10-10-13 mental health laws

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says bipartisan recommendations for improving Wisconsin's mental health laws will be taken up by the Assembly in November.  Vos on Wednesday accepted final recommendations of a task force he created to study mental health laws. Four bills have already been introduced in the Legislature and task force co-chair Rep. Erik Severson says there could be 10 or more coming.  There is no overall cost of the recommendations yet, but Vos says he's hopeful the ideas will find broad support in the Legislature and with Gov. Scott Walker.  Some of the recommendations include giving mental health professionals, not just police officers, the authority to send people into emergency detentions and creating a way for families and other interested parties to request that counties begin an emergency detention.