HB2446 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 08383 DRJ 18495 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB2446

Introduced 2/19/2009, by Rep. Kathleen A. Ryg

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

405 ILCS 5/2-107.1

from Ch. 91 1/2, par. 2-107.1

Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code. Provides that a court order authorizing the administration of authorized involuntary treatment shall allow a person designated in the order as authorized to administer the treatment to designate another person to administer the treatment in the court-designated person's absence. Provides that a person designated in the court order as authorized to administer the treatment must be a qualified acute and long-term health care professional familiar with the recipient's mental and physical status and active in the recipient's care. Provides that a person designated by the court-designated person to administer the treatment in the court-designated person's absence must be a licensed and qualified health care professional. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning health.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code is amended by changing Section 2-107.1 as follows:

(405 ILCS 5/2-107.1) (from Ch. 91 1/2, par. 2-107.1)

Sec. 2-107.1. Administration of psychotropic medication and electroconvulsive therapy upon application to a court.

(a) (Blank).

(a-5) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 2-107 of this Code, psychotropic medication and electroconvulsive therapy may be administered to an adult recipient of services without the informed consent of the recipient under the following standards:

(1) Any person 18 years of age or older, including any guardian, may petition the circuit court for an order authorizing the administration of psychotropic medication and electroconvulsive therapy to a recipient of services. The petition shall state that the petitioner has made a good faith attempt to determine whether the recipient has executed a power of attorney for health care under the Powers of Attorney for Health Care Law or a declaration for mental health treatment under the Mental Health Treatment Preference Declaration Act and to obtain copies of these instruments if they exist. If either of the above-named instruments is available to the petitioner, the instrument or a copy of the instrument shall be attached to the petition as an exhibit. The petitioner shall deliver a copy of the petition, and notice of the time and place of the hearing, to the respondent, his or her attorney, any known agent or attorney-in-fact, if any, and the guardian, if any, no later than 3 days prior to the date of the hearing. Service of the petition and notice of the time and place of the hearing may be made by transmitting them via facsimile machine to the respondent or other party. Upon receipt of the petition and notice, the party served, or the person delivering the petition and notice to the party served, shall acknowledge service. If the party sending the petition and notice does not receive acknowledgement of service within 24 hours, service must be made by personal service.

The petition may include a request that the court authorize such testing and procedures as may be essential for the safe and effective administration of the psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy sought to be administered, but only where the petition sets forth the specific testing and procedures sought to be administered.

If a hearing is requested to be held immediately following the hearing on a petition for involuntary admission, then the notice requirement shall be the same as that for the hearing on the petition for involuntary admission, and the petition filed pursuant to this Section shall be filed with the petition for involuntary admission.

(2) The court shall hold a hearing within 7 days of the filing of the petition. The People, the petitioner, or the respondent shall be entitled to a continuance of up to 7 days as of right. An additional continuance of not more than 7 days may be granted to any party (i) upon a showing that the continuance is needed in order to adequately prepare for or present evidence in a hearing under this Section or (ii) under exceptional circumstances. The court may grant an additional continuance not to exceed 21 days when, in its discretion, the court determines that such a continuance is necessary in order to provide the recipient with an examination pursuant to Section 3-803 or 3-804 of this Act, to provide the recipient with a trial by jury as provided in Section 3-802 of this Act, or to arrange for the substitution of counsel as provided for by the Illinois Supreme Court Rules. The hearing shall be separate from a judicial proceeding held to determine whether a person is subject to involuntary admission but may be heard immediately preceding or following such a judicial proceeding and may be heard by the same trier of fact or law as in that judicial proceeding.

(3) Unless otherwise provided herein, the procedures set forth in Article VIII of Chapter 3 of this Act, including the provisions regarding appointment of counsel, shall govern hearings held under this subsection (a-5).

(4) Psychotropic medication and electroconvulsive therapy may be administered to the recipient if and only if it has been determined by clear and convincing evidence that all of the following factors are present. In determining whether a person meets the criteria specified in the following paragraphs (A) through (G), the court may consider evidence of the person's history of serious violence, repeated past pattern of specific behavior, actions related to the person's illness, or past outcomes of various treatment options.

(A) That the recipient has a serious mental illness or developmental disability.

(B) That because of said mental illness or developmental disability, the recipient currently exhibits any one of the following: (i) deterioration of his or her ability to function, as compared to the recipient's ability to function prior to the current onset of symptoms of the mental illness or disability for which treatment is presently sought, (ii) suffering, or (iii) threatening behavior.

(C) That the illness or disability has existed for a period marked by the continuing presence of the symptoms set forth in item (B) of this subdivision (4) or the repeated episodic occurrence of these symptoms.

(D) That the benefits of the treatment outweigh the harm.

(E) That the recipient lacks the capacity to make a reasoned decision about the treatment.

(F) That other less restrictive services have been explored and found inappropriate.

(G) If the petition seeks authorization for testing and other procedures, that such testing and procedures are essential for the safe and effective administration of the treatment.

(5) In no event shall an order issued under this Section be effective for more than 90 days. A second 90-day period of involuntary treatment may be authorized pursuant to a hearing that complies with the standards and procedures of this subsection (a-5). Thereafter, additional 180-day periods of involuntary treatment may be authorized pursuant to the standards and procedures of this Section without limit. If a new petition to authorize the administration of psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy is filed at least 15 days prior to the expiration of the prior order, and if any continuance of the hearing is agreed to by the recipient, the administration of the treatment may continue in accordance with the prior order pending the completion of a hearing under this Section.

(6) An order issued under this subsection (a-5) shall designate the persons authorized to administer the treatment under the standards and procedures of this subsection (a-5) and shall allow any of those persons to designate one or more other persons to administer the treatment in the court-designated person's absence. Those persons shall have complete discretion not to administer any treatment authorized under this Section. The order shall also specify the medications and the anticipated range of dosages that have been authorized and may include a list of any alternative medications and range of dosages deemed necessary. A person designated in the court order as authorized to administer the treatment must be a qualified acute and long-term health care professional familiar with the recipient's mental and physical status and active in the recipient's care. A person designated by a court-designated person to administer the treatment in the court-designated person's absence must be a licensed and qualified health care professional.

(a-10) The court may, in its discretion, appoint a guardian ad litem for a recipient before the court or authorize an existing guardian of the person to monitor treatment and compliance with court orders under this Section.

(b) A guardian may be authorized to consent to the administration of psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy to an objecting recipient only under the standards and procedures of subsection (a-5).

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section, a guardian may consent to the administration of psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy to a non-objecting recipient under Article XIa of the Probate Act of 1975.

(d) Nothing in this Section shall prevent the administration of psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy to recipients in an emergency under Section 2-107 of this Act.

(e) Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Section, psychotropic medication or electroconvulsive therapy may be administered pursuant to a power of attorney for health care under the Powers of Attorney for Health Care Law or a declaration for mental health treatment under the Mental Health Treatment Preference Declaration Act.

(f) The Department shall conduct annual trainings for physicians and registered nurses working in State-operated mental health facilities on the appropriate use of psychotropic medication and electroconvulsive therapy, standards for their use, and the preparation of court petitions under this Section.

(Source: P.A. 94-1066, eff. 8-1-06; 95-172, eff. 8-14-07.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.