alcoholism; involuntary
commitment; repeal
SB 1266 repeals statutes regarding involuntary commitment of a chronic alcoholic to an alcoholism reception center and eliminates reports stemming from such incidences.
SB 1266 passed the Health Committee unamended.
Laws 2001, Chapter 195, required the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) to identify duplicative and outdated reporting requirements within the Behavioral Health System. In the audit the OAG found an unnecessary report relating to the involuntary commitment of a chronic alcoholic.
Current law allows the administrator of a alcoholism reception center to petition Superior Court for the involuntary commitment of a chronic alcoholic if there is reasonable risk of serious harm to that person or others as a result of their release. The law also requires the administrator responsible for the commitment to submit a report involving an assessment of the committed individual’s progress during commitment to the Division of Behavioral Health Services.
Since the enactment of the law relating to involuntary commitment of a chronic alcoholic, the local alcoholic reception centers have been taken over by private nonprofit organization. The current program manager has never filed a petition for involuntary commitment. Since 1992, no report of involuntary commitment has been received by the Division of Behavioral Health Services.
In accordance with the Auditor General’s recommendation, SB 1266 repeals the statutes governing involuntary commitment of a chronic alcoholic and eliminates the corresponding reporting requirements.