A bill intended to ensure that patients in psychiatric facilities get fresh air every day was voted on favorably yesterday by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse but not before it was redrafted.

The bill voted out of committee yesterday requires psychiatric wards and psychiatric hospitals to "make reasonable efforts to afford" patients "with daily access to fresh air in a manner consistent with such person's clinical condition and safety."

That falls short of the bill pushed by the Disability Law Center and M-POWER, an organization run by patients and former patients, to make daily access to fresh air a patient right. The original bill, sponsored by state Rep. Frank I. Smizik, D-Brookline, and cosponsored by state Rep. Jennifer M. Callahan, D-Sutton, was opposed by the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems and St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester.

Ruth B. Balser, House chairwoman of the joint committee, said, "The redrafted bill reflects that it was our intent that it recognize the importance of psychiatric patients having daily access to fresh air."

She said she expects that the Department of Mental Health will draft regulations regarding fresh air access.

The bill moves on to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, Ms.

Balser said.