Bill Text: CA SB877 | 2015-2016 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Reporting and tracking of violent deaths.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Passed) 2016-09-27 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 712, Statutes of 2016. [SB877 Detail]

Download: California-2015-SB877-Amended.html

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BILL NUMBER: SB 877	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 29, 2016
	AMENDED IN SENATE  FEBRUARY 18, 2016

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Pan
   (Principal coauthors: Senators Monning and Wolk)
   (  Coauthor:   Assembly Member 
 Bonta   Coauthors:   Assembly Members
  Bonta   and Brown  )

                        JANUARY 15, 2016

   An act to add Article 3 (commencing with Section 131230) to
Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 112 of the Health and Safety Code,
relating to public health.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 877, as amended, Pan. Reporting and tracking of violent deaths.

   Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health,
which is responsible for various programs relating to the health and
safety of people in the state, including licensing health facilities,
regulating food and drug safety, and monitoring and preventing
communicable and chronic diseases.
   This bill  would   would, to the extent that
funding is appropriated by the Legislature or available through
private funds in each fiscal year,  require the department to
establish and maintain the California Electronic Violent Death
Reporting System. The bill would further require the department to
collect data on violent deaths, as specified, and  contract
with counties   enter into contracts, grants, or other
agreements with one or more local agencies  to collect certain
data, and would authorize the department to apply for grants to
implement these provisions.  The bill would, to the extent that
funding is available for this purpose, authorize a law enforcement
agency to report to the department data on the circumstances
surrounding all violent deaths from investigative reports and
laboratory toxicology reports to be used by the department for the
limited purpose of conducting public health surveillance and
epidemiology.  The bill would also make related legislative
findings and declarations.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (a) Information and data regarding violent deaths can help provide
states and communities with a clearer understanding of violent
deaths and therefore lead to better prevention of violent deaths.
   (b) According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), in the United States, violence accounts for
approximately 56,000 deaths annually. Violent deaths result from the
intentional use of physical force or power against oneself, another
person, or a group or community, and include suicide, homicide, and
legal intervention deaths. Violence adversely affects all Americans,
not only through premature death, but also through medical costs and
lost productivity.
   (c) The CDC further notes that the cost of these deaths totaled
$47.2 billion: $47 billion in work loss costs and $215 million in
medical treatment.
   (d) In 2002, the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
was established as a surveillance system that pulls together data on
violent deaths. NVDRS collects information from death certificates,
coroner or medical examiner reports, police reports, and crime
laboratories.
   (e) NVDRS data informs decisionmakers and program planners about
the magnitude, trends, and characteristics of violent deaths in a
particular state or community so appropriate prevention efforts can
be identified and implemented, and the data facilitates the
evaluation of state-based prevention programs and strategies.
   (f) According to NVDRS, a national system will allow the CDC to
provide information for every state to inform their prevention
efforts. It will also ensure enhanced information on the national
scope of the problem of violent deaths is available to monitor and
track trends and to inform national efforts.
  SEC. 2.  Article 3 (commencing with Section 131230) is added to
Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 112 of the Health and Safety Code, to
read:

      Article 3.  Electronic Violent Death Reporting System


   131230.  (a)  The   To the extent that
funding is appropriated by the Legislature or available through
private funds in each fiscal year, the  department shall
establish and maintain the California Electronic Violent Death
Reporting System.
   (b) The department shall collect data on violent deaths as
reported from data sources, including, but not limited to, death
certificates, law enforcement reports, and coroner or medical
examiner  reports.   reports. The department
shall post on its Internet Web site a summary and analysis of the
collected data.
   (c) The department shall  contract with counties 
 enter into contracts, grants, or other agreements with one or
more local agencies  to collect the data specified in
subdivision (b). 
   (d) To the extent that funding is available for this purpose, a
law enforcement agency may report to the department data on the
circumstances surrounding all violent deaths from investigative
reports and, if available, laboratory toxicology reports to be used
by the department for the limited purpose of conducting public health
surveillance and epidemiology. Aggregate data shall be public, but
individual identifying information shall remain confidential. The
collected data shall be based on the data elements of the federal
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Violent Death
Reporting System.  
   (d) 
    (e)  The department may apply for grants provided under
the National Violent Death Reporting System  of the federal
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  for purposes of
implementing this section. 
   (e) 
    (f)  The department may accept private or foundation
moneys to implement this section. 
   (f) 
    (g)  This section does not limit data sources that the
department may collect, which may include any public agency document
that may contain data on violent deaths. 
   131231.  For purposes of this article, "violent death" means a
death resulting from the use of physical force or power against
oneself, another person, or a group or community, and includes, but
is not limited to, homicide, suicide, legal intervention deaths,
unintentional firearm deaths, and undetermined intent deaths.