OLYMPIA — The Washington state Senate has approved a bill that would allow family members to ask a judge to step in if a mental health professional will not involuntarily commit a relative they believe could be suicidal or a danger to others.
Senate Bill 5269 passed Wednesday on a 46-3 vote and now heads to the House, which passed its own version of the bill earlier this year. In the House version the family petitions the mental health professional, who then notifies the court; the Senate version allows the family to directly petition the court. The Senate measure also allows anyone to submit a declaration in support of or in opposition to the initial detention. Both chambers will now work to reconcile their differences.
The law is named “Joel’s Law” for Joel Reuter, who was suicidal when Seattle police shot and killed him during a standoff in 2013.
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