Bill > HB0338

This bill updates and clarifies various legal provisions related to mental health commitments, competency proceedings, and patient rights across multiple sections of Utah state law. The bill introduces a new definition for "lay person" as an individual authorized by a patient to participate in commitment-related activities, and significantly expands the rights of patients in mental health facilities, including the right to communicate by mail, receive visitors, access telephones, wear personal clothes, keep personal possessions, and be treated with dignity. The bill also modifies procedures for determining a defendant's competency to stand trial, including more detailed requirements for competency evaluations, establishing timeframes for commitment and restoration treatment, and providing clearer guidelines for what happens when a defendant is found incompetent to proceed. Additionally, the bill changes several references from "Inquiry into Sanity of Defendant" to "Defendant's Competency to Proceed" throughout various legal statutes. The changes aim to provide more comprehensive protections for individuals undergoing mental health evaluations and treatments while establishing more precise legal processes for competency determinations. The bill is set to take effect on May 7, 2025.

Health and Social Services

https://le.utah.gov/~2025/bills/static/HB0338.html