Bill Text: IA HF619 | 2019-2020 | 88th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to the notification of law enforcement regarding the discharge of a voluntary patient who is mentally ill or has symptoms of mental illness from a hospital. (See HF 722.)
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-03-12 - Subcommittee Meeting: 03/14/2019 2:00PM House Lounge. [HF619 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2019-HF619-Introduced.html
House
File
619
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
619
BY
GRASSLEY
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
the
notification
of
law
enforcement
1
regarding
the
discharge
of
a
voluntary
patient
who
is
2
mentally
ill
or
has
symptoms
of
mental
illness
from
a
3
hospital.
4
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
5
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H.F.
619
Section
1.
Section
229.3,
Code
2019,
is
amended
to
read
as
1
follows:
2
229.3
Discharge
of
voluntary
patients.
3
1.
Any
voluntary
patient
who
has
recovered,
or
whose
4
hospitalization
the
chief
medical
officer
of
the
hospital
5
determines
is
no
longer
advisable,
shall
be
discharged.
Any
6
voluntary
patient
may
be
discharged
if
to
do
so
would
in
the
7
judgment
of
the
chief
medical
officer
contribute
to
the
most
8
effective
use
of
the
hospital
in
the
care
and
treatment
of
that
9
patient
and
of
other
persons
with
mental
illness.
10
2.
If
the
chief
medical
officer
of
the
hospital
is
informed
11
that
an
arrest
warrant
has
been
issued
for
or
charges
are
12
pending
against
a
voluntary
patient
of
the
hospital,
the
chief
13
medical
officer
may
notify
the
appropriate
law
enforcement
14
agency
about
the
discharge
of
the
patient
prior
to
the
15
patient’s
discharge.
16
EXPLANATION
17
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
18
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
19
This
bill
relates
to
notification
of
law
enforcement
about
20
the
discharge
of
a
voluntary
patient
who
is
mentally
ill
21
or
has
symptoms
of
mental
illness.
Under
current
law,
any
22
voluntarily
admitted
patient
for
mental
health
treatment
who
23
has
recovered,
or
whose
hospitalization
the
chief
medical
24
officer
of
the
hospital
determines
is
no
longer
advisable,
25
shall
be
discharged.
The
bill
provides
that
if
the
chief
26
medical
officer
of
the
hospital
is
informed
that
an
arrest
27
warrant
has
been
issued
for
or
charges
are
pending
against
a
28
voluntary
patient
of
the
hospital,
the
chief
medical
officer
29
may
notify
the
appropriate
law
enforcement
agency
about
the
30
discharge
of
the
patient
prior
to
the
patient’s
discharge.
31
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