House File 613 - Introduced



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  FORD


    Passed House, Date               Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act providing for the establishment and administration of
  2    mental health court pilot projects.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1490YH 82
  5 rh/es/88

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  MENTAL HEALTH COURT PILOT PROJECTS.  The
  1  2 judicial branch shall establish and administer a mental health
  1  3 court pilot project for nonviolent criminal offenders who
  1  4 suffer from mental illness or substance abuse in a county with
  1  5 a population of up to fifty thousand, in a county with a
  1  6 population of more than fifty thousand but not more than one
  1  7 hundred thousand, and in a county with a population of more
  1  8 than one hundred thousand.  The mental health court pilot
  1  9 projects shall be established for a three=year period
  1 10 beginning January 1, 2008.  The judicial branch shall consult
  1 11 with an advisory committee which includes members representing
  1 12 the criminal justice system including but not limited to
  1 13 judges, prosecutors, and defense counsel; members representing
  1 14 the mental health community; and members representing the
  1 15 pilot project counties.  The judicial branch and the pilot
  1 16 project counties shall report to the general assembly on the
  1 17 operation of the projects annually by December 15.
  1 18                           EXPLANATION
  1 19    This bill directs the judicial branch, in consultation with
  1 20 an advisory committee consisting of members of the criminal
  1 21 justice system, the mental health community, and the pilot
  1 22 project counties, to establish and administer mental health
  1 23 court pilot projects for nonviolent criminal offenders who
  1 24 suffer from mental illness in three counties:  one county with
  1 25 a population of up to 50,000, one county with more than 50,000
  1 26 up to 100,000, and one county with more than 100,000.  The
  1 27 mental health court pilot projects shall be established for a
  1 28 three=year period beginning January 1, 2007.
  1 29 LSB 1490YH 82
  1 30 rh:nh/es/88.1