Raleigh, NC — Today, North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall announced the House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety.
The House Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety will study and make recommendations regarding the intersection of mental health services, involuntary commitment processes, and the safety of the general public. Members of the committee will review current laws, policies, and practices governing involuntary commitment in North Carolina and consider measures to ensure both public safety and the appropriate treatment of individuals with severe mental illness.
The committee will recommend legislative, administrative, and policy changes to strengthen North Carolina’s mental health and involuntary commitment systems while supporting law enforcement’s role in protecting communities.
Members of the committee include:
Co-Chair Hugh Blackwell
Co-Chair Timothy Reeder, MD
Representative Grant Campbell, MD
Representative Dudley Greene
Representative Donny Lambeth
Representative Charles Miller
Representative Larry Potts
Representative Reese Pyrtle
Representative Heather Rhyne
Representative Carson Smith
Representative Diane Wheatley
Representative Donna White
Representative Terry Brown
Representative Tracy Clark
Representative Carla Cunningham
Representative Ya Liu
Representative Charles Smith
Representative Shelly Willingham
House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) said, “I am proud to announce the creation of a bipartisan legislative committee to examine policy reforms that address the ongoing public safety challenges facing North Carolina.
Recent tragedies in our state, like the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, have made it even more clear that we have to make sure local officials are putting public safety first.
The committee will work together with law enforcement, district attorneys, mental health professionals, and others, to come up with statewide solutions that will keep dangerous people off the streets of North Carolina.”
Co-Chair Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) said, “Iryna Zarutska should still be alive. Instead, her life was stolen by someone who should have been committed and receiving treatment. We cannot allow these failures to continue. This committee exists to support law enforcement and fix broken policies that put our families at risk. Our mission is clear: nobody should again have to endure the tragedy Iryna’s family is facing.”
Co-Chair Timothy Reeder, MD (R-Pitt) said, “As an emergency physician, I’ve seen the consequences when severe mental illness goes untreated. The preventable murder of Iryna Zarutska is a stark reminder that these are not abstract policy debates; they are matters of life and death. Our committee will take a hard look at how we can improve involuntary commitment and close dangerous gaps in the system. North Carolinians deserve to receive treatment for those who need it and to be safe in their own communities from dangerous criminals.”