State Representative Shelly Hutchinson, a Democrat from Snellville, recently introduced House Bill 514, legislation that would modernize how Georgia law references and defines mental disorders, as well as Autism.
While Crossover Day for the 2021 legislative session is set for Monday, the bill stands to move after it passed out of the House Committee on Insurance last week. The bipartisan bill has the support of two high ranking Republicans, Representatives Sharon Cooper and Katie Dempsey, and three other Democrats.
Hutchinson said in a news release that she is pushing HB 514 “to update state law to keep in-step with how mental health experts define these complex health issues.”
“Currently, Georgia code refers to an outdated version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Modern mental health practice is based on the fifth edition of this manual, which was released 21 years ago, and HB 514 would bring Georgia law into compliance with current mental health best practices.”
House Bill 514 would remove certain language from Georgia law regarding mental disorder treatments to modernize and update references to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Additionally:
- Mental disorders would have the same meanings as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders from the American Psychiatric Association or The International Classification of Diseases from the World Health Organization.
- Further, the state would use the DSM to define Autism spectrum disorder.
You can read the full bill here.
