Bill
HB 4219
Adults admitted voluntarily must receive written and oral rights, including how to end treatment, plus the termination form if consent is given by guardian or advocate.
Sponsor: Rep. Jamie Thompson | Amends: MCL 330.1416 (section 416 of the Mental Health Code)
Status / Key dates: Introduced March 2025; passed both chambers May 2025; signed by the Governor June 20, 2025; effective September 1, 2025. (Companion: SB 919)
Purpose
- Require that adults (age 18+) who become voluntary mental health patients — including those whose written consent is executed by a guardian or authorized patient advocate — receive written as well as oral notice of their treatment rights, and that they be given the form and instructions needed to terminate voluntary treatment.
Key provisions
- At the commencement of mental health treatment, a patient’s rights (as described in section 415) must be communicated both orally and in writing to the patient and to the person who executed the written consent.
- The written notice must explicitly state that a patient’s rights include the right to end voluntary mental health treatment and must describe the process by which the patient can do so.
- In addition to providing a copy of the written consent, the hospital or mental health provider must give the patient, the person who executed consent, and one other individual designated by the patient a copy of the form described in section 419 — the form providers must promptly provide when a patient (or authorized guardian/patient advocate) gives written notice of intent to terminate treatment. This copy must be provided even if no intent to terminate has been communicated.
- The amendment clarifies these requirements apply to adults only (age 18+), including cases where consent was provided by an authorized third party.
Who is affected
- Adult voluntary mental health patients and their authorized decision-makers (guardians, patient advocates).
- Hospitals and providers of mental health treatment (administrative responsibility to provide written notices and specified forms).
- Individuals the patient designates to receive copies of consent/forms.
Fiscal and policy notes
- House Fiscal Agency estimated a negligible fiscal impact on state and local government.
- Testimony in committee emphasized that written information is easier to retain during a crisis than oral-only explanations; advocacy and provider groups supported the bill.
Practical effect
- Strengthens informed-consent and recipient-rights procedures by ensuring adults admitted voluntarily receive clear, written information about how to end treatment and the procedural form needed to initiate termination.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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