Bill Text: CA AB1674 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Mental health advocacy.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2024-02-01 - Died at Desk. [AB1674 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB1674-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 1674
| Introduced by Assembly Member Quirk-Silva |
February 17, 2023 |
An act to amend Section 5500 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to mental health.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1674, as introduced, Quirk-Silva.
Mental health advocacy.
Existing law requires the State Department of State Hospitals and the State Department of Health Care Services to contract with a single nonprofit entity to provide protection and advocacy services to persons with mental disabilities. Under existing law, the contracted entity is responsible for ensuring that mental health laws, regulations, and policies on the rights of recipients of mental health services are observed in state hospitals and in licensed health and community care facilities.
This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 5500 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:5500.
As used in this chapter:(a) “Advocacy” means those activities undertaken on behalf of persons who are receiving receiving, or have received received, mental health services to protect their rights or to secure or upgrade treatment or other services to which they are entitled.
(b) “Mental health client” or “client” means a person who is receiving or has received services from a mental health facility, service, or program and who has personally or through a guardian ad litem, entered into an agreement with a county patients’ rights advocate for the provision of advocacy services.
(c) “Mental health facilities, services, or programs” facility, service, or program” means a publicly operated or supported mental health facility or program; a private facility or program licensed or operated for health purposes providing
that provides services to persons with mental health disorders; and publicly supported agencies providing other than mental health services to clients with mental health disorders.
(d) “Independent of providers of service” means that the advocate has no direct or indirect clinical or administrative responsibility for any recipient of mental health services in any mental health facility, program, or service for which he or she the advocate performs advocacy activities.
(e) “County patients’ rights advocate” means an advocate appointed, or whose services are contracted for, by a local mental health director.
