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2025 bills / H.B. 491

H.B. 491 Behavioral Health Modifications (2025)

Waiting on the governorWritten by Rep. Steve Eliason · carried in the Senate by Sen. Evan J. Vickers

  1. Introduced
  2. House committee
  3. House vote
  4. Senate committee
  5. Senate vote
  6. Signed into law

What this bill does

The bill sets licensing requirements for behavioral health receiving centers, lets the Department of Health and Human Services make rules and collect fees for that licensing, and changes how Medicaid directed payments work for the Utah State Hospital and Huntsman Mental Health Institute. It also requires the Department of Public Safety to survey law enforcement agencies, publish a searchable registry showing which agencies can receive voluntarily surrendered firearms, and, if funding allows, run an education campaign on those firearm options.

Plain-English summary written by AI from the official description. Check the official text below.

Official description
  • defines terms
  • requires a behavioral health receiving center to comply with licensing requirements from the Department of Health and Human Services
  • grants the Department of Health and Human Services authority to enact rules and assess and collect fees in relation to the licensing of behavioral health receiving centers
  • addresses Medicaid directed payments for the Utah State Hospital and the Huntsman Mental Health Institute
  • requires the Department of Public Safety to:
  • survey all law enforcement agencies in the state and publish a publicly searchable registry that will allow the public to see whether each law enforcement agency is or is not available to receive a voluntarily committed firearm in accordance with safe harbor provisions
  • subject to available funding, create and implement a marketing plan to educate law enforcement agencies and the public about safe harbor options for firearms
  • makes technical and conforming changes
Full text and history on le.utah.gov →

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