Ohio governor signs Senate Bill 2, allowing outpatient competency restoration for nonviolent misdemeanor cases
The bill's sponsor announced that Senate Bill 2 was signed into law on April 27, 2021, after what she described as two and a half years of work. The central change lets nonviolent misdemeanor defendants be evaluated and restored outside a state psychiatric hospital.
The stated purpose is capacity: with fewer low-level defendants occupying hospital beds, the state hospitals can concentrate on patients with the most serious illnesses. The law took effect 90 days after signing and also added Ohio to the PSYPACT compact.
This is a legislator's own release, so it reflects the sponsor's framing; it is included as the primary record of enactment.
Source: Gavarone Bill Improving Access to Mental Health Services Signed Into Law — Ohio Senate (Office of Sen. Theresa Gavarone), by Theresa Gavarone
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