Michigan lawmakers propose 45-day cap on competency examinations
House Bill 5246, introduced on November 9, 2017 by Reps. Kesto, Rendon and Whiteford and referred to the Committee on Law and Justice, amends the section of Michigan's Mental Health Code that governs competency examinations. The time set for an examination at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry or another certified facility must be reasonable and may not exceed 45 days, with an extension of up to 15 days for good cause.
The bill also directs the state to use all available resources to certify other facilities across Michigan to perform these examinations and to use clinicians at those sites, and lets a court order an examination moved to another certified facility if the time limits are not met. It is tied to a companion bill, House Bill 5244, and would take effect only if that bill is enacted.
The source is the introduced bill text, a primary legislative record of an effort to address evaluation delays; it does not show how the measure fared.
Source: House Bill No. 5246 — Michigan Legislature, by Michigan House of Representatives
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