Representative Steve Eliason proposes the following substitute bill:


1     
SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAMS

2     
2017 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Steve Eliason

5     
Senate Sponsor: Curtis S. Bramble

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill amends and enacts provisions relating to suicide prevention programs.
10     Highlighted Provisions:
11          This bill:
12          ▸     establishes reporting requirements;
13          ▸     creates a position in the Department of Health; and
14          ▸     provides for grant awards for suicide prevention programs.
15     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
16          This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2017:
17          ▸     to Department of Health -- Disease Control and Prevention -- Office of the Medical
18     Examiner, - as an ongoing appropriation:
19               •     from General Fund, $85,000;
20          ▸     to Department of Human Services -- Division of Substance Abuse and Mental
21     Health -- Community Mental Health Services, - as an ongoing appropriation:
22               •     from General Fund, $100,000;
23          ▸     to State Board of Education -- State Administrative Office -- Teaching and
24     Learning, as an ongoing appropriation:
25               •     from General Fund, ($100,000); and

26               •     from Education Fund, $225,000.
27     Other Special Clauses:
28          None
29     Utah Code Sections Affected:
30     AMENDS:
31          62A-15-1101, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2016, Chapters 144, 164, and 168
32     ENACTS:
33          26-4-28.5, Utah Code Annotated 1953
34          53A-15-1303, Utah Code Annotated 1953
35     

36     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
37          Section 1. Section 26-4-28.5 is enacted to read:
38          26-4-28.5. Psychological autopsy examiner.
39          (1) With funds appropriated by the Legislature for this purpose, the department shall
40     provide compensation, at a standard rate determined by the department, to a psychological
41     autopsy examiner.
42          (2) The psychological autopsy examiner shall:
43          (a) work with the medical examiner to compile data regarding suicide related deaths;
44          (b) as relatives of the deceased are willing, gather information from relatives of the
45     deceased regarding the psychological reasons for the decedent's death;
46          (c) maintain a database of information described in Subsections (2)(a) and (b);
47          (d) in accordance with all applicable privacy laws subject to approval by department,
48     share the database described in Subsection (2)(c) with the University of Utah Department of
49     Psychiatry or other university-based departments conducting research on suicide;
50          (e) coordinate no less than monthly with the suicide prevention coordinator described
51     in Subsection 62A-15-1101(2); and
52          (f) coordinate no less than quarterly with the state suicide prevention coalition.
53          Section 2. Section 53A-15-1303 is enacted to read:
54          53A-15-1303. Grant awards for elementary programs.
55          (1) To foster peer-to-peer suicide prevention, resiliency, and anti-bullying programs in
56     elementary schools, the public education suicide prevention coordinator, described in Section

57     53A-15-301, shall, subject to legislative appropriations, award grants to elementary schools.
58          (2) A grant award may not exceed $500 per school per year.
59          (3) The application for a grant shall contain:
60          (a) a requested award amount;
61          (b) a budget; and
62          (c) a narrative plan of the peer-to-peer suicide prevention, resiliency, or anti-bullying
63     program.
64          (4) When awarding a grant under this section, the public education suicide prevention
65     coordinator shall consider:
66          (a) the content of a grant application; and
67          (b) whether an application is submitted in the manner and form prescribed.
68          Section 3. Section 62A-15-1101 is amended to read:
69          62A-15-1101. Suicide prevention -- Reporting requirements.
70          (1) As used in the section:
71          (a) "Bureau" means the Bureau of Criminal Identification created in Section 53-10-201
72     within the Department of Public Safety.
73          (b) "Division" means the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
74          (c) "Intervention" means an effort to prevent a person from attempting suicide.
75          (d) "Postvention" means mental health intervention after a suicide attempt or death to
76     prevent or contain contagion.
77          (e) "State suicide prevention coordinator" means an individual designated by the
78     division as described in Subsections (2) and (3).
79          (2) The division shall appoint a state suicide prevention coordinator to administer a
80     state suicide prevention program composed of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention
81     programs, services, and efforts.
82          (3) The state suicide prevention program may include the following components:
83          (a) delivery of resources, tools, and training to community-based coalitions;
84          (b) evidence-based suicide risk assessment tools and training;
85          (c) town hall meetings for building community-based suicide prevention strategies;
86          (d) suicide prevention gatekeeper training;
87          (e) training to identify warning signs and to manage an at-risk individual's crisis;

88          (f) evidence-based intervention training;
89          (g) intervention skills training; and
90          (h) postvention training.
91          (4) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall coordinate with the following to
92     gather statistics, among other duties:
93          (a) local mental health and substance abuse authorities;
94          (b) the State Board of Education, including the public education suicide prevention
95     coordinator described in Section 53A-15-1301;
96          (c) the Department of Health;
97          (d) health care providers, including emergency rooms;
98          (e) federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
99          (f) other unbiased sources; and
100          (g) other public health suicide prevention efforts.
101          (5) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall provide a written report to the Health
102     and Human Services Interim Committee, by the October meeting every year, on:
103          (a) implementation of the state suicide prevention program, as described in Subsections
104     (2) and (3);
105          (b) data measuring the effectiveness of each component of the state suicide prevention
106     program;
107          (c) funds appropriated for each component of the state suicide prevention program; and
108          (d) five-year trends of suicides in Utah, including subgroups of youths and adults and
109     other subgroups identified by the state suicide prevention coordinator.
110          (6) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall report to the Legislature's:
111          (a) Education Interim Committee, by the October 2015 meeting, jointly with the State
112     Board of Education, on the coordination of suicide prevention programs and efforts with the
113     State Board of Education and the public education suicide prevention coordinator as described
114     in Section 53A-15-1301; and
115          (b) Health and Human Services Interim Committee, by the October 2017 meeting,
116     statistics on the number of annual suicides in Utah, including how many suicides were
117     committed with a gun, and if so:
118          (i) where the victim procured the gun and if the gun was legally possessed by the

119     victim;
120          (ii) if the victim purchased the gun legally and whether a background check was
121     performed before the victim purchased the gun;
122          (iii) whether the victim had a history of mental illness or was under the treatment of a
123     mental health professional;
124          (iv) whether any medication or illegal drugs or alcohol were also involved in the
125     suicide; and
126          (v) if the suicide incident also involved the injury or death of another individual,
127     whether the shooter had a history of domestic violence.
128          (7) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall consult with the bureau to implement
129     and manage the operation of a firearm safety program, as described in Subsection
130     53-10-202(18) and Section 53-10-202.1.
131          (8) In accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, the
132     division shall make rules governing the implementation of the state suicide prevention
133     program, consistent with this section.
134          (9) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall present to the Health and Human
135     Services Interim Committee, no later than November 2017, a 10-year statewide suicide
136     prevention plan.
137          (10) As funding by the Legislature allows, the state suicide prevention coordinator
138     shall award grants, not to exceed a total of $100,000 per fiscal year, to suicide prevention
139     programs that focus on the needs of children who have been served by the Division of Juvenile
140     Justice Services.
141          Section 4. Appropriation.
142          The following sums of money are appropriated for the fiscal year beginning July 1,
143     2017, and ending June 30, 2018. These are additions to amounts previously appropriated for
144     fiscal year 2018. Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures
145     Act, the Legislature appropriates the following sums of money from the funds or accounts
146     indicated for the use and support of the government of the state of Utah.
147          ITEM 1
148          To Department of Health -- Disease Control and Prevention
149               From General Fund
$85,000


150               Schedule of Programs:
151                    Office of the Medical Examiner               $85,000
152          The Legislature intends that the amount provided by this Item 1 be used to fund the
153     appointment of a psychological autopsy examiner, as described in Section 26-4-28.5.
154          ITEM 2
155          To Department of Human Services -- Division of Sustance Abuse and Mental Health
156               From General Fund
$100,000

157               Schedule of Programs:
158                    Community Mental Health Services               $100,000
159          The Legislature intends that the amount provided by this item be used to fund the grant
160     awards described in Subsection 62A-15-1101(10).
161          ITEM 3
162          To State Board of Education -- State Administrative Office
163               From General Fund
($100,000)

164               From Education Fund
$225,000

165               Schedule of Programs:
166                    Teaching and Learning                    $125,000
167          The Legislature intends that:
168          (1) General Fund money provided to the State Board of Education -- State
169     Administrative Office in the 2013 General Session, H.B. 154, for a public education suicide
170     prevention coordinator as designated in Subsection 53A-15-1301(3) be redirected to the
171     Department of Human Services -- Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health for the
172     purpose described in Subsection 62A-15-1101(10);
173          (2) the public education suicide prevention coordinator at the State Board of Education
174     -- State Administrative Office be funded with money from the Education Fund; and
175          (3) $25,000 provided by this Item 3 be used to fund the grant awards described in
176     Section 53A-15-1303.