Bill Text: NY S03587 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Establishes the rural suicide prevention council to identify barriers to mental health and substance use treatment and prevention services and other policies, practices, resources, services, and potential legislation that aim to reduce death by suicide and suicide attempts and acknowledge the demographic and cultural differences in rural communities; makes related provisions.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 9-3)
Status: (Vetoed) 2024-11-22 - VETOED MEMO.55 [S03587 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-S03587-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3587--A 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE February 1, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sens. HELMING, BORRELLO, BROUK, MAY, OBERACKER, O'MARA, ORTT, STEC, TEDISCO, WALCZYK, WEBB -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health -- recommitted to the Committee on Mental Health in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the rural suicide prevention council; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 2 7.49 to read as follows: 3 § 7.49 Rural suicide prevention council. 4 (a) There shall be established by the office, a council on rural 5 suicide prevention. Members of the council shall include the commission- 6 er or his or her designee, the commissioner of health or his or her 7 designee, and the commissioner of agriculture and markets or his or her 8 designee. There shall be twelve additional members of the council 9 including four members appointed by the governor; three members shall be 10 appointed by the speaker of the assembly; three members shall be 11 appointed by the temporary president of the senate; one member shall be 12 appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; and one member shall 13 be appointed by the minority leader of the senate. 14 (b) The commissioner shall designate the chair from appointed council 15 members. Vacancies in the membership of such council shall be filled by 16 the appropriate appointing authority. 17 (c) The membership of the council may include, but not be limited to, 18 representatives of the state conference of local mental hygiene direc- 19 tors; mental health professionals and practitioners with experience in 20 the delivery of mental health treatment or suicide prevention services EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD05200-02-4S. 3587--A 2 1 in rural areas; persons with expertise in research of public health 2 issues in rural areas; any group, association, or university with exper- 3 tise in financial or economic analysis, business planning, and providing 4 supports for farmers and other individuals residing in a rural area; 5 certified peers; rural community members with lived experience who have 6 been or are currently receiving mental health services or supports; and 7 others whose professional expertise includes rural affairs related to 8 the duties of the council. For the purposes of this section the term 9 rural areas shall have the same meaning as it is defined in section four 10 hundred eighty-one of the executive law. 11 (d) Duties of the council shall include, but not be limited to: 12 (1) identifying barriers to mental health and substance use treatment 13 and prevention services, as well as the causes and conditions related to 14 death by suicide or suicide attempts in rural parts of the state; 15 (2) determine if there is sufficient capacity for peer supports and 16 mental health crisis services; 17 (3) assess the use of the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline in rural 18 areas of the state and identify strategies to increase utilization; 19 (4) identifying vulnerable populations in rural areas and the preva- 20 lence of suicide among such populations including, but not limited to, 21 farmers and agricultural workers; 22 (5) identifying policies, practices, resources, services, and poten- 23 tial legislation that aim to reduce death by suicide and suicide 24 attempts and acknowledge the demographic and cultural differences in 25 rural communities; 26 (6) offering recommendations on policies and procedures to improve the 27 coordination of services and resources among agencies involved in the 28 delivery of mental health, substance use, or suicide prevention 29 services; and 30 (7) making recommendations on funding initiatives to increase access 31 to mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention services in 32 rural areas and facilitate the use of innovative intervention strategies 33 specific to individuals residing in rural areas. 34 (e) The rural suicide prevention council shall meet not less than 35 three times annually, or as deemed necessary by the chair of the council 36 or the commissioner. 37 (f) The members of the rural suicide prevention council shall receive 38 no compensation for their services but shall be allowed their actual and 39 necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. 40 The council shall provide a preliminary report to the governor and the 41 legislature of its findings, conclusions, recommendations and activities 42 already undertaken by the council, not later than nine months after the 43 effective date of this act, and a final report of its findings, conclu- 44 sions, recommendations and activities already undertaken by the council, 45 not later than eighteen months after the effective date of this section 46 and shall submit with its reports legislative proposals as it deems 47 necessary to implement its recommendations. 48 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall 49 have become a law and shall expire 2 years after such effective date 50 when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed repealed.
