Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program.

Removed 'and the court team' from Section 5977(b)(6)(B)(v)(I), which governs who the original petitioner may share information about the respondent with. The petitioner can now only provide information to the CARE team, not directly to the court team. This narrows the direct channel through which family members or other petitioners can communicate information to the court.

Removed the mandatory participation right for original petitioners who are parents or specified family members (subdivision (b) of Section 5974). Previously, the court was required to allow these petitioners to participate in the CARE program for care coordination and information-sharing unless it found participation would likely be detrimental. Now, all original petitioners can only participate with the respondent's consent.

The provision allowing original petitioners to provide information now names 'the court team' in addition to 'the CARE team' as a recipient, and adds the qualifier 'as allowed by applicable state and federal confidentiality and privacy laws.'

Fixed a duplicate numbering error in subsection (v) where two items were both labeled (III); the second is now correctly numbered (IV).

New clause (v) under Section 5977(b)(6)(B) allows the original petitioner to provide information to the CARE team and court about the respondent's condition, functioning, treatment history, housing status, safety concerns, need for services, engagement in services, compliance with a CARE agreement or plan, and other relevant matters. The CARE team must receive, review, and document this information if it is relevant to care, treatment, housing stability, safety, engagement, or implementation of a CARE agreement or plan.

The court may consider information provided by the original petitioner when evaluating the respondent's progress, engagement, changed circumstances, needs for services and supports, or compliance with a CARE agreement or plan.

The bill specifies that the respondent's consent is NOT required for the CARE team or court to receive information from the original petitioner under the new clause (v).

The bill clarifies that submitting information under the new provision does not confer party status on the original petitioner and does not create a right to direct treatment decisions, obtain discovery, access confidential records, receive protected health information under HIPAA or CMIA, attend confidential proceedings, or otherwise participate without the respondent's consent.

In one instance, the term 'CARE proceedings' was changed to 'CARE program' when describing the original petitioner's participation role (assisting in care coordination and providing relevant information to the CARE team).

Assembly Members Jeff Gonzalez and Hadwick were added as coauthors of the bill.

The original petitioner's (parent or specified family member) participation in CARE proceedings is now explicitly limited to assisting in care coordination and providing relevant information to the CARE team, rather than being an open-ended right to participate.