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California · 2025–26 Regular Session · Senate Bill

SB 823: Mental health: the CARE Act.

Did not advance Official data

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. Passed both chambers
  5. Enacted
  6. Did not advance

Last official action: ·Record last updated:

Plain-language summary

SB 823 is a senate bill introduced in the California Senate on February 21, 2025. According to its official title, it concerns: Mental health: the CARE Act. Primary sponsor: Henry Stern (D). Most recent recorded action (February 2, 2026): Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

Generated automatically from the official title, sponsor list, and status record only. It does not characterize the bill’s purpose or effects. How summaries are written

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

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.

This bill would include bipolar I disorder in the criteria for a person to receive services under the CARE Act. By increasing the duties on the county behavioral health agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

NameRolePartyChamberDistrict
Henry SternPrimary sponsorDemocraticSenate27

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

  1. Returned to Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
  2. May 23 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
  3. Set for hearing May 23.
  4. April 28 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
  5. Set for hearing April 28.
  6. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0. Page 738.) (April 9). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
  7. Set for hearing April 9.
  8. Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
  9. Read first time.
  10. From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 24.
  11. Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sources

  1. California Legislative Information — pubinfo database export
  2. Official bill page