Bill
SB 143
The bill requires at treatment start to verbally and in writing notify the patient and the consent executor of rights, and to provide copies of the consent and section 419 forms to
Status and basic info
- Bill number: SB 143 (Michigan)
- Subject: Mental health — recipient rights; informed consent
- Statutory change: Amends section 416 of 1974 PA 258 (MCL 330.1416)
- Introduced: January 23, 2025
- Current status: Referred to Committee on Housing and Human Services (as of March 12, 2025)
Purpose / intent
- To strengthen and clarify informed‑consent and rights‑notification requirements that must occur when mental health treatment begins, ensuring patients and relevant individuals receive both oral and written notice of treatment rights and related documents at treatment commencement.
Key provisions (what the bill would require)
- At the start of mental health treatment, providers must do both of the following:
- (a) Communicate a patient’s rights related to the mental health treatment both orally and in writing to:
- the patient, and
- the individual who executed the written consent (e.g., guardian/parent, where applicable).
- The communication must include the patient's right to end voluntary mental health treatment and the process by which a patient can terminate voluntary treatment.
- (b) Provide the following documents to three parties: the patient, the individual who executed the written consent, and one additional individual designated by the patient:
- (i) A copy of the written consent form; and
- (ii) A copy of the form referenced in section 419 of the Mental Health Code (the bill requires providing this form even if neither the patient nor others have expressed an intention to terminate treatment to the facility or provider).
Who would be affected
- Primary: individuals beginning mental health treatment in Michigan (patients receiving voluntary treatment).
- Secondary: the person who executed the treatment consent (for example, a parent or guardian where consent is given on behalf of a patient), and one third party designated by the patient to receive documents.
- Providers and hospitals: mental health hospitals and community providers would need to comply with the expanded notification and document‑delivery requirements at treatment commencement, which may affect intake procedures and recordkeeping.
Implementation and procedural aspects
- The bill modifies an existing provision of the Michigan Mental Health Code (MCL 330.1416) and applies at the commencement of treatment.
- Because the bill mandates provision of documents even in the absence of an expressed intent to terminate treatment, providers may need to revise intake forms and processes to collect a patient’s designated‑individual information and to distribute required paperwork.
- Legislative status: introduced January 23, 2025; referred to the House committee on Housing and Human Services on March 12, 2025. Further committee consideration or amendments may follow.
Potential practical considerations (neutral)
- The measure increases disclosure and may enhance patients’ awareness of rights (including the right to end voluntary treatment).
- It may impose additional administrative steps for providers (copying and delivering consent and section 419 forms to multiple recipients) and raise operational or confidentiality considerations (distribution of documents to third parties).
If you want, I can:
- Locate and summarize the related section 419 (to explain the specific form referenced), or
- Draft sample intake language or a checklist providers could use to comply with the bill’s requirements.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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