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MO HB2512
Bill
Status
Introduced
1/7/2026
Primary Sponsor
Tricia Byrnes
Click for details
AI Summary
- Creates "The Care Before Predictable Harm Act" establishing Missouri as the first state to replace the "imminent danger" standard with a "predictable harm" standard for psychiatric intervention
- Allows family members, caregivers, social workers, and crisis response team members to petition circuit courts for emergency psychiatric evaluation of individuals with severe mental illness or substance use disorder
- Courts may order 96-hour psychiatric evaluations and assisted outpatient treatment for up to 180 days, including therapy, case management, supportive housing, and long-acting injectable antipsychotic medication when medically justified
- Requires the Department of Mental Health to establish a statewide network of community mental health clinics to administer court-ordered treatment, with clinics facing removal from the network and loss of state funds for refusing to comply
- Makes false statements in petitions punishable as perjury and interference with court orders a class B misdemeanor, while requiring annual reporting to the legislature on petition numbers, treatment outcomes, and prevented harms
Legislative Description
Creates provisions relating to humane access to emergency psychiatric treatment
Last Action
Public Hearing Completed (H)
3/3/2026
Committee Referrals
Legislative Review2/19/2026
Full Bill Text
No bill text available