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Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

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HB1392 • 2026

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning human services.

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning human services.

Healthcare Parental Rights
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Representative Lindsay Patterson
Last action
2026-01-08
Official status
Introduced House Bill (H)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on costs or funding sources.

Law About Helping People Get Treatment Against Their Will

This law allows family members, friends, and others to ask a judge to force someone with a drug or alcohol problem to get help if the person won't do it on their own.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows people like spouses, legal guardians, friends, or relatives to petition a court for involuntary substance use disorder treatment.
  • Requires courts to appoint public defenders for those being asked to get treatment if they don't have one already.
  • Orders medical experts to evaluate the person's need for treatment against their will before deciding what to do.
  • Sets rules about how long forced treatment can last, from 60 to 360 days, based on medical advice.
  • Requires petitioners to pay all medical expenses that result from a respondent receiving court-ordered involuntary substance use disorder treatment.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People with substance use disorders who refuse help
  • Family members and friends of those refusing help
  • Courts handling these cases
  • Medical providers evaluating patients

Terms To Know

Substance Use Disorder
A condition where someone has a problem with drugs or alcohol that affects their life negatively.
Involuntary Treatment
Treatment given to someone who does not want it, usually by court order.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill doesn't specify how often these cases might happen.
  • It's unclear what happens if a person can't afford to pay for their own involuntary treatment.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-08 House

    Authored by Representative Patterson

  2. 2026-01-08 House

    Coauthored by Representative Goss-Reaves

  3. 2026-01-08 House

    First reading: referred to Committee on Judiciary

Official Summary Text

A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning human services.
Involuntary substance use disorder treatment.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning human services.

Involuntary substance use disorder treatment.

Allows an individual's spouse, legal guardian, friend, or relative to petition a court for involuntary substance use disorder treatment. Requires a petition to include certain information and allows a court to dismiss a petition, without prejudice, if it does not contain the required information. Requires the court to appoint a public defender if the individual subject to a petition seeking involuntary substance use disorder treatment is not represented by an attorney. Requires a court to order the individual to be evaluated by two medical providers, one of which must be a licensed physician, if the court finds that: (1) the individual has a substance use disorder; (2) because of the individual's substance use disorder, the individual is experiencing impaired judgment and is unable to independently maintain the individual's activities of daily living or is a danger to self or others; and (3) the individual refuses to voluntarily participate in substance use disorder treatment. Allows a court to order a local law enforcement agency to consider whether an individual meets the criteria for emergency detention under certain circumstances. Requires a medical provider who completes an evaluation concerning an individual's need for substance use disorder treatment to submit the evaluation to the court. Specifies that after receiving an evaluation from a medical provider, the court may dismiss the petition or set a hearing for further evidence to be presented about the individual's need for substance use disorder treatment. Requires a court to order involuntary substance use disorder treatment for a period of between 60 and 360 days if medical evidence supports that the individual requires immediate treatment for a substance use disorder and the individual has refused treatment. Requires the petitioner to pay all medical expenses that result from a respondent receiving court ordered involuntary substance use disorder treatment. Specifies that a respondent may be subject to contempt proceedings for a failure or refusal to comply with a court order issued in response to the petition for involuntary substance use disorder treatment.