House Bill 6326 Summary

• Establishes a licensing system for adult residential psychiatric programs under the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, requiring operators to obtain licenses for facilities serving adults with mental illness.

• Creates two classes of residential psychiatric programs: Class 1 for high-acuity patients (5-20 unrelated adults per facility with daily clinical evaluation and 6 hours daily treatment) and Class 2 for moderate-to-high acuity patients (5-20 unrelated adults per facility with weekly evaluation and 4 hours daily treatment).

• Requires licensed psychiatric programs to meet standards from the Joint Commission, CARF International, or similar organizations within 3 years of initial licensure, and prohibits operators with revoked or denied licenses from reapplying unless 2+ years have passed and the denial was not related to abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

• Authorizes the department to conduct inspections, issue full/probationary/interim licenses valid up to 3 years, assess fees, and take enforcement actions including license suspension or revocation for non-compliance.

• Allows courts to appoint receivers to operate facilities presenting substantial risk to residents and permits the director to seek injunctions against unlicensed operations, with civil and criminal penalties of $500 for first violations and $1,000 for subsequent violations.