SB 1242: mental health; hearings; audiovisual technology - Arizona

Senate Engrossed Version (02/19/2026) → Chaptered Version · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill significantly expands the Arizona mental health code by adding new definitions, introducing secure residential facilities for chronically resistant patients, and updating court procedures to include virtual hearings. The changes aim to provide clearer legal standards for treatment orders and address cases where patients refuse or fail to adhere to less restrictive care options.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of the mental health code by adding new sections for secure behavioral health residential facilities and updating the list of affected statutes to include sections 36-501, 36-540, and 36-550.09, which were previously not amended.

DEFINITION

Added a comprehensive list of 48 new definitions to clarify terms like 'chronically resistant to treatment,' 'secure behavioral health residential facility,' and 'least restrictive treatment alternative.'

ELIGIBILITY

Created a new legal pathway for placing patients in secure residential facilities if they are found to be chronically resistant to treatment in less restrictive settings.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced the old Section 36-505 with a new Section 36-501 containing definitions and modified Section 36-505 to explicitly allow virtual hearings and testimony via audiovisual technology.

Added new court options and procedures (Section 36-540) detailing how courts must order treatment, manage outpatient plans, and handle guardianship issues alongside mental health orders.

Established a new statute (Section 36-550.09) defining the criteria for chronic treatment resistance and the process for approving placement in secure facilities.

TIMELINE

Updated the retroactive effective date of the amendments to apply to actions occurring on or after April 30, 2025.

House Engrossed Version (05/05/2026) → Senate Engrossed Version (02/19/2026) · 3 edits · Jun 9, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove all references to Section 36-501 (Definitions) and Section 36-550.09 (Secure behavioral health residential facilities), effectively repealing these sections from the final version. Additionally, the retroactive effective date for the remaining changes was removed, meaning the law will apply only to cases occurring after its enactment rather than dating back to April 30, 2025.

Scope change

The bill's scope was significantly narrowed by the removal of the definitions section and the specific provisions governing secure behavioral health residential facilities, while the retroactive application of the law was eliminated.

DEFINITION

The entire Definitions section (Section 36-501), which established key terms like 'Administration,' 'Admitting officer,' and 'Danger to others,' was deleted.

SCOPE

The section authorizing court-ordered placement in secure behavioral health residential facilities for chronically resistant patients (Section 36-550.09) was deleted.

TIMELINE

The provision stating that the bill applies retroactively to April 30, 2025, was removed, limiting the law's application to future cases.

Introduced Version → House Engrossed Version (05/05/2026) · 5 edits · Jun 9, 2026

MODERATE

This bill updates Arizona's mental health laws to modernize procedures by allowing virtual hearings and expanding the definition of 'evaluation' to include remote audiovisual technology. It introduces a new legal pathway for placing chronically resistant patients in secure behavioral health facilities and clarifies rules for outpatient treatment, guardianship, and emergency interventions.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of mental health proceedings to include virtual options and creates a specific mechanism for long-term secure residential placement for patients who have repeatedly refused treatment.

REQUIREMENT

Added new definitions for key terms such as 'authorized transporter,' 'contraindicated,' 'danger to others,' and 'chronically resistant to treatment.'

Modified hearing procedures to allow witnesses and parties to appear virtually via telephone, videoconferencing, or other audiovisual technology.

Modified treatment order procedures to include specific protocols for transitioning patients from outpatient to inpatient care and for handling concurrent guardianship cases.

ELIGIBILITY

Added eligibility criteria for placing patients in secure behavioral health residential facilities for those deemed chronically resistant to treatment in less restrictive settings.

TIMELINE

Updated the effective date for the new provisions to apply retroactively from April 30, 2025.

mental health; hearings; audiovisual technology

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