2
3
4
5
6 Cosponsors:
7 Carl R. Albrecht
8 Patrice M. Arent
9 Walt Brooks
10 Rebecca Chavez-Houck
11 Brad M. Daw
12 Susan Duckworth
13 Rebecca P. Edwards
14 Justin L. Fawson
Gage Froerer
Adam Gardiner
Stephen G. Handy
Lynn N. Hemingway
Eric K. Hutchings
Karen Kwan
Kelly B. Miles
Carol Spackman Moss
Lee B. Perry
Marie H. Poulson
Paul Ray
Douglas V. Sagers
V. Lowry Snow
Christine F. Watkins
R. Curt Webb
Mark A. Wheatley
Mike Winder
15
16 LONG TITLE
17 General Description:
18 This bill amends and enacts provisions relating to suicide prevention programs.
19 Highlighted Provisions:
20 This bill:
21 ▸ establishes reporting requirements;
22 ▸ creates a position in the Department of Health; and
23 ▸ provides for grant awards for suicide prevention programs.
24 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
25 This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2018:
26 ▸ to Department of Health -- Disease Control and Prevention -- Office of the Medical
27 Examiner, as an ongoing appropriation:
28 • from General Fund, $85,000;
29 ▸ to Department of Human Services -- Division of Substance Abuse and Mental
30 Health -- Community Mental Health Services, as an ongoing appropriation:
31 • from General Fund, $100,000;
32 ▸ to State Board of Education -- State Administrative Office -- Teaching and
33 Learning, as an ongoing appropriation:
34 • from General Fund, ($100,000);
35 • from Education Fund, $145,000; and
36 ▸ to Department of Health -- Disease Control and Prevention -- Office of the Medical
37 Examiner:
38 • from General Fund, as an ongoing appropriation, $15,000; and
39 • from General Fund, as a one-time appropriation, $95,000.
40 Other Special Clauses:
41 None
42 Utah Code Sections Affected:
43 AMENDS:
44 62A-15-1101, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2016, Chapters 144, 164, and 168
45 ENACTS:
46 26-4-28.5, Utah Code Annotated 1953
47 53A-15-1303, Utah Code Annotated 1953
48
49 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
50 Section 1. Section 26-4-28.5 is enacted to read:
51 26-4-28.5. Psychological autopsy examiner.
52 (1) With funds appropriated by the Legislature for this purpose, the department shall
53 provide compensation, at a standard rate determined by the department, to a psychological
54 autopsy examiner.
55 (2) The psychological autopsy examiner shall:
56 (a) work with the medical examiner to compile data regarding suicide related deaths;
57 (b) as relatives of the deceased are willing, gather information from relatives of the
58 deceased regarding the psychological reasons for the decedent's death;
59 (c) maintain a database of information described in Subsections (2)(a) and (b);
60 (d) in accordance with all applicable privacy laws subject to approval by the
61 department, share the database described in Subsection (2)(c) with the University of Utah
62 Department of Psychiatry or other university-based departments conducting research on
63 suicide;
64 (e) coordinate no less than monthly with the suicide prevention coordinator described
65 in Subsection 62A-15-1101(2); and
66 (f) coordinate no less than quarterly with the state suicide prevention coalition.
67 Section 2. Section 53A-15-1303 is enacted to read:
68 53A-15-1303. Grant awards for elementary programs.
69 (1) To foster peer-to-peer suicide prevention, resiliency, and anti-bullying programs in
70 elementary schools, the public education suicide prevention coordinator, described in Section
71 53A-15-301, shall, subject to legislative appropriations, award grants to elementary schools.
72 (2) A grant award may not exceed $500 per school per year.
73 (3) The application for a grant shall contain:
74 (a) a requested award amount;
75 (b) a budget; and
76 (c) a narrative plan of the peer-to-peer suicide prevention, resiliency, or anti-bullying
77 program.
78 (4) When awarding a grant under this section, the public education suicide prevention
79 coordinator shall consider:
80 (a) the content of a grant application; and
81 (b) whether an application is submitted in the manner and form prescribed.
82 Section 3. Section 62A-15-1101 is amended to read:
83 62A-15-1101. Suicide prevention -- Reporting requirements.
84 (1) As used in the section:
85 (a) "Bureau" means the Bureau of Criminal Identification created in Section 53-10-201
86 within the Department of Public Safety.
87 (b) "Division" means the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
88 (c) "Intervention" means an effort to prevent a person from attempting suicide.
89 (d) "Postvention" means mental health intervention after a suicide attempt or death to
90 prevent or contain contagion.
91 (e) "State suicide prevention coordinator" means an individual designated by the
92 division as described in Subsections (2) and (3).
93 (2) The division shall appoint a state suicide prevention coordinator to administer a
94 state suicide prevention program composed of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention
95 programs, services, and efforts.
96 (3) The state suicide prevention program may include the following components:
97 (a) delivery of resources, tools, and training to community-based coalitions;
98 (b) evidence-based suicide risk assessment tools and training;
99 (c) town hall meetings for building community-based suicide prevention strategies;
100 (d) suicide prevention gatekeeper training;
101 (e) training to identify warning signs and to manage an at-risk individual's crisis;
102 (f) evidence-based intervention training;
103 (g) intervention skills training; and
104 (h) postvention training.
105 (4) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall coordinate with the following to
106 gather statistics, among other duties:
107 (a) local mental health and substance abuse authorities;
108 (b) the State Board of Education, including the public education suicide prevention
109 coordinator described in Section 53A-15-1301;
110 (c) the Department of Health;
111 (d) health care providers, including emergency rooms;
112 (e) federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
113 (f) other unbiased sources; and
114 (g) other public health suicide prevention efforts.
115 (5) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall provide a written report to the Health
116 and Human Services Interim Committee, by the October meeting every year, on:
117 (a) implementation of the state suicide prevention program, as described in Subsections
118 (2) and (3);
119 (b) data measuring the effectiveness of each component of the state suicide prevention
120 program;
121 (c) funds appropriated for each component of the state suicide prevention program; and
122 (d) five-year trends of suicides in Utah, including subgroups of youths and adults and
123 other subgroups identified by the state suicide prevention coordinator.
124 (6) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall report to the Legislature's:
125 (a) Education Interim Committee, by the October 2015 meeting, jointly with the State
126 Board of Education, on the coordination of suicide prevention programs and efforts with the
127 State Board of Education and the public education suicide prevention coordinator as described
128 in Section 53A-15-1301; and
129 (b) Health and Human Services Interim Committee, by the October 2017 meeting,
130 statistics on the number of annual suicides in Utah, including how many suicides were
131 committed with a gun, and if so:
132 (i) where the victim procured the gun and if the gun was legally possessed by the
133 victim;
134 (ii) if the victim purchased the gun legally and whether a background check was
135 performed before the victim purchased the gun;
136 (iii) whether the victim had a history of mental illness or was under the treatment of a
137 mental health professional;
138 (iv) whether any medication or illegal drugs or alcohol were also involved in the
139 suicide; and
140 (v) if the suicide incident also involved the injury or death of another individual,
141 whether the shooter had a history of domestic violence.
142 (7) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall consult with the bureau to implement
143 and manage the operation of a firearm safety program, as described in Subsection
144 53-10-202(18) and Section 53-10-202.1.
145 (8) In accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, the
146 division shall make rules governing the implementation of the state suicide prevention
147 program, consistent with this section.
148 (9) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall present to the Health and Human
149 Services Interim Committee, no later than November 2017, a 10-year statewide suicide
150 prevention plan.
151 (10) As funding by the Legislature allows, the state suicide prevention coordinator
152 shall award grants, not to exceed a total of $100,000 per fiscal year, to suicide prevention
153 programs that focus on the needs of children who have been served by the Division of Juvenile
154 Justice Services.
155 Section 4. Appropriation.
156 The following sums of money are appropriated for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
157 2017, and ending June 30, 2018. These are additions to amounts previously appropriated for
158 fiscal year 2018. Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures
159 Act, the Legislature appropriates the following sums of money from the funds or accounts
160 indicated for the use and support of the government of the state of Utah.
161 ITEM 1
162 To Department of Health -- Disease Control and Prevention
163 From General Fund
$85,000
164 Schedule of Programs:
165 Office of the Medical Examiner $85,000
166 The Legislature intends that the amount provided by this Item 1 be used to fund the
167 appointment of a psychological autopsy examiner, as described in Section 26-4-28.5.
168 ITEM 2
169 To Department of Human Services -- Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
170 From General Fund
$100,000
171 Schedule of Programs:
172 Community Mental Health Services $100,000
173 The Legislature intends that the amount provided by this item be used to fund the grant
174 awards described in Subsection 62A-15-1101(10).
175 ITEM 3
176 To State Board of Education -- State Administrative Office
177 From General Fund
($100,000)
178 From Education Fund
$145,000
179 Schedule of Programs:
180 Student Advocacy Services $45,000
181 ITEM 4
182 To Department of Health -- Disease Control and Prevention
183 From General Fund
$15,000
184 From General Fund, One-Time
$95,000
185 Schedule of Programs:
186 Office of the Medical Examiner $110,000
187 The Legislature intends that:
188 (1) General Fund money provided to the State Board of Education -- State
189 Administrative Office in the 2013 General Session, H.B. 154, for a public education suicide
190 prevention coordinator as designated in Subsection 53A-15-1301(3) be redirected to the
191 Department of Human Services -- Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health for the
192 purpose described in Subsection 62A-15-1101(10);
193 (2) the public education suicide prevention specialist at the State Board of Education --
194 State Administrative Office be funded with money from the Education Fund; and
195 (3) $45,000 provided by this Item 3 be used to fund the grant awards described in
196 Section 53A-15-1303.
197