court-ordered treatment; guardians; notice; release
SB 1243 updates Arizona's rules for releasing patients from court-ordered mental health treatment. It requires medical directors of treatment agencies to notify guardians, courts, and certain relatives or victims at least 10 days before releasing patients who no longer need inpatient care. For patients treated as dangers to others (under Section 13-4517), the bill mandates additional notice to prosecutors and courts at least 5 days prior to release. This affects patients in court-ordered treatment, their guardians, mental health agencies, and the courts overseeing these cases.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House Passage
Jun 2026
Signed into Law
Jun 2026
Introduced Jan 21, 2026
Signed Jun 19, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Senate Engrossed Version (02/24/2026)
→
Chaptered Version
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was formally enacted into law and approved by the Governor. A key substantive change clarifies the notice process for releasing patients from court-ordered mental health treatment, ensuring that the court must consider a petitioner's legitimate reason for prior notice before ordering a release. Additionally, the bill now explicitly requires the medical director to provide patient records to the prosecuting agency, strengthening the ability of authorities to review cases.
Scope change
The bill's scope shifted from a proposed Senate bill to an enacted chapter of law, making its provisions legally binding effective June 19, 2026.
REQUIREMENT
The court's authority to order a patient's release was modified to explicitly require considering a petitioner's legitimate reason for receiving prior notice before the release can occur.
New requirements mandate that the medical director must provide patient records to the prosecuting agency, in addition to the court and independent examiners.
TIMELINE
The bill was formally enacted and approved by the Governor on June 19, 2026, with filing in the Secretary of State's office on June 22, 2026.
Floor votes · Senate Feb 24, 2026 · House Jun 2, 2026
How they voted
22–5
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 30
Feb 24, 2026
D
Democratic13
46% Yea
R
Republican17
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
15
Key actions
7
Committee
2
Amendments
1
Jun 19, 2026
Signed into law
Signed by Governor
executive
Jun 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED
lower
Apr 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
DP
lower
Mar 9, 2026
Lower · Passed
DP
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
PASSED
upper
Feb 24, 2026
Upper · Passed
DPA
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
DP
upper
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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