House bill would direct studies, policy changes on involuntary commitment and public safety
RALEIGH — A North Carolina House bill scheduled for consideration Wednesday would direct state agencies and health care partners to study and change parts of the state’s involuntary commitment process, with a focus on mental health treatment, jail-based care, behavioral health beds and public safety.
House Bill 1104, titled “Improve IVC Process and Enhance Public Safety,” was re-referred Tuesday to the House Rules, Calendar and Operations Committee. The committee was scheduled to take up the bill Wednesday morning, according to the legislative calendar.
The bill follows work by the House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety, which the legislation says met six times during the 2025-26 biennium and identified areas needing further study and recommendations.
Under the bill, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Information Technology and Administrative Office of the Courts would study statutes, judicial and clinical practices and technology resources related to involuntary commitment. The study would identify gaps in the current process and make recommendations intended to ensure people subject to involuntary commitment receive timely, data-driven and accessible support. A report would be due to the Joint Legislative Committee on Health and Human Services by Feb. 1, 2027.
The proposal would also direct DHHS and the N.C. Sheriffs’ Association to develop a plan for using telehealth to complete first examinations of people in county jails. That plan would include funding estimates, staffing and equipment needs, a possible request for proposals and a timeline for statewide implementation. A separate plan from DHHS and local management entities/managed care organizations would examine the use of mobile crisis units for first examinations in the involuntary commitment process.
Another section would require DHHS to develop a plan addressing shortages of staffed behavioral health beds in state-operated facilities. The plan would review staffing models, hiring and retention practices, incentive pools, statutory staffing requirements, potential grant funding and possible use of nongovernmental facilities or contractors.
The bill would also require studies on outpatient commitment, the legal standards for involuntary commitment and incapacity to proceed, medical and behavioral health care in county jails and the possible operation or administration of state psychiatric hospitals by UNC Health or another entity. The affected hospitals include Broughton Hospital, Central Regional Hospital and Cherry Hospital.
The legislation includes several direct policy changes. DHHS would be required to provide law enforcement access to the Behavioral Health Statewide Central Availability Navigator, known as BH SCAN, and later develop real-time bed availability and reservation functions for authorized users. The bill would also revise outpatient commitment criteria and related procedures.
The bill does not itself resolve North Carolina’s behavioral health capacity concerns. Instead, it would set up deadlines for agency plans, reports and studies while making selected changes to outpatient commitment and behavioral health bed tracking.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
