwise.

• Grants designated family members and interested persons the right to be present at hearings and receive copies of hearing transcripts or recordings unless the court determines otherwise.

• Expands notice requirements to include adjournments, continuances, discharge notices, assisted community treatment orders, and other proceedings related to psychiatric commitment and hospitalization.

• Effective date: July 1, 2018.