Bill Text: IL HB3911 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Enrolled
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Amends the First Responders Suicide Prevention Act. Provides that the First Responders Suicide Task Force shall make specified recommendations to specified entities.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-3)
Status: (Passed) 2021-08-13 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0352 [HB3911 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-HB3911-Enrolled.html
Bill Title: Amends the First Responders Suicide Prevention Act. Provides that the First Responders Suicide Task Force shall make specified recommendations to specified entities.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-3)
Status: (Passed) 2021-08-13 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0352 [HB3911 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2021-HB3911-Enrolled.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The First Responders Suicide Prevention Act is | ||||||
5 | amended by adding Section 40 as follows:
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6 | (5 ILCS 840/40 new) | ||||||
7 | Sec. 40. Task Force recommendations. | ||||||
8 | (a) Task Force members shall recommend that agencies and | ||||||
9 | organizations guarantee access to mental health and wellness | ||||||
10 | services, including, but not limited to, peer support programs | ||||||
11 | and providing ongoing education related to the ever-evolving | ||||||
12 | concept of mental health wellness. These recommendations could | ||||||
13 | be accomplished by: | ||||||
14 | (1) Revising agencies' and organizations' employee | ||||||
15 | assistance programs (EAPs). | ||||||
16 | (2) Urging health care providers to replace outdated | ||||||
17 | healthcare plans and include more progressive options | ||||||
18 | catering to the needs and disproportionate risks | ||||||
19 | shouldered by our first responders. | ||||||
20 | (3) Allocating funding or resources for public service | ||||||
21 | announcements (PSA) and messaging campaigns aimed at | ||||||
22 | raising awareness of available assistance options. | ||||||
23 | (4) Encouraging agencies and organizations to attach |
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1 | lists of all available resources to training manuals and | ||||||
2 | continuing education requirements. | ||||||
3 | (b) Task Force members shall recommend agencies and | ||||||
4 | organizations sponsor or facilitate first responders with | ||||||
5 | specialized training in the areas of psychological fitness, | ||||||
6 | depressive disorders, early detection, and mitigation best | ||||||
7 | practices. Such trainings could be accomplished by: | ||||||
8 | (1) Assigning, appointing, or designating one member | ||||||
9 | of an agency or organization to attend specialized | ||||||
10 | training(s) sponsored by an accredited agency, | ||||||
11 | association, or organization recognized in their fields of | ||||||
12 | study. | ||||||
13 | (2) Seeking sponsorships or conducting fund-raisers, | ||||||
14 | to host annual or semiannual on-site visits from qualified | ||||||
15 | clinicians or physicians to provide early detection | ||||||
16 | training techniques, or to provide regular access to | ||||||
17 | mental health professionals. | ||||||
18 | (3) Requiring a minimum number of hours of disorders | ||||||
19 | and wellness training be incorporated into reoccurring, | ||||||
20 | annual or biannual training standards, examinations, and | ||||||
21 | curriculums, taking into close consideration respective | ||||||
22 | agency or organization size, frequency and number of all | ||||||
23 | current federal and state mandatory examinations and | ||||||
24 | trainings expected respectively. | ||||||
25 | (4) Not underestimating the crucial importance of a | ||||||
26 | balanced diet, sleep, mindfulness-based stress reduction |
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1 | techniques, moderate and vigorous intensity activities, | ||||||
2 | and recreational hobbies, which have been scientifically | ||||||
3 | proven to play a major role in brain health and mental | ||||||
4 | wellness. | ||||||
5 | (c) Task Force members shall recommend that administrators | ||||||
6 | and leadership personnel solicit training services from | ||||||
7 | evidence-based, data driven organizations. Organizations with | ||||||
8 | personnel trained on the analytical review and interpretation | ||||||
9 | of specific fields related to the nature of first responders' | ||||||
10 | exploits, such as PTSD, substance abuse, chronic state of | ||||||
11 | duress. Task Force members shall further recommend funding for | ||||||
12 | expansion and messaging campaigns of preliminary | ||||||
13 | self-diagnosing technologies like the one described above. | ||||||
14 | These objectives could be met by: | ||||||
15 | (1) Contacting an accredited agency, association, or | ||||||
16 | organization recognized in the field or fields of specific | ||||||
17 | study. Unbeknownst to the majority, many of the agencies | ||||||
18 | and organizations listed above receive grants and | ||||||
19 | allocations to assist communities with the very issues | ||||||
20 | being discussed in this Section. | ||||||
21 | (2) Normalizing help-seeking behaviors for both first | ||||||
22 | responders and their families through regular messaging | ||||||
23 | and peer support outreach, beginning with academy | ||||||
24 | curricula and continuing education throughout individuals' | ||||||
25 | careers. | ||||||
26 | (3) Funding and implementing PSA campaigns that |
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1 | provide clear and concise calls to action about mental | ||||||
2 | health and wellness, resiliency, help-seeking, treatment | ||||||
3 | and recovery. | ||||||
4 | (4) Promoting and raising awareness of non-for-profit | ||||||
5 | organizations currently available to assist individuals in | ||||||
6 | search of care and treatment. Organizations have intuitive | ||||||
7 | user-friendly sites, most of which have mobile | ||||||
8 | applications, so first responders can access at a moment's | ||||||
9 | notice. However, because of limited funds, these | ||||||
10 | organizations have a challenging time of getting the word | ||||||
11 | out there about their existence. | ||||||
12 | (5) Expanding Family and Medical Leave Act protections | ||||||
13 | for individuals voluntarily seeking preventative | ||||||
14 | treatment. | ||||||
15 | (6) Promoting and ensuring complete patient | ||||||
16 | confidentiality protections. | ||||||
17 | (d) Task Force members shall recommend that agencies and | ||||||
18 | organizations incorporate the following training components | ||||||
19 | into already existing modules and educational curriculums. | ||||||
20 | Doing so could be done by: | ||||||
21 | (1) Bolstering academy and school curricula by | ||||||
22 | requiring depressive disorder training catered to PTSD, | ||||||
23 | substance abuse, and early detection techniques training, | ||||||
24 | taking into close consideration respective agency or | ||||||
25 | organization size, and the frequency and number of all | ||||||
26 | current federal and state mandatory examinations and |
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1 | trainings expected respectively. | ||||||
2 | (2) Continuing to allocate or match federal and state | ||||||
3 | funds to maintain Mobil Training Units (MTUs). | ||||||
4 | (3) Incorporating a state certificate for peer support | ||||||
5 | training into already exiting statewide curriculums and | ||||||
6 | mandatory examinations, annual State Fire Marshal | ||||||
7 | examinations, and physical fitness examinations. The | ||||||
8 | subject matter of the certificate should have an emphasis | ||||||
9 | on mental health and wellness, as well as familiarization | ||||||
10 | with topics ranging from clinical social work, clinical | ||||||
11 | psychology, clinical behaviorist, and clinical psychiatry. | ||||||
12 | (4) Incorporating and performing statewide mental | ||||||
13 | health check-ins during the same times as already mandated | ||||||
14 | trainings. These checks are not to be compared or used as | ||||||
15 | measures of fitness for duty evaluations or structured | ||||||
16 | psychological examinations. | ||||||
17 | (5) Recommending comprehensive and evidence-based | ||||||
18 | training on the importance of preventative measures on the | ||||||
19 | topics of sleep, nutrition, mindfulness, and physical | ||||||
20 | movement. | ||||||
21 | (6) Law enforcement agencies should provide training | ||||||
22 | on the Firearm Owner's Identification Card Act, including | ||||||
23 | seeking relief from the Illinois State Police under | ||||||
24 | Section 10 of the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act | ||||||
25 | and a FOID card being a continued condition of employment | ||||||
26 | under Section 7.2 of the Uniform Peace Officers' |
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1 | Disciplinary Act.
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