Panel approves giving courts more info for committing mentally ill

CARSON CITY - With little discussion, a Nevada Senate panel voted Monday for a bill to expand information a judge can consider when deciding on a forced lockup of someone in a mental institution.

AB140, dealing with involuntary commitments, now goes to the full Senate for approval. It was endorsed by the Assembly last month.

Senate Human Resources and Facilities Committee members were told the bill allows a judge to take into consideration a series of events, rather than an isolated incident, in deciding whether to commit someone to a mental facility.

Debbie Hosselkus, deputy chief of the state Mental Hygiene-Mental Retardation Division, said the bill came out of an interim study committee chaired by Assemblywoman Vivian Freeman, D-Reno.

Proponents of AB140 include Rosetta Johnson of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, who said after the hearing that the measure will help judges make good decisions based on past as well as current events involving people with mental illnesses.

Johnson added that the rights of the mentally ill are preserved because the past information can be used only if there's a concern about someone being "a clear and present danger."

But Brian Lahren of the Washoe Association for Retarded Citizens said there were concerns during an earlier Assembly hearing on the bill because of the possibility of testimony from non-professional types on someone's past behavior.

"The concern was about the wording of the bill being so open that it would allow biased testimony, like estranged spouses in a custody hearing," said Lahren. "It doesn't limit the sources at all."

In other matters, the committee was told the MH-MR Division wants to change its name to the division of Mental Health and Developmental Services.

Hosselkus said the old name is outdated, adding, "This name change reflects expanded our expanded services."

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