This Week from Del. Matt Fariss

Continuing from the last week’s newsletter, I wanted to update constituents on more legislation that passed the 2022 session and as of July 1, is law in the Commonwealth.

Marcus alert system

Marcus alert system; participation. (HB1191/SB361) allows smaller localities to opt out of the “Marcus Alert” law, a measure passed in 2020 that aimed to improve the response to mental and behavioral health emergencies.

The law set out to have localities implement a system requiring mental health professionals to join law enforcement when responding to incidents where people were experiencing a mental health crisis.

There’s more to this in the current issue of the Times Virginian newspaper. Support local journalism by purchasing the issue at a local newsstand or subscribing at www.timesvirginian.com/subscriber_services to receive the print edition or view the full article in the e-edition version.