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Senate Bill 1912 |
Senate Author: Zaffirini |
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Effective: Vetoed |
House Sponsor: Hinojosa, Gina |
Senate Bill 1912 amends the Health and Safety Code to authorize a court, with the permission of the commissioners court of the county in which the court is located, to establish a mental health public defender office to provide proposed patients of court-ordered mental health services with legal representation provided by attorneys associated with that office. The bill requires the court to appoint an attorney associated with such a mental health public defender office, a public defender other than a mental health public defender, or a private attorney to represent a proposed patient in any proceeding relating to court-ordered mental health services. The bill modifies requirements relating to the delivery and filing of certain documents under the Texas Mental Health Code.
Governor's Reason for Veto: "Parts of Senate Bill 1912 are beneficial, but other parts go too far in expanding government. The law already mandates that courts appoint attorneys to represent defendants in cases where the government seeks court-ordered mental health services. Permanent new government offices dedicated to this function are unnecessary. Private attorneys are capable of handling these cases without the expense of a new county bureaucracy."