Disposition when defendant found incompetent; involuntary admission of the defendant.
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SB 198 — Disposition when defendant found incompetent; involuntary admission of the defendant.
Last action — Approved by Governor-Chapter 508 (effective 7/1/22)
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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✓Introduced
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✓In Committee
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✓Passed Senate
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✓Passed House of Delegates
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✓To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 10, 2022. Enacted.
Signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin (Republican) on April 11, 2022.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
HighHow often bills like it became law.
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Enacted
Current position in the legislative process.
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2 sponsors
1 primary, 1 co-sponsors signed on.
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Mixed recorded votes
11 passed, 1 failed in recorded votes so far.
Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.
Summary
Disposition when defendant found incompetent; involuntary admission of the defendant. Provides that in cases where the defendant has been charged with a misdemeanor larceny-related offense or a misdemeanor offense for trespassing, destruction of property, intoxication in public, disorderly conduct, or failure to appear and is found to be incompetent following a competency evaluation, the competency report may recommend that the court direct the community services board or behavioral health authority to (i) conduct an evaluation to determine whether the defendant meets the criteria for temporary detention and (ii) upon determining that the defendant does meet the criteria for temporary detention, file a petition for issuance of an order for temporary detention of the defendant. Similarly, the bill provides that, in cases in which a defendant has been charged with one of the listed misdemeanors, is found to be incompetent, and the competency report recommends that the defendant be temporarily detained, the court may dismiss the charges without prejudice and, in lieu of ordering that the defendant receive treatment to restore his competency, order the community services board or behavioral health authority to conduct an evaluation of the defendant and if the board or authority determines that the defendant meets the criteria for temporary detention, file a petition for issuance of an order for temporary detention. The bill provides that the court shall not dismiss such charges and enter such order if the attorney for the Commonwealth is involved in the prosecution of the case and does not concur in the motion. Under current law, the court is required to order that the defendant receive treatment to restore his competency. The bill also clarifies the process following the completion of the competency evaluation of a defendant. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2023.
Bill Text
What changed in the latest version
122 added · 129 removedPlain-language change summary
The bill SB 198 updates sections of the Virginia Code regarding how courts address a defendant's competency to stand trial. The changes include a specific focus on the conditions under which a court can order a competency evaluation and the qualifications required for the evaluators. This matters because it clarifies the process of determining a defendant's ability to understand legal proceedings and participate in their defense, ensuring that evaluations are carried out by qualified professionals and in appropriate settings.
SESSION ENROLLED VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY ––-- 2022 SESSION CHAPTER E508 An Act to amend and reenact §§ 19.2-169.1 and 19.2-169.2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to N disposition when defendant found incompetent;
R O [S 198] Approved LApril L11, 2022 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
That §§ 19.2-169.1 and 19.2-169.2 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as E follows:
D§ determination19.2-169.1. of competency.stion of competency to stand trial or plead;
evaluationRaising andquestion A.of competency to stand trial or plead;
evaluation and determination of competency.
A.
–– If, at any time after the attorney for the defendant has been retained or appointed and before the end of trial, the court finds, upon hearing evidence or representations of counsel for the defendant or the attorney for the Commonwealth, that there is probable cause to believe that the defendant, whether a juvenile transferred pursuant totoat § 16.1-269.1 or adult, lacks substantial capacity to understand the proceedings against him or to assist his attorney in his own defense, the court shall order that a competency evaluation be performeBperformed by at least one psychiatrist or clinical psychologist who (i) has performed forensic evaluations;
(ii9(ii) has successfully completed forensic evaluation training recognized by the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services;
(iii) has demonstrated to the Commissioner competence to perEormperform forensic evaluations;
and (iv) is included on a list of approved evaluators maintained by the R Commissioner.
–– The evaluation shall be performed on an outpatient basis at a mental health facility or in jail unless an outpatient evaluation has been conducted and the outpatient evaluator opines that a hospital-based evaluation is needed to reliably reach an opinion or unless the defendant is in the custody of the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services pursuant to § 19.2-169.2, 19.2-169.6, 19.2-182.2, 19.2-182.3, 19.2-182.8, 19.2-182.9, or Article 5 (§ 37.2-814 et seqC.seq.) of Chapter 8 of Title 37.2.
C.
The court shall require that information be provided to the evaluator within 96 hours of the issuance of the court order pursuant to thiD.this section.
D.
In cases where a defendant is likely to remain incompetent for the foreseeable future due to an ongoing and irreversible medical condition, and where prior medical or educational records are available to support the diagnosis, or if the defendant was previouslymedicalpreviously determined to be unrestorably incompetent in the past two years, the report may recommend that the court find the defendant unrestorably incompetent to stand trial and the court may proceed with the disposition of the case in accordance with § 19.2-169.3.
In cases where a defendant has been charged with a misdemeanor violation of Article 3 (§ 18.2-95 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 18.2 or a misdemeanor violation of § 18.2-119, 18.2-137, 18.2-388, 18.2-415, or 19.2-128 and is incompetent, the report may recommend that the court direct the community services board or behavioral health authority for the jurisdiction in which the defendant is located to (a) conduct an evaluation of the defendant in accordance with subsection B of § 37.2-808 to determine whether the defendant meets the criteria for temporary detention and (b) upon determining that the defendant does meet the criteria for temporary detention, file a petition for issuance of an order for temporary detention of the defendant in of 3 accordance with § 37.2-809.
The evaluator shall also send a redacted copy of the report of 2 removing references to the defendant's name, date of birth, case number, and court of jurisdiction to the Commissioner of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services for the purpose of peer review to establish and maintain the list of approved evaluators described in subsection A.
ofD. 3 Exchange, on a form provided by the Exchange, a copy of an order for treatment issued pursuant to subsection A.
EThe 2.clerk of the court shall certify and forward forthwith to the Central Criminal Records Exchange, on a form provided by the Exchange, a copy of an order for treatment issued pursuant to subsection A.
2.
N R O L L E D B R
View plain text versions (6)
- CHAP0508 View text Current pdf April 11, 2022
- SB198ER View text pdf March 21, 2022
- Conference Substitute Conference substitute printed 22107841D-S2 pdf March 12, 2022
- Committee Substitute Committee substitute printed 22107555D-H1 pdf March 07, 2022
- Committee Substitute Committee substitute printed 22105663D-S1 pdf February 07, 2022
- Prefiled Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/12/22 22103547D pdf January 10, 2022
Action History
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Approved by Governor-Chapter 508 (effective 7/1/22)
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Impact statement from DPB (SB198ER)
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Governor's Action Deadline 11:59 p.m., April 11, 2022
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Enrolled Bill Communicated to Governor on March 22, 2022
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Signed by Speaker
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Signed by President
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Enrolled
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Conference report agreed to by Senate (40-Y 0-N)
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VOTE: Adoption (95-Y 0-N)
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Conference report agreed to by House (95-Y 0-N)
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Conference substitute printed 22107841D-S2
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Amended by conference committee
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Conferees appointed by House
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Conferees appointed by Senate
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Senate acceded to request (40-Y 0-N)
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House requested conference committee
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House insisted on substitute
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House substitute rejected by Senate (0-Y 40-N)
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Impact statement from DPB (SB198H1)
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VOTE: Passage (99-Y 0-N)
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Passed House with substitute (99-Y 0-N)
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Engrossed by House - committee substitute SB198H1
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Committee substitute agreed to 22107555D-H1
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Read third time
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Read second time
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Committee substitute printed 22107555D-H1
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Reported from Courts of Justice with substitute (18-Y 2-N)
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Subcommittee recommends reporting with substitute (7-Y 1-N)
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House subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
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Assigned Courts sub: Subcommittee #1
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Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
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Read first time
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Placed on Calendar
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Passed Senate (40-Y 0-N)
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Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
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Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB198S1
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Committee substitute agreed to 22105663D-S1
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Reading of substitute waived
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Read second time
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Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N)
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Reported from Finance and Appropriations (16-Y 0-N)
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Impact statement from DPB (SB198S1)
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Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
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Committee substitute printed 22105663D-S1
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Reported from Judiciary with substitute (14-Y 0-N)
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Senate committee, floor amendments and substitutes offered
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Senate subcommittee amendments and substitutes offered
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Assigned Judiciary sub: Criminal Law
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Referred to Committee on the Judiciary
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Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/12/22 22103547D
Sponsors
- Vivian E. Watts · Cosponsor
- T. Montgomery "Monty" Mason · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 1 co-sponsors · 146 not signed on · 38 voted No
Sponsors (1)
- Mason, T. Montgomery "Monty" Voted No
Co-sponsors (1)
Not signed on (146)
146 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 146 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Votes
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 94 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 94 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| % of votes cast | 95% | 0% | 0% | 5% |
How each member voted (99)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 0 | 40 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 0 | 40 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 0% | 100% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 98 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 98 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| % of votes cast | 99% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
How each member voted (99)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 90% | 10% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (20)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Adams, Les R. | — | Nay |
| Bell, Robert B. | — | Yea |
| Bourne, Jeffrey M. | — | Yea |
| Campbell, Jeffrey L. | — | Yea |
| Campbell, Ronnie R. | — | Yea |
| Charniele L. Herring | — | Yea |
| Don Scott | — | Yea |
| Freitas, Nicholas J. | — | Yea |
| James A. "Jay" Leftwich | — | Yea |
| Jason S. Ballard | — | Yea |
| Jessica L. Anderson | — | Nay |
| Karrie K. Delaney | — | Yea |
| Keam, Mark L. | — | Yea |
| Marcus B. Simon | — | Yea |
| Patrick A. Hope | — | Yea |
| Ransone, Margaret B. | — | Yea |
| Richard C. "Rip" Sullivan, Jr. | — | Yea |
| Terry G. Kilgore | — | Yea |
| Vivian E. Watts | — | Yea |
| Wren M. Williams | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 88% | 13% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (8)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| Adams, Les R. | — | Nay |
| Bell, Robert B. | — | Yea |
| Campbell, Ronnie R. | — | Yea |
| Charniele L. Herring | — | Yea |
| Karrie K. Delaney | — | Yea |
| Ransone, Margaret B. | — | Yea |
| Vivian E. Watts | — | Yea |
| Wren M. Williams | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 40 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (40)
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (16)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| McClellan, Jennifer L. | — | Yea |
| Barker, George L. | — | Yea |
| David W. Marsden | — | Yea |
| Ebbin, Adam P. | — | Yea |
| Edwards, John S. | — | Yea |
| Hanger, Emmett W., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Howell, Janet D. | — | Yea |
| L. Louise Lucas | — | Yea |
| Mamie E. Locke | — | Yea |
| Newman, Stephen D. | — | Yea |
| Norment, Thomas K., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Petersen, J. Chapman | — | Yea |
| R. Creigh Deeds | — | Yea |
| Ruff, Frank M., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Saslaw, Richard L. | — | Yea |
| Vogel, Jill Holtzman | — | Yea |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| % of votes cast | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
How each member voted (14)
| Member | Party | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| McClellan, Jennifer L. | — | Yea |
| Morrissey, Joseph D. | — | Yea |
| Edwards, John S. | — | Yea |
| Jennifer B. Boysko | — | Yea |
| L. Louise Lucas | — | Yea |
| Mark D. Obenshain | — | Yea |
| Mark J. Peake | — | Yea |
| Norment, Thomas K., Jr. | — | Yea |
| Petersen, J. Chapman | — | Yea |
| R. Creigh Deeds | — | Yea |
| Ryan T. McDougle | — | Yea |
| Saslaw, Richard L. | — | Yea |
| Scott A. Surovell | — | Yea |
| William M. Stanley, Jr. | — | Yea |
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- What does SB 198 do?
- Disposition when defendant found incompetent; involuntary admission of the defendant. Provides that in cases where the defendant has been charged with a misdemeanor larceny-related offense or a misdemeanor offense for trespassing, destruction of property, intoxication in public, disorderly conduct, or failure to appear and is found to be incompetent following a competency evaluation, the competency report may recommend that the court direct the community services board or behavioral health authority to (i) conduct an evaluation to determine whether the defendant meets the criteria for temporary detention and (ii) upon determining that the defendant does meet the criteria for temporary detention, file a petition for issuance of an order for temporary detention of the defendant. Similarly, the bill provides that, in cases in which a defendant has been charged with one of the listed misdemeanors, is found to be incompetent, and the competency report recommends that the defendant be temporarily detained, the court may dismiss the charges without prejudice and, in lieu of ordering that the defendant receive treatment to restore his competency, order the community services board or behavioral health authority to conduct an evaluation of the defendant and if the board or authority determines that the defendant meets the criteria for temporary detention, file a petition for issuance of an order for temporary detention. The bill provides that the court shall not dismiss such charges and enter such order if the attorney for the Commonwealth is involved in the prosecution of the case and does not concur in the motion. Under current law, the court is required to order that the defendant receive treatment to restore his competency. The bill also clarifies the process following the completion of the competency evaluation of a defendant. The bill has an expiration date of July 1, 2023.
- Who sponsors SB 198?
- SB 198 is sponsored by Vivian E. Watts and Mason, T. Montgomery "Monty".
- What is the current status of SB 198?
- This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 10, 2022. Enacted.
- Where can I track SB 198?
- Track SB 198 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.
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