By Associated Press - Friday, February 14, 2014

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - The House has unanimously approved a measure that would allow people to appeal to a court to have a mentally ill family member involuntarily committed if officials decline to do so.

House Bill 2725, called “Joel’s Law,” passed Friday and now heads to the Senate for consideration. The Seattle Times reported (https://bit.ly/NLGJAQ) that Doug and Nancy Reuter pushed for the bill after their 28-year-old son, Joel, was killed by police after shooting near them last summer. The Reuters had tried unsuccessfully for weeks to get their son committed.

A fiscal analysis of the bill showed it could force the state to build more mental-health facilities at a cost of at least $15 million.

Forty-five states allow for appeals to a court.

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Information from: The Seattle Times, https://www.seattletimes.com

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