S.B. 77 Enrolled

TASK FORCE ON INVOLUNTARY
COMMITMENT OF THE MENTALLY ILL
2002 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Sponsor: Leonard M. Blackham
This act creates the Task Force on Involuntary Commitment of the Mentally Ill. The act
specifies membership, duties, and reporting requirements for the task force. The act
appropriates $39,500 from the General Fund for fiscal year 2002-03 to fund the task force.
The act repeals the task force on November 30, 2002.
This act enacts uncodified material.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Task Force on Involuntary Commitment of the Mentally Ill -- Creation --
Membership -- Interim rules followed -- Compensation -- Staff.
(1) There is created the Task Force on Involuntary Commitment of the Mentally Ill
consisting of the following 12 members:
(a) five members of the Senate appointed by the president of the Senate, no more than
three of whom may be from the same political party; and
(b) seven members of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House
of Representatives, no more than four of whom may be from the same political party.
(2) (a) The president of the Senate shall designate a member of the Senate appointed under
Subsection (1)(a) as a cochair of the committee.
(b) The speaker of the House of Representatives shall designate a member of the House
of Representatives appointed under Subsection (1)(b) as a cochair of the committee.
(3) In conducting its business, the committee shall comply with the rules of legislative
interim committees.
(4) Salaries and expenses of the members of the committee shall be paid in accordance
with Section 36-2-2 and Legislative Joint Rule 15.03.
(5) The Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel shall provide staff support to
the committee.

Section 2. Duties -- Interim report.
(1) The committee shall review and make recommendations on the following issues:
(a) admissibility of evidence at hearings of historical information concerning patterns of
treatment compliance and decompensation;
(b) criteria for determining the need for involuntary commitment;
(c) inclusion of involuntary medication decisions in conjunction with involuntary
commitment processes; and
(d) the need for community based mental health services.
(2) A final report, including any proposed legislation shall be presented to the Health and
Human Services Interim Committee before November 30, 2002.
Section 3. Appropriation.
There is appropriated from the General Fund for fiscal year 2002-03, a one-time
appropriation of:
(1) $6,000 to the Senate to pay for the compensation and expenses of senators on the
committee;
(2) $8,500 to the House of Representatives to pay for the compensation and expenses of
representatives on the committee; and
(3) $25,000 to the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel to pay for staffing
the committee..
Section 4. Repeal date.
This act is repealed November 30, 2002.

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