CA SB 1242
enactedCommunity Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · upper
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Quick answers
Did CA SB 1242 pass?
Yes. CA SB 1242 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-09-27): Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 687, Statutes of 2026.
What is CA SB 1242 about?
Existing law, the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, authorizes specified adult persons to petition a civil court to create a voluntary CARE agreement or a court-ordered CARE plan and implement services, to be provided by county behavioral health agencies, to provide behavioral health care, including stabilization medication, housing, and other enumerated services, to adults who are currently experiencing a severe mental illness and have a diagnosis identified in the disorder class schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and who meet other specified criteria. Existing law authorizes specified individuals to file a petition to commence the CARE process, including, but not limited to, a spouse, parent, sibling, child, grandparent, or an individual who stands in loco parentis to the respondent. Existing law requires the court to issue an order relieving the original petitioner if the petitioner is someone other than the director of a county behavioral health agency or their designee and appoint the director or their designee as the successor petitioner. Existing law requires the original petitioner to have specified rights to notice of proceedings if the petitioner is a parent or specified family member or the person with whom the respondent resides. Existing law authorizes the court to allow the original petitioner to participate in the respondent's CARE proceedings to the extent the respondent consents. This bill would authorize the original petitioner to provide specified information regarding the respondent, including the respondent's condition, treatment history, and housing status. The bill would require the CARE team to review specified parts of the provided information, including that relevant to the respondent's care and treatment, and would authorize the court to consider that information in evaluating the respondent's progress and compliance, among other things. The bill would specify that the respondent's consent is not required to receive this information from the original petitioner and that submission of this information does not confer party status on the original petitioner or create a right to direct treatment decisions, obtain discovery, access confidential records, receive protected health information, attend confidential proceedings, or otherwise participate in the proceedings without the respondent's consent, except as expressly provided by law.
Who sponsors CA SB 1242?
Choi is the primary sponsor of CA SB 1242, joined by 2 cosponsors.
Description
Existing law, the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, authorizes specified adult persons to petition a civil court to create a voluntary CARE agreement or a court-ordered CARE plan and implement services, to be provided by county behavioral health agencies, to provide behavioral health care, including stabilization medication, housing, and other enumerated services, to adults who are currently experiencing a severe mental illness and have a diagnosis identified in the disorder class schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and who meet other specified criteria. Existing law authorizes specified individuals to file a petition to commence the CARE process, including, but not limited to, a spouse, parent, sibling, child, grandparent, or an individual who stands in loco parentis to the respondent. Existing law requires the court to issue an order relieving the original petitioner if the petitioner is someone other than the director of a county behavioral health agency or their designee and appoint the director or their designee as the successor petitioner. Existing law requires the original petitioner to have specified rights to notice of proceedings if the petitioner is a parent or specified family member or the person with whom the respondent resides. Existing law authorizes the court to allow the original petitioner to participate in the respondent's CARE proceedings to the extent the respondent consents. This bill would authorize the original petitioner to provide specified information regarding the respondent, including the respondent's condition, treatment history, and housing status. The bill would require the CARE team to review specified parts of the provided information, including that relevant to the respondent's care and treatment, and would authorize the court to consider that information in evaluating the respondent's progress and compliance, among other things. The bill would specify that the respondent's consent is not required to receive this information from the original petitioner and that submission of this information does not confer party status on the original petitioner or create a right to direct treatment decisions, obtain discovery, access confidential records, receive protected health information, attend confidential proceedings, or otherwise participate in the proceedings without the respondent's consent, except as expressly provided by law.
- Introduced
- 2026-02-19
- Latest action
- 2026-09-27 — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 687, Statutes of 2026.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Choiauthor
- Jeff Gonzalezcoauthor
- Hadwickcoauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-09-27
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 687, Statutes of 2026.
became-law
2026-09-27
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2026-09-03
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
executive-receipt
2026-08-27
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2026-08-25
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2026-08-25
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2026-08-25
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 6475.) Ordered to the Senate.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2026-08-17
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2026-08-13
From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (August 13).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2026-08-13
Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2026-08-13
Assembly Rule 63 suspended.
2026-08-05
August 5 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.
2026-07-01
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 30). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2026-06-17
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2026-05-26
Referred to Com. on JUD.
referral-committee
2026-05-19
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
reading-1
2026-05-18
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 1. Page 4315.) Ordered to the Assembly.
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2026-04-30
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2026-04-29
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 0. Page 4085.) (April 28).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2026-04-20
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2026-04-10
Set for hearing April 28.
2026-03-04
Referred to Com. on JUD.
referral-committee
2026-02-20
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 22.
2026-02-19
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
introduction,reading-1,referral-committee
Versions
- 02/19/26 - Introduced — 2026-02-19Compare
- 04/20/26 - Amended Senate — 2026-04-20Compare
- 06/17/26 - Amended Assembly — 2026-06-17Compare
- 08/13/26 - Amended Assembly — 2026-08-13Compare
- 08/30/26 - Enrolled — 2026-08-30Compare
- 09/27/26 - Chaptered — 2026-09-27Compare
- (document, no version)Compare
- SB1242Compare
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Votes
Do pass
2026-04-28 · pass · 12-0
Member-level votes (13)
- Wahab: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Alvarado-Gil: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Weber Pierson: other
- Niello: yes
- Laird: yes
- Allen: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Stern: yes
3rd Reading
2026-05-18 · pass · 36-1
Member-level votes (40)
- Caballero: yes
- Alvarado-Gil: yes
- Grove: yes
- Ochoa Bogh: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Laird: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Strickland: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Choi: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Becker: yes
- Jones: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Stern: yes
- Limón: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Allen: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Weber Pierson: no
- Padilla: other
- Pérez: other
- Niello: other
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2026-06-30 · pass · 11-0
Member-level votes (12)
- Stefani: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Papan: yes
- Bryan: other
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-09-30T07:35:46.414591Z
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