This document includes House Floor Amendments incorporated into the bill on Thu, Feb 22, 2018 at 2:59 PM by lerror.
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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This joint resolution of the Legislature designates June 27, 2018, as Utah
11 Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Day and June 2018 as Utah Post-Traumatic
12 Stress Injury Awareness Month.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 ▸ designates June 27, 2018, as Utah Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Day;
16 ▸ designates June 2018 as Utah Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Month; and
17 ▸ urges the Department of Health Ĥ→ , the Department of Public Safety, the
17a Department of Corrections, the State Fire Marshal, ←Ĥ and the Department of Veterans and
17b Military
18 Affairs to continue working to educate victims of interpersonal violence, combat,
19 and life-threatening accidents or natural disasters, their families, and the citizens of
20 Utah regarding the causes, symptoms, and treatment of post-traumatic stress injury.
21 Special Clauses:
22 None
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24 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
25 WHEREAS, all citizens of the United States possess the basic human right to preserve
26 personal dignity;
27 WHEREAS, all citizens of the United States deserve the investment of every possible
28 resource to ensure their lasting physical, mental, and emotional well-being;
29 WHEREAS, the diagnosis now known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was
30 first defined by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 to commonly and more
31 accurately understand and treat veterans who had endured severe operational combat stress;
32 WHEREAS, combat stress injury has historically been unjustly portrayed as a mental
33 illness Ĥ→ in military combat veterans ←Ĥ caused by a pre-existing flaw of character or ability;
34 WHEREAS, the word "disorder" carries a stigma that perpetuates this misconception;
35 WHEREAS, post-traumatic stress injury (PTSI) may occur following exposure to
36 extremely traumatic events including interpersonal violence, combat, life-threatening accidents,
37 or natural disasters;
37a Ĥ→ WHEREAS, public service dispatchers and first responders, by the nature of their
37b professions, are also susceptible to post traumatic stress injury; ←Ĥ
38 WHEREAS, PTSI is a very common injury to the brain that is treatable and repairable;
39 WHEREAS, referring to the complications from combat operational stress as a disorder
40 perpetuates the stigma of, and bias against, mental illness;
41 WHEREAS, this stigma can discourage the injured from seeking proper and timely
42 medical treatment;
43 WHEREAS, making PTSI less stigmatizing and more honorable can favorably
44 influence those affected and encourage them to seek treatment without fear of retribution or
45 shame;
46 WHEREAS, proper and timely treatment can diminish suicide rates among the injured;
47 WHEREAS, all citizens suffering from PTSI deserve our compassion and
48 consideration; and
49 WHEREAS, those brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have
50 received these wounds in action against an enemy of the United States further deserve our
51 special tribute and acknowledgment:
52 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
53 designates June 27, 2018, as Utah Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Day.
54 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah designates June
55 2018 as Utah Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Month.
56 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges the Department of Health
56a Ĥ→ , the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Corrections, the State Fire
56b Marshal, ←Ĥ and
57 the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to continue working to educate victims of
58 interpersonal violence, combat, and life-threatening accidents or natural disasters, their
59 families, and the citizens of Utah regarding the causes, symptoms, and treatment of
60 post-traumatic stress Injury.
61 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Department
62 of Health Ĥ→ , the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Corrections, the State Fire
62a Marshal, ←Ĥ and the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs.
Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel