BOARD/COMMISSION:  Mentally Ill and Dangerous Civil Commitment Reform Task Force

The Mentally Ill and Dangerous Civil Commitment Reform Task Force consists of the members appointed as follows:

(1) the commissioner of human services or a designee;

(2) two members representing the Department of Direct Care and Treatment who have experience with mentally ill and dangerous civil commitments, appointed by the commissioner of human services;

(3) the ombudsman for mental health and developmental disabilities;

(4) a judge with experience presiding over mentally ill and dangerous civil commitments, appointed by the state court administrator;

(5) a court examiner with experience participating in mentally ill and dangerous civil commitments, appointed by the state court administrator;

(6) a member of the Special Review Board, appointed by the state court administrator;

(7) a county representative, appointed by the Association of Minnesota Counties;

(8) a representative appointed by the Minnesota Association of County Social Service Administrators;

(9) a county attorney with experience participating in mentally ill and dangerous civil commitments, appointed by the Minnesota County Attorneys Association;

(10) an attorney with experience representing respondents in mentally ill and dangerous civil commitments, appointed by the governor;

(11) a member appointed by the Minnesota Association of Community Mental Health Programs;

(12) a member appointed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota;

(13) a licensed independent practitioner with experience treating individuals subject to a mentally ill and dangerous civil commitment;

(14) an individual with lived experience under civil commitment as mentally ill and dangerous and who is on a provisional discharge or has been discharged from commitment;

(15) a family member of an individual with lived experience under civil commitment as mentally ill and dangerous and who is on a provisional discharge or has been discharged from commitment;

(16) at least one Tribal government representative; and

(17) a member appointed by the Minnesota Disability Law Center.

(b) A member of the legislature may not serve as a member of the task force.

(c) Appointments to the task force must be made no later than July 30, 2024.

The task force must:

(1) analyze current trends in mentally ill and dangerous civil commitments, including but not limited to the length of stay for individuals committed in Minnesota as compared to other jurisdictions;

(2) review national practices and criteria for civil commitment of individuals who have a mental illness and represent a danger to the public;

(3) develop recommended statutory changes necessary to provide services to the high number of mentally ill and dangerous civilly committed individuals;

(4) develop funding and statutory recommendations for alternatives to the current mentally ill and dangerous civil commitment process;

(5) identify what types of placements and services are necessary to serve individuals civilly committed as mentally ill and dangerous in the community;

(6) make recommendations to reduce barriers to discharge from the forensic mental health program for individuals civilly committed as mentally ill and dangerous;

(7) develop recommended plain language statutory changes to clarify operational definitions for terms used within Minnesota Statutes, section 253B.18;

(8) develop recommended statutory changes to provide clear direction to the commissioner of human services and facilities to which individuals are civilly committed to address situations in which an individual is committed as mentally ill and dangerous and is later determined to not have an organic disorder of the brain or a substantial psychiatric disorder of thought, mood, perception, orientation, or memory; and

(9) evaluate and make statutory and funding recommendations for the voluntary return of individuals civilly committed as mentally ill and dangerous to community facilities.

Report required: By August 1, 2025, the task force shall submit to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over mentally ill and dangerous civil commitments a written report that includes the outcome of the duties listed above, including but not limited to recommended statutory changes.