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<ns0:Id>20250SB__098998AMD</ns0:Id>
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<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-02-05</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_SENATE</ns0:ActionText>
<ns0:ActionDate>2026-03-19</ns0:ActionDate>
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<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
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<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Senators Blakespear and Umberg</ns0:AuthorText>
<ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_ORIGINATING">(Coauthor: Senator Arreguín)</ns0:AuthorText>
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<ns0:Legislator>
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<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Blakespear</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Name>Umberg</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
<ns0:Name>Arreguín</ns0:Name>
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<ns0:Title>An act to add Section 5974.5 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to courts. </ns0:Title>
<ns0:RelatingClause>courts</ns0:RelatingClause>
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<ns0:Subject>Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program. </ns0:Subject>
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<html:p>Existing law, the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, authorizes specified persons, including a person with whom the respondent resides, family members, first responders, among others, to petition a civil court to create a voluntary CARE agreement or a court-ordered CARE plan and implement services, to be provided by county behavioral health agencies, to provide behavioral health care, including stabilization medication, housing, and other enumerated services, to adults who are currently experiencing a severe mental illness and have a diagnosis identified in the disorder class schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and who meet other specified criteria.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would authorize a first responder to contact the county behavioral health agency in the county in which the respondent resides to request the agency file a petition to commence the CARE process. The bill would require the agency to investigate whether or not the respondent meets the criteria to qualify for the CARE process within 30 business days. This bill would also authorize the requester to seek a court order if the agency does not investigate the respondent, or appeal the agency’s determination on whether or not to file a petition to commence the process.</html:p>
<html:p>This bill would require the department to create a referral form to be used by the first responders. The bill would also require the department to issue guidance on the procedure to request that the agency file a petition to
commence the CARE process and county behavioral health agency data reporting requirements. The bill would also require the agency to include specified data in their annual report to the department. </html:p>
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<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
<ns0:BillSection id="id_0AB86C5A-6F81-4B60-9139-7AD567470BD3">
<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
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Section 5974.5 is added to the
<ns0:DocName>Welfare and Institutions Code</ns0:DocName>
, to read:
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<ns0:Num>5974.5.</ns0:Num>
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(a)
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In lieu of directly filing a petition to commence the CARE process, a first responder, as identified in subdivision (f) of Section 5974, may contact the county behavioral health agency of the county in which the respondent resides, if they believe that the respondent meets or is likely to meet criteria to qualify for the CARE process, as described in Section 5972, and request the county behavioral health agency file a petition to commence the CARE process.
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<html:p>
(b)
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The request pursuant to this subdivision shall include contact information for the respondent, including a telephone number and address, if available, and other information as specified by the department.
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<html:p>
(c)
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Within
30 business days of the request, the county behavioral health agency shall complete assessment of the respondent pursuant to this section and shall file a petition pursuant to Section 5975 if the county behavioral health agency determines that the respondent meets or is likely to meet criteria for the CARE process and the respondent does not engage in voluntary treatment.
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<html:p>
(d)
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If a first responder has requested that the county behavioral health agency commence the investigation of whether or not the respondent is likely to meet the criteria to qualify for the CARE process and the agency has not done so within 30 business days, the requester may apply to the court for an order requiring the county to investigate.
</html:p>
<html:p>
(e)
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If the county behavioral health agency determines the respondent does not meet the criteria to qualify for the CARE process and does not file the petition to commence
the CARE process, the requester may request an appeal hearing before the court seeking an order to reinvestigate.
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<html:p>
(f)
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In accordance with subdivision (b) of Section 5984, the department shall develop a referral form to be used by the first responder and shall issue guidance regarding both of the following:
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<html:p>
(1)
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The procedure for a first responder to request that a county behavioral health agency file a petition to commence the CARE process for the respondent.
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(2)
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County behavioral health agency data reporting requirements regarding requests made pursuant to this section, including, but not limited to, total number of requests, outcomes of requests, reason for not filing a petition, length of time from request to outcome, and services provided for those engaged voluntarily.
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<html:p>
(g)
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The department shall include data regarding requests made pursuant to this section as part of the annual CARE Act report required by Section 5985.
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