The New Mexico Senate has passed a proposal that would require some New Mexico residents with severe mental illness to receive court-ordered outpatient treatment.

Senators approved Tuesday by a 30-11 vote a measure strongly supported by mental health advocates.

The bill would allow judges in some counties to order patients to take medication and undergo treatment if they are deemed a danger to themselves and their community. Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen, sponsor of the bill, SB 53, says it’s “like a modified version” of the New York’s Kendra’s law.

Read more here: http://www.abqjournal.com/546322/news/senate-passes-modified-kendras-law-for-nm.html