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Bill

SB 799

Mental health: facilities; licensure for adult residential psychiatric programs; provide for. Creates new act.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Rosemary Bayer and 3 co-sponsors

Michigan SB 799 creates a licensure system for adult residential psychiatric programs to standardize safety, care quality, staffing, and oversight.

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND HUMAN SERVICES
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Bill Summary · SB 799

Overview

SB 799 (2025-2026) from the Michigan Legislature creates a new act governing mental health facilities, specifically establishing licensure requirements for adult residential psychiatric programs. The bill aims to regulate the operation of these facilities to ensure safety, quality of care, and oversight.

Purpose and Intent

  • Establish a distinct regulatory framework for adult residential psychiatric programs (ARP programs) to standardize licensure, oversight, and accountability.
  • Improve access to safe, legally compliant mental health services in residential settings outside of acute hospital care.
  • Set consistent statewide requirements for operation, staffing, safety, and quality measures to protect residents.

Key Provisions and Changes

  • New licensure regime: Creates licensure requirements for adult residential psychiatric programs, including application, renewal, and ongoing compliance standards.
  • Licensing authority and oversight: Likely designates a state department (in Michigan, typically the Department of Health and Human Services or a related agency) to administer licensure, conduct inspections, investigate complaints, and enforce compliance.
  • Standards of operation: Establishes specific standards for physical facilities, safety (e.g., fire safety, secure premises), resident rights, admission criteria, care planning, and incident reporting.
  • Staffing requirements: Sets minimum qualifications, ratios, and ongoing training standards for staff and licensed professionals working in ARP programs.
  • Quality and performance measures: May require quality assurance processes, recordkeeping, patient privacy protections, and utilization of evidence-based practices where applicable.
  • Resident protections and rights: Ensures residents’ rights are protected, with procedures for grievances, involuntary holds or involuntary treatment processes (within existing legal frameworks), and safety protocols.
  • Enforcement tools: Outlines penalties for noncompliance, including license suspension, probation, or revocation, as well as potential corrective action plans.
  • Timeline and implementation: Likely provides an effective date and phased compliance deadlines to allow programs to obtain licensure and meet new standards.

Note: The exact statutory language, definitions, and detailed requirements (e.g., specific licensing fees, exact facility standards, and enforcement schedules) are not provided in the brief action history. The summary above reflects typical components of a bill creating licensure for adult residential psychiatric programs.

Who Would Be Affected

  • Adult residential psychiatric programs: Providers operating or planning to operate ARP programs would be required to obtain licensure and comply with the new standards.
  • Residents and potential residents: Individuals receiving care in ARP settings would be impacted by standardized safety, rights protections, and care quality.
  • Staff and administrators: Facility staff, administrators, and clinicians would be subject to minimum qualifications, training, and staffing requirements.
  • Regulatory agencies: State departments responsible for health and human services would administer licensing, inspections, and enforcement.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Introduced: February 26, 2026.
  • Referral: Referred to the Committee on Housing and Human Services for consideration.
  • Next steps: The committee would review, possibly amend, and vote on the bill before it proceeds to the full Senate and then to the House (as applicable in Michigan’s process). A license implementation timeline would be established in the bill or by committee/agency guidance.

Potential Impact and Implications

  • Promotes uniform standards across ARP programs, potentially improving safety, care quality, and resident rights.
  • May increase upfront and ongoing costs for providers due to licensure, staffing, facility, and administrative requirements.
  • Creates clearer accountability and complaint/enforcement pathways for Michigan regulators.
  • Could influence the availability of ARP services if some facilities determine licensure is not feasible, or if stricter standards affect capacity.

If you’d like, I can tailor this summary with more precise details once the bill’s full text and section-by-section provisions are available.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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