Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 440 First Substitute (2016GS)

Sponsor

Rep. King, Brian S.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/22/2016

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• requires the state suicide prevention coordinator to conduct a study on violent incidents that involve a gun;
• authorizes the state suicide prevention coordinator to contract with a state agency, private entity, or research institution to assist in the study;
• requires reports to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee; and
• makes technical changes.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

SUICIDE PREVENTION AND GUN DATA STUDY
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Brian S. King
Senate Sponsor: 
Curtis S. Bramble
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill modifies the duties of the state suicide prevention coordinator.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ requires the state suicide prevention coordinator to conduct a study on violent
incidents that involve a gun;
▸ authorizes the state suicide prevention coordinator to contract with a state agency,
private entity, or research institution to assist in the study;
▸ requires reports to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee; and
▸ makes technical changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
62A-15-1101
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2015, Chapter 85
ENACTS:
62A-15-1102
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. 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 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.
(4) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall coordinate with [
at least
] the
following 
to gather statistics, among other duties
:
(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) federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
(f) other unbiased sources; and
[
(e)
] 
(g)
 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.
(6) The state suicide prevention coordinator shall report to the Legislature's
:
(a)
 Education Interim Committee, by the 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
[
.
]
; and
(b) Health and Human Services Interim Committee, by the October 2017 meeting,
statistics on the number of annual suicides in Utah, including how many suicides were
committed with a gun, and if so:
(i) where the victim procured the gun and if the gun was legally possessed by the
victim;
(ii) if the victim purchased the gun legally and whether a background check was
performed before the victim purchased the gun;
(iii) whether the victim had a history of mental illness or was under the treatment of a
mental health professional;
(iv) whether any medication or illegal drugs or alcohol were also involved in the
suicide; and
(v) if the suicide incident also involved the injury or death of another individual,
whether the shooter had a history of domestic violence.
(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 2. Section 
62A-15-1102
 is enacted to read:
 62A-15-1102.
Study on gun use -- Report.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Coordinator" means the state suicide prevention coordinator described in Section
62A-15-1101
.
(b) "Legal intervention" means an incident in which an individual is shot by another
individual who has legal authority to use deadly force.
(c) "Shooter" means an individual who uses a gun in an act that results in the death of
the actor or another individual, whether the act was a suicide, homicide, legal intervention, act
of self-defense, or accident.
(2) The coordinator shall, by October 30, 2018, conduct a study on use of guns in the
state and on an ongoing basis report on the progress and findings of the study to the Health and
Human Services Interim Committee.
(3) By October 30, 2016, the coordinator shall:
(a) determine what information, and from which state, local, and federal agencies, will
be necessary to complete the study;
(b) determine how much the study will cost;
(c) make recommendations for legislation, if any, that will be necessary to facilitate
information-sharing between local, state, federal, and private entities and the coordinator; and
(d) report the findings described in Subsections (3)(a) through (c) to the Health and
Human Services Interim Committee.
(4) The study described in Subsection (2) shall investigate:
(a) the number of deaths in the state that involved a gun, including deaths from suicide,
homicide including gang-related violence, legal intervention, self-defense, and accidents;
(b) where and how a gun that was involved in a death described in Subsection (4)(a)
was procured, and whether that procurement was legal;
(c) demographic information on the shooter and, where applicable, a victim of a death
described in Subsection (4)(a), including gender, race, age, criminal history, and gang
affiliation, if any;
(d) the total estimated number of gun owners in the state;
(e) information on the shooter, including whether the shooter has a history of:
(i) mental illness; or
(ii) domestic violence; and
(f) whether gun deaths are seasonal.
(5) The coordinator shall ensure that the study described in Subsection (2) is conducted
in an unbiased manner, with no preconceived conclusions about potential results.
(6) The coordinator may contract with another state agency, private entity, or research
institution to assist the coordinator and office with the study required by Subsection (2).
(7) (a) The coordinator shall submit a final report on the study described in Subsection
(2), including proposed legislation and recommendations, to the Health and Human Services
Interim Committee before November 30, 2018.
(b) The final report shall include references to all sources of information and data used
in the report and study.