Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 364 Second Substitute (2015GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Eliason, S.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/23/2015

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• amends State Board of Education and Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health program components for suicide prevention; and
• amends interim committee reporting requirements.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

SUICIDE PREVENTION AMENDMENTS
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Steve Eliason
Senate Sponsor: 
J. Stuart Adams
Cosponsor:
Justin L. Fawson
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill amends provisions related to suicide prevention.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ amends State Board of Education and Division of Substance Abuse and Mental
Health program components for suicide prevention; and
▸ amends interim committee reporting requirements.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2015:
▸ to State Board of Education - Office of Education, as a one-time appropriation:
• from Education Fund, $150,000; and
▸ to Department of Human Services - Division of Substance Abuse and Mental
Health, as a one-time appropriation:
• from General Fund, $210,000.
This bill appropriates in fiscal year 2016:
▸ to Department of Public Safety - Programs and Operations - Bureau of Criminal
Identification, as an ongoing appropriation:
• from Restricted - Firearm Safety Account, $15,000;
▸ to Department of Human Services - Division of Substance Abuse and Mental
Health, as an ongoing appropriation:
• from General Fund, $191,000; and
▸ to State Board of Education - Office of Education, as an ongoing appropriation:
• from General Fund, $50,000.
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53A-15-1301
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2014, Chapters 214 and 349
53A-15-1302
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2014, Chapter 349
62A-15-1101
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2014, Chapter 226
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
53A-15-1301
 is amended to read:
53A-15-1301.
Youth suicide prevention programs required in secondary schools
-- State Board of Education to develop model programs -- Reporting requirements.
(1) As used in the section:
(a) "Board" means the State Board of Education.
(b) "Intervention" means an effort to prevent a student from attempting suicide.
(c) "Postvention" means mental health intervention after a suicide attempt or death to
prevent or contain contagion.
(d) "Program" means a youth suicide prevention program described in Subsection (2).
(e) "Secondary grades":
(i) means grades 7 through 12; and
(ii) if a middle or junior high school includes grade 6, includes grade 6.
(f) "State Office of Education suicide prevention coordinator" means a person
designated by the board as described in Subsection (3).
(g) "State suicide prevention coordinator" means the state suicide prevention
coordinator described in Section 
62A-15-1101
.
(2) (a) In collaboration with the State Office of Education suicide prevention
coordinator, a school district or charter school shall implement a youth suicide prevention
program in the secondary grades of the school district or charter school.
(b) A school district or charter school's program shall include the following
components:
(i) in collaboration with the training, programs, and initiatives described in Section
53A-11a-401
, programs and training to address bullying and cyberbullying, as those terms are
defined in Section 
53A-11a-102
;
[
(i)
] 
(ii)
 prevention of youth suicides;
[
(ii)
] 
(iii)
 youth suicide intervention; and
[
(iii)
] 
(iv)
 postvention for family, students, and faculty.
(3) The board shall:
(a) designate a State Office of Education suicide prevention coordinator; and
(b) in collaboration with the Department of Heath and the state suicide prevention
coordinator, develop model programs to provide to school districts and charter schools:
(i) program training; and
(ii) resources regarding the required components described in Subsection (2)(b).
(4) The State Office of Education suicide prevention coordinator shall:
(a) oversee the youth suicide prevention programs of school districts and charter
schools; and
(b) coordinate prevention and postvention programs, services, and efforts with the state
suicide prevention coordinator.
(5) A public school suicide prevention program may allow school personnel to ask a
student questions related to youth suicide prevention, intervention, or postvention.
(6) (a) Subject to legislative appropriation, the board may distribute money to a school
district or charter school to be used to implement evidence-based practices and programs, or
emerging best practices and programs, for preventing suicide in the school district or charter
school.
(b) The board shall distribute money under Subsection (6)(a) so that each school that
enrolls students in grade 7 or a higher grade receives an allocation of at least $500, or a lesser
amount per school if the legislative appropriation is not sufficient to provide at least $500 per
school.
(c) (i) A school shall use money allocated to the school under Subsection (6)(b) to
implement evidence-based practices and programs, or emerging best practices and programs,
for preventing suicide.
(ii) Each school may select the evidence-based practices and programs, or emerging
best practices and programs, for preventing suicide that the school implements.
(7) (a) The board 
shall provide a written report, and
 shall 
orally
 report to the
Legislature's Education Interim Committee, by the [
November 2014
] 
October 2015
 meeting,
jointly with the 
State Office of Education suicide prevention coordinator and the
 state suicide
prevention coordinator, on:
(i) the progress of school district and charter school [
programs; and
] 
youth suicide
prevention programs, including rates of participation by school districts, charter schools, and
students;
(ii) the board's coordination efforts with the Department of Health and the state suicide
prevention coordinator[
.
]
;
(iii) the State Office of Education suicide prevention coordinator's model program for
training and resources related to youth suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention;
(iv) data measuring the effectiveness of youth suicide programs;
(v) funds appropriated to each school district and charter school for youth suicide
prevention programs; and
(vi) five-year trends of youth suicides per school, school district, and charter school.
(b) School districts and charter schools shall provide to the board information that is
necessary for the board's report to the Legislature's Education Interim Committee as required in
Subsection (7)(a).
Section 2. Section 
53A-15-1302
 is amended to read:
53A-15-1302.
Parent education -- Mental health -- Bullying -- Safety.
(1) (a) Except as provided in Subsection (5), a school district shall offer a seminar for
parents of students in the school district that:
(i) is offered at no cost to parents;
(ii) begins at or after 6 p.m.;
(iii) is held in at least one school located in the school district; and
(iv) covers the topics described in Subsection (2).
(b) 
(i)
 A school district shall annually offer one parent seminar for each 11,000
students enrolled in the school district.
(ii) Notwithstanding Subsection (1)(b)(i), a school district may not be required to offer
more than three seminars.
(c) A school district may:
(i) develop its own curriculum for the seminar described in Subsection (1)(a); or
(ii) use the curriculum developed by the State Board of Education under Subsection
(2).
(d) A school district shall notify each charter school located in the attendance
boundaries of the school district of the date and time of a parent seminar, so the charter school
may inform parents of the seminar.
(2) The State Board of Education shall:
(a) develop a curriculum for the parent seminar described in Subsection (1) that
includes information on:
(i) substance abuse, including illegal drugs and prescription drugs and prevention;
(ii) bullying;
(iii) mental health, depression, suicide awareness, and suicide prevention, including
education on limiting access to fatal means; and
(iv) Internet safety, including pornography addiction; and
(b) provide the curriculum, including resources and training, to school districts upon
request.
[
(3) The State Board of Education shall report to the Legislature's Education Interim
Committee, by the November 2013 meeting, on the progress of implementation of the parent
seminar, including if a local school board has opted out of providing the parent seminar, as
described in Subsection (5), and the reasons why a local school board opted out.
]
[
(4)
] 
(3)
 The State Board of Education shall report to the Legislature's Education
Interim Committee
,
 by the [
November 2014
] 
October 2015
 meeting
,
 on:
(a) the progress of implementation of the parent seminar;
(b) the number of parent seminars conducted in each school district;
[
(b)
] 
(c)
 the estimated attendance reported by each school district;
[
(c)
] 
(d)
 a recommendation of whether to continue the parent seminar program; and
[
(d)
] 
(e)
 if a local school board has opted out of providing the parent seminar, as
described in Subsection [
(5)
] 
(4)
, [
and
] the reasons why a local school board opted out.
[
(5)
] 
(4)
 (a) A school district is not required to offer the parent seminar if the local
school board determines that the topics described in Subsection (2) are not of significant
interest or value to families in the school district.
(b) If a local school board chooses not to offer the parent seminar, the local school
board shall notify the State Board of Education and provide the reasons why the local school
board chose not to offer the parent seminar.
Section 3. Section 
62A-15-1101
 is amended to read:
62A-15-1101.
Suicide prevention -- Reporting requirements.
(1) As used in the section:
(a) "Bureau" means the Bureau of Criminal Identification created in Section 
53-10-201
within the Department of Public Safety.
(b) "Division" means the [
State
] Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
(c) "Intervention" means an effort to prevent a person from attempting suicide.
(d) "Postvention" means mental health intervention after a suicide attempt or death to
prevent or contain contagion.
(e) "State suicide prevention coordinator" means an individual designated by the
division as described in Subsections (2) and (3).
(2) The division shall appoint a state suicide prevention coordinator 
to administer a
state suicide prevention program composed of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention
programs, services, and efforts
.
(3) The state suicide prevention program may include the following components:
(a) delivery of resources, tools, and training to community-based coalitions;
(b) evidence-based suicide risk assessment tools and training;
(c) town hall meetings for building community-based suicide prevention strategies;
(d) suicide prevention gatekeeper training;
(e) training to identify warning signs and to manage an at-risk individual's crisis;
(f) evidence-based intervention training;
(g) intervention skills training; and
(h) postvention training.
[
(3)
] 
(4)
 The state suicide prevention coordinator shall coordinate [
the suicide
prevention program, including suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention programs,
services, and efforts statewide,
] with at least the following:
(a) local mental health and substance abuse authorities;
(b) the State Board of Education, including the State Office of Education suicide
prevention coordinator described in Section 
53A-15-1301
;
(c) the Department of Health;
(d) health care providers, including emergency rooms; and
(e) other public health suicide prevention efforts.
(5) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall provide a written report, and shall
orally report to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee, by the October meeting
every year, on:
(a) implementation of the state suicide prevention program, as described in Subsections
(2) and (3);
(b) data measuring the effectiveness of each component of the state suicide prevention
program;
(c) funds appropriated for each component of the state suicide prevention program; and
(d) five-year trends of suicides in Utah, including subgroups of youths and adults and
other subgroups identified by the state suicide prevention coordinator.
[
(4)
] 
(6)
 The state suicide prevention coordinator shall report to the Legislature's
Education Interim Committee, by the [
November 2014
] 
October 2015
 meeting, jointly with the
State Board of Education, on the coordination of suicide prevention programs and efforts with
the State Board of Education and the State Office of Education suicide prevention coordinator
as described in Section 
53A-15-1301
.
[
(5)
] 
(7)
 The state suicide prevention coordinator shall consult with the bureau to
implement and manage the operation of a firearm safety program, as described in Subsection
53-10-202
(18) and Section 
53-10-202.1
.
(8) In accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, the
division shall make rules governing the implementation of the state suicide prevention
program, consistent with this section.
Section 4. 
Appropriation.
Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures Act, for
the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014, and ending June 30, 2015, the following sums of money
are appropriated from resources not otherwise appropriated, or reduced from amounts
previously appropriated, out of the funds or accounts indicated. These sums of money are in
addition to any amounts previously appropriated for fiscal year 2015.
To State Board of Education - Office of Education
From Education Fund, One-time
$100,000
Schedule of Programs:
Anti-bullying programs $100,000
The Legislature intends that the State Board of Education:
(1) expend appropriations under this section to implement the programs and training
described in Section 
53A-15-1301
 addressing bullying and cyberbullying; and
(2) make up to $1,500 available to each requesting school, for the school to choose a
program or training curriculum from a Utah-based organization that is tax exempt under
Section 501(c)(3), Internal Revenue Code, and that is focused on programs and training
addressing bullying and cyberbulling.
To State Board of Education - Office of Education
From Education Fund, One-time
$50,000
Schedule of Programs:
State suicide prevention coordinator $50,000
The Legislature intends that the State Board of Education expend appropriations under
this section for the state suicide prevention coordinator's implementation of the programs
described in Section 
53A-15-1301
.
To Department of Human Services - Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
From General Fund, One-time
$210,000
Schedule of Programs:
State suicide prevention program $210,000
Section 5. 
Appropriation.
Under the terms and conditions of Title 63J, Chapter 1, Budgetary Procedures Act, for
the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015, and ending June 30, 2016, the following sums of money
are appropriated from resources not otherwise appropriated, or reduced from amounts
previously appropriated, out of the funds or accounts indicated. These sums of money are in
addition to any amounts previously appropriated for fiscal year 2016.
To General Fund Restricted - Firearm Safety Account
From General Fund
$15,000
To General Fund Restricted - Firearm Safety Account $15,000
To Department of Public Safety - Programs and Operations
From General Fund Restricted - Firearm Safety Account
$15,000
Schedule of Programs:
Bureau of Criminal Identification $15,000
To Department of Human Services - Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health
From General Fund
$191,000
Schedule of Programs:
State Suicide Prevention Program $191,000
To State Board of Education - Office of Education
From General Fund
$50,000
Schedule of Programs:
Teaching and Learning $50,000
Section 6. 
Effective date.
(1) Except as provided in Subsection (2), this bill takes effect on May 12, 2015.
(2) Uncodified Section 5, Appropriation, takes effect on July 1, 2015.