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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
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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.