Bill Text: NH SB151 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to mental health education.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-4)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2024-01-04 - Reconsider SB151 (Rep. Sweeney): Motion Failed Regular Calendar 183-187 01/03/2024 House Journal 1 P. 113 [SB151 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2024-SB151-Introduced.html
SB 151-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2023 SESSION
23-0811
07/05
SENATE BILL 151-FN
AN ACT relative to mental health education.
SPONSORS: Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Chandley, Dist 11; Sen. Fenton, Dist 10; Sen. Whitley, Dist 15; Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist 20; Sen. Rosenwald, Dist 13; Sen. Avard, Dist 12; Sen. Perkins Kwoka, Dist 21; Sen. Soucy, Dist 18; Sen. Lang, Dist 2; Sen. Altschiller, Dist 24; Sen. Prentiss, Dist 5; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17; Rep. McMahon, Rock. 17; Rep. Schapiro, Ches. 16; Rep. Cornell, Hills. 22
COMMITTEE: Education
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ANALYSIS
This bill expands the adequate education standards to include mental health education and provides rulemaking authority to the department of education to accommodate this change.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
23-0811
07/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three
AN ACT relative to mental health education.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
I. Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being; it affects how people think, feel, and act; it also affects how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health disorders are health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior, or some combination thereof, and are associated with distress or impaired functioning. One in six U.S. youth aged six to 17 experience a mental health disorder each year. LGBTQ youth experience mental health disorders at a significantly higher rate. Bullying can affect one's mental health, both in the short term and later in life, bullying is a prevalent issue among youth ages 12 to 18 years old. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 34 and the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.
II. The 2019 New Hampshire Youth Risk Behavior Survey reveals 34 percent of students felt sad or hopeless, 18 percent seriously considered attempting suicide, and 7 percent attempted suicide. These mental health findings are affected by substantial percentages reporting drug and alcohol use. Other related factors include 23 percent of students experienced bullying on campus, and 20 percent electronically, 10 percent experienced sexual violence, and 7 percent were physically forced to have sexual intercourse.
III. Schools are effective and efficient places to teach youths to identify, understand, and respond to signs of substance use and mental health disorders in themselves and among their peers. Schools can provide meaningful instruction to students on how to help themselves or someone else who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Therefore, New Hampshire schools should provide age appropriate education for all students on how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses, in relation to substance use disorders and other behavioral factors.
IV. The Governor’s Youth Advisory Council on Substance Misuse and Prevention Health Education Reform Report, November 2022, reports, “students are not learning adequate health education in New Hampshire schools. As it relates to our mission of substance misuse and prevention, poor health and its lack of instruction - whether it be physical or mental - can push people towards substance misuse as an outlet. There is an undeniable overlap between mental health and substance use. People struggling with their mental health are more likely to use substances than those not affected by a mental illness. Those impacted by substance use disorders are more likely to exhibit symptoms of a mental health disorder. Furthermore, overall physical and mental health is hurt when individuals misuse substances. Giving students the knowledge and resources to take charge of their health can stop this trend. As we live through what has been called a “mental health crisis,” NH GYAC members believe it is our responsibility to advocate for necessary changes in our school curricula.”
2 Adequate Public Education; Criteria; Mental Health. Amend RSA 193-E:2, VI to read as follows:
VI. Sound wellness, mental health, and environmental practices, including outdoor recreation, to enable them to enhance their own well-being, as well as that of others.
3 Adequate Public Education; Substantive Educational Content of an Adequate Education; Mental Health Education. Amend RSA 193-E:2-a, I(a)(7) to read as follows:
(7) Health [and], wellness, and mental health education, including a policy for violations of RSA 126-K:8, I(a).
4 New Subparagraph; Adequate Public Education; Substantive Educational Content of an Adequate Education; Rulemaking Authority. Amend RSA 193-E:2-a, V by inserting after subparagraph (b) the following new subparagraph:
(c) The department of education shall adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, on the provision of mental health curriculum identified in paragraph I of this section, including a consideration of the following: bullying and cyberbullying; suicide prevention; biological, social, and environmental influences on mental health; mental health disorders, including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and unhealthy behaviors; relationship of mental health and substance misuse; mental health coping strategies, including personal practices and relationships; mental health treatment information; and skills to recognize personal mental health issues in themselves in peers.
5 Electronically Available Curriculum. The department of education shall make available electronically model curriculum on mental health education.
6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
23-0811
1/17/23
SB 151-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT relative to mental health education.
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ X ] Local [ ] None
|
| |||
| Estimated Increase / (Decrease) | |||
STATE: | FY 2023 | FY 2024 | FY 2025 | FY 2026 |
Appropriation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable Increase (Minimum of $100,000 per year) | ||
Funding Source: | [ X ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ ] Other | |||
|
|
|
|
|
LOCAL: |
|
|
|
|
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | $0 | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | Indeterminable |
|
|
|
|
|
METHODOLOGY:
This bill expands the adequate education standards to include mental health education and requires the Department of Education make available electronically a model curriculum on mental health education. The Department states it is unclear if the expectation is that it would procure curriculum (or multiple curricula) or if such comprehensive curricula that covers all the various topics described in the law already exists. To this extent, the Department states this bill’s impact on state expenditures is indeterminable, however expected to be a minimum of $100,000 per year.
The Department states this bill may have an impact on local expenditures, however specific costs would vary across school districts and therefore cannot be estimated.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Education
