House
File
234
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
234
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
HUMAN
RESOURCES
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HF
50)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
reports
filed
with
the
court
by
mental
1
health
advocates
for
persons
with
mental
health
disorders.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
TLSB
1564HV
(2)
87
hb/rh/rj
H.F.
234
Section
1.
Section
229.19,
subsection
1,
paragraph
d,
1
subparagraph
(6),
Code
2017,
is
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
(6)
To
file
with
the
court
quarterly
reports,
and
additional
3
reports
as
the
advocate
feels
necessary
or
as
required
by
the
4
court
,
in
a
form
prescribed
by
the
court
.
The
reports
shall
5
state
what
actions
the
advocate
has
taken
with
respect
to
each
6
patient
and
the
amount
of
time
spent.
7
EXPLANATION
8
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
9
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
10
Under
current
law,
a
mental
health
advocate
is
required
to
11
file
quarterly
reports
with
the
court
and
additional
reports
as
12
the
advocate
feels
necessary
in
a
form
prescribed
by
the
court.
13
A
mental
health
advocate
is
appointed
by
the
county
board
of
14
supervisors
in
each
county
to
represent
the
interests
of
a
15
patient
involuntarily
hospitalized
under
Code
chapter
229.
16
This
bill
amends
current
law
to
require
a
mental
health
17
advocate
to
file
reports
only
when
the
advocate
feels
a
report
18
is
necessary
or
a
report
is
required
by
the
court,
and
does
not
19
require
the
court
to
prescribe
a
form
for
such
reports.
20
The
bill
also
strikes
the
requirement
that
the
advocate’s
21
report
shall
state
what
actions
the
advocate
has
taken
with
22
respect
to
each
patient
and
the
amount
of
time
the
advocate
23
spent
on
those
actions.
24
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