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PUBLIC LAWS OF MAINE
First Special Session of the 118th

CHAPTER 422
H.P. 1276 - L.D. 1806

An Act to Amend Maine's Involuntary Commitment Laws

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

     Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §1204, sub-§4 is enacted to read:

     4. Before imposing any condition of psychiatric outpatient or inpatient treatment or mental health counseling, the court may request a report be submitted by an agent of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services who has been designated pursuant to Title 34-B, section 1220 for the purpose of assessing the appropriateness of psychiatric treatment or mental health counseling for the individual and the availability of this treatment or counseling. Whether or not a report is requested, the court shall notify the designated agent of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services when any conditions of probation are imposed that include psychiatric outpatient or inpatient treatment or mental health counseling. This notification must include the name and last known address of the individual placed on probation, the name and address of the attorney of record and the conditions of probation.

     Sec. 2. 34-B MRSA §1207, sub-§6 is enacted to read:

     6. Duty to provide information. Any person conducting an evaluation of a mental health client in a professional capacity, who has a clear and substantial reason to believe that the mental health client poses an imminent danger of inflicting serious physical harm on the evaluator or others, shall provide information regarding such danger or harm to any other person to whom that client's care or custody is being transferred. For purposes of this subsection, the term "evaluation" includes professionally recognized methods and procedures for the purpose of assessing and treating mental illness and includes, but is not limited to, interviews, observation, testing and assessment techniques conducted by a person licensed as a physician, psychologist, nurse, clinical social worker or clinical professional counselor.

     Sec. 3. 34-B MRSA §1220 is enacted to read:

§1220.  Mental health services to persons on probation

     The department shall designate at least one individual within each of the 7 areas described in section 3607, subsection 3 to act as liaison to the District Courts and Superior Courts of the State and to the Department of Corrections in its administration of probation and parole services and the Intensive Supervision Program established pursuant to Title 17-A, section 1261.

     1. Duties of liaison. A liaison has the following duties:

     2. Mental health services inappropriate or unavailable. If, after completion of a report as required by subsection 1, paragraph A, the evaluator or the liaison is of the opinion, based upon profession judgment, that the mental health services necessary for an individual to meet the conditions of probation are inappropriate given the individual's clinical condition or that the mental health services are unavailable, then the liaison shall notify the court, the probation officer, the individual on probation and the individual's attorney, if known, that the mental health services are inappropriate or unavailable.

     3. Mental health services appropriate and available. If, after completion of a report as required by subsection 1, paragraph A, the evaluator or the liaison is of the opinion, based upon professional judgment, that the mental health services necessary for an individual to meet the conditions of probation are appropriate given the individual's clinical condition and the evaluator or the liaison knows that the services are available, then the liaison shall assist the individual in obtaining the appropriate mental health services.

     Sec. 4. 34-B MRSA §3801, sub-§1-B is enacted to read:

     1-B. Least restrictive form of transportation. "Least restrictive form of transportation" means the vehicle used for transportation and any restraining devices that may be used during transportation that impose the least amount of restriction, taking into consideration the stigmatizing impact upon the individual being transported.

     Sec. 5. 34-B MRSA §3861, as amended by PL 1997, c. 154, §1, is further amended to read:

§3861. Reception of involuntary patients

     1. Nonstate mental health institution. The chief administrative officer of a nonstate mental health institution may receive for observation, diagnosis, care and treatment in the institution any person whose admission is applied for under any of the procedures in this subchapter. An admission may be made under the provisions of section 3863 only if the certifying examination conducted pursuant to section 3863, subsection 2 was completed no more than 2 days before the date of admission.

     2. State mental health institute. The chief administrative officer of a state mental health institute:

Any business entity contracting with the department for psychiatric physician services or any person contracting with a state mental health institute or the department to provide services pertaining to the admission, treatment or discharge of patients under sections 3863 and 3864 within a state institute or any person contracting with a business entity to provide those services within a state institute is deemed to be a governmental entity or an employee of a governmental entity for purposes of civil liability under the Maine Tort Claims Act, Title 14, chapter 741, with respect to the admission, treatment or discharge of patients within a state institute under sections 3863 and 3864.

     Sec. 6. 34-B MRSA §3862, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1995, c. 62, §1, is further amended to read:

     1. Law enforcement officer's power. If a law enforcement officer has reasonable grounds to believe, based upon probable cause, that a person may be mentally ill and that due to that condition the person presents a threat of imminent and substantial physical harm to that person or to other persons, the law enforcement officer:

When, in formulating probable cause, the law enforcement officer relies upon information provided by a 3rd-party informant, the officer shall confirm that the informant has reason to believe, based upon the informant's recent personal observations of or conversations with a person, that the person may be mentally ill and that due to that condition the person presents a threat of imminent and substantial physical harm to that person or to other persons.

     Sec. 7. 34-B MRSA §3862, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, is amended to read:

     4. Transportation costs. The costs of transportation under this section shall must be paid in the manner provided under section 3863. Any person transporting an individual to a hospital under the circumstances described in this section shall use the least restrictive form of transportation available that meets the security needs of the situation.

     Sec. 8. 34-B MRSA §3863, sub-§2, ¶A, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, is amended to read:

     Sec. 9. 34-B MRSA §3863, sub-§2-A, as amended by PL 1995, c. 143, §1, is further amended to read:

     2-A. Custody agreement. A state, county or municipal law enforcement agency may meet with representatives of those public and private health practitioners and health care facilities that are willing and qualified to perform the certifying examination required by this section in order to attempt to work out a procedure for the custody of the person who is to be examined while that person is waiting for that examination. Any agreement must be written and signed by and filed with all participating parties. In the event of failure to work out an agreement that is satisfactory to all participating parties, the procedures of section 3862 and this section continue to apply.

As part of an agreement the law enforcement officer requesting certification may transfer protective custody of the person for whom the certification is requested to another law enforcement officer, a health officer if that officer agrees or the chief administrative officer of a public or private health practitioner or health facility or the chief administrative officer's designee. Any arrangement of this sort must be part of the written agreement between the law enforcement agency and the health practitioner or health care facility. In the event of a transfer, the law enforcement officer seeking the transfer shall provide the written application required by this section.
A person with mental illness may not be detained or confined in any jail or local correctional or detention facility, whether pursuant to the procedures described in section 3862, pursuant to a custody agreement, or under any other circumstances, unless that person is being lawfully detained in relation to or is serving a sentence for commission of a crime.

     Sec. 10. 34-B MRSA §3863, sub-§4, ¶A, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, is amended to read:

     Sec. 11. 34-B MRSA §3863, sub-§4, ¶C is enacted to read:

     Sec. 12. 34-B MRSA §3863, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, is amended to read:

     6. Notice. Upon admission of a person under this section, and after consultation with the person, the chief administrative officer of the hospital shall mail notice of notify, as soon as possible regarding the fact of admission to, the person's:

If the chief administrative officer has reason to believe that notice to any individual in paragraphs A to E would pose risk of harm to the person admitted, then notice may not be given to that individual.

     Sec. 13. 34-B MRSA §3864, sub-§1, ¶¶B and C, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, are amended to read:

     Sec. 14. 34-B MRSA §3864, sub-§1, ¶¶D and E are enacted to read:

     Sec. 15. 34-B MRSA §3864, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, is amended to read:

     3. Notice of receipt of application. The giving of notice of receipt of application and date of hearing under this section is governed as follows.

     Sec. 16. 34-B MRSA §3864, sub-§4, ¶A, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, is amended to read:

     Sec. 17. 34-B MRSA §3864, sub-§5, ¶B, as amended by PL 1995, c. 496, §4, is further amended to read:

     Sec. 18. 34-B MRSA §3864, sub-§5, ¶F, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, is amended to read:

     Sec. 19. 34-B MRSA §3864, sub-§9, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:

     9. Transportation. Except for transportation expenses paid by the District Court pursuant to subsection 10, a continued involuntary hospitalization hearing that requires transportation of the patient to and from any hospital to a court that has committed the person must be provided at the expense of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. Transportation of an individual to a hospital under these circumstances must involve the least restrictive form of transportation available that meets the clinical needs of that individual and be in compliance with departmental regulations.

     Sec. 20. 34-B MRSA §3867, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, is amended to read:

§3867. Transfer from out-of-state institutions

     1. Commissioner's authority. The commissioner may, upon request of a competent authority of the District of Columbia or of a state which that is not a member of the Interstate Compact on Mental Health, authorize the transfer of a mentally ill patient directly to a state mental health institute hospital in Maine, if:

     2. Receipt of patient. When the commissioner has authorized a transfer under this section, the superintendent of the state mental health institute hospital designated by the commissioner shall receive the patient as having been regularly committed to the mental health institute under section 3864.

     Sec. 21. 34-B MRSA §3868, sub-§1, ¶A, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 459, §7, is amended to read:

     Sec. 22. 34-B MRSA §3870, as amended by PL 1987, c. 736, §54, is further amended to read:

§3870. Convalescent status

     1. Authority. The chief administrative officer of a state mental health institute may release an improved patient on convalescent status when he the chief administrative officer believes that the release is in the best interest of the patient and that the patient does not pose a likelihood of serious harm. The chief administrative officer of a nonstate mental health institute may release an improved patient on convalescent status when the chief administrative officer believes that the release is in the best interest of the patient, the patient does not pose a likelihood of serious harm and, when releasing an involuntarily committed patient, the chief administrative officer has obtained the approval of the commissioner after submitting a plan for continued responsibility.

     2. Reexamination. Before a patient has spent a year on convalescent status, and at least once a year thereafter, the chief administrative officer of the state mental health institute hospital shall reexamine the facts relating to the hospitalization of the patient on convalescent status.

     3. Discharge. Discharge from convalescent status is governed as follows.

     4. Rehospitalization. Rehospitalization of patients under this section is governed as follows.

     5. Notice of change of status. Notice of the change of convalescent status of patients is governed as follows.

     Sec. 23. 34-B MRSA §3871, as amended by PL 1995, c. 496, §§7 and 8, is further amended to read:

§3871. Discharge

     1. Examination. The chief administrative officer of a state mental health institute hospital shall, as often as practicable, but no less often than every 12 months 30 days, examine or cause to be examined every patient to determine his that patient's mental status and need for continuing hospitalization.

     2. Conditions for discharge. The chief administrative officer of a state mental health institute hospital shall discharge, or cause to be discharged, any patient when:

     3. Discharge against medical advice. The chief administrative officer of a state mental health institute hospital may discharge, or cause to be discharged, any patient even though the patient is mentally ill and appropriately hospitalized in the state mental health institute hospital, if:

     5. Notice. Notice of discharge is governed as follows.

     Sec. 24. 34-B MRSA §3872, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 615, is repealed.

Effective September 19, 1997, unless otherwise indicated.

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