Bill Text: NJ S1650 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced

New Jersey Senate Bill 1650

Introduced

Bill Title: Establishes New Jersey Statewide Suicide Prevention Coordination and Oversight Council in DHS.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [S1650 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2024-S1650-Introduced.html

SENATE, No. 1650

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator DECLAN J. O'SCANLON, JR.

District 13 (Monmouth)

Senator TROY SINGLETON

District 7 (Burlington)

Co-Sponsored by:

Senators Pou and Ruiz

SYNOPSIS

Establishes New Jersey Statewide Suicide Prevention Coordination and Oversight Council in DHS.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

An Act establishing the New Jersey Statewide Suicide Prevention Coordination and Oversight Council and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. There is established in the Department of Human Services the New Jersey Statewide Suicide Prevention Coordination and Oversight Council.

a. The purpose of the council shall be to:

(1) periodically survey and evaluate existing activities, programs, initiatives, and services related to suicide prevention efforts throughout the State;

(2) develop standards and guidelines for suicide prevention entities currently operating in the State to report data related to attempted and completed suicides pursuant to paragraph (5) of this subsection, as well as information related to suicide prevention and intervention programs, activities, and initiatives and other information for which reporting is required under paragraph (6) of this subsection;

(3) assist suicide prevention entities by providing standardized guidance, based on prevailing best practices, concerning the content of informational materials made available to persons who report an attempted or completed suicide;

(4) provide guidance and assistance to suicide prevention entities concerning compliance with any regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Human Services to implement the provisions of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill);

(5) serve as a centralized hub for reporting, analyzing, and retaining non-identifying and de-identified data collected from suicide prevention entities operating within the State, including any suicide prevention entities constituted within or operating under a department, agency, office, or other governmental entity represented on the council's membership, which collected data shall include the following information concerning individuals who have attempted or completed suicide:

(a) age;

(b) gender;

(d) ethnicity;

(e) whether the suicide was completed;

(f) the method of attempted or completed suicide;

(g) the person's status as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, undesignated/nonbinary, questioning, queer, or intersex;

(h) the person's status as a current or former law enforcement officer;

(i) the person's status as active or retired military;

(j) the municipality in which the attempted or completed suicide occurred;

(k) whether the person had previous involvement with a mental health professional or a professional specializing in the treatment of substance use disorders; and

(l) any other metric the council requires to be reported, provided that the Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner of Human Services, the Commissioner of Children and Families, and the Attorney General have each approved collection of the additional metric by the council;

(6) collect information from suicide prevention entities operating within the State concerning the entity's programs, activities, and initiatives related to suicide prevention and intervention, including any requests for proposals issued by the entity, any grants for which the entity applies and whether those grants involve State, federal, or private monies, and any other sources of State, federal, or private funding sought out by the entity; and

(7) compile and make available to appropriate entities, including the Department of Health and other State and federal authorities authorized to acquire such data and related information, the aggregate or individual data collected by the council pursuant to paragraph (5) of this subsection, as well as the council's findings and recommendations related to completed suicides and suicide attempts, provided that any data or other information furnished by the council to another entity under this paragraph does not contain any private or personal identifying information, and the data and other information is furnished in a manner that is not violative of federal privacy laws under the "Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996," Pub.L.104-191, any regulations promulgated thereunder by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or any other applicable State or federal law concerning the privacy of health records or personal or identifying information.

b. The council shall consist of 25 members as follows:

(1) the Commissioners of Health, Human Services, Children and Families, Corrections, and Education, the Secretary of Higher Education, the executive director of the Juvenile Justice Commission, the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, the Executive Director of the Board of Directors of NJ Transit, the Chief State Medical Examiner, the assistant commissioner of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services, the chair of the Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma, and the Chief Technology Officer of the Office of Information Technology, or their designees, who shall serve ex officio; provided that if a department, division, office, agency, council, or other entity named as an ex officio member under this paragraph has a suitable suicide prevention or mental health entity operating under that member's direct or indirect control, the ex officio member shall select a representative of that suicide prevention or mental health entity to serve as the member's designee on the council;

(2) four public members appointed by the Governor, three of whom shall be faculty members at institutions of higher education who have expertise in the area of mental health, and one of whom shall be eithera law enforcement officer in the Office of the Attorney General with expertise related to suicide or a mental health professional;

(3) four public members appointed by the President of the Senate, one of whom shall have experience as a mental health professional in the private sector with experience in youth suicide prevention and counseling, one of whom shall have experience as a psychiatrist in the private sector in the provision of services to elderly persons, one of whom shall identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, undesignated/nonbinary, questioning, queer, or intersex, and one of whom shall be a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor who is also a licensed clinical social worker with experience working with individuals in crisis; and

(4) four public members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, two of whom shall be current or former mental health professionals with experience providing services in a secondary school, one of whom shall be a survivor of suicide or have a family member who has been affected by suicide, and one of whom shall have experience as a primary health care practitioner.

c. The public members shall be appointed no later than 60 days after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

d. The public members shall serve for a term of five years; but, of the members first appointed, four members shall serve for a term of three years, four members shall serve for a term of four years, and four members shall serve for a term of five years. Public members shall be eligible for reappointment to the council upon the expiration of their terms. Vacancies in the membership of the council shall be filled in the same manner provided for the original appointments.

e. The council shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members, and shall select a chairperson and vice-chairperson from among the members. The chairperson shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the council.

f. The public members shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties and within the limits of funds made available to the council for this purpose.

g. The council shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available to it for its purposes.

h. The Department of Human Services shall provide staff support to the council.

i. The council shall, at a minimum, meet every other month and may meet more frequently as needed, based on a vote of a majority of the members of the council.

j. The council shall issue an annual report tothe Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, containing a summary of the data compiled by the council pursuant to paragraph (5) of subsection a. of this section that includes aggregate demographic information about persons who attempt or complete suicide and any findings made by the council concerning attempted and completed suicides. The report shall include recommendations for legislation or administrative or other actions as may be necessary to facilitate the accurate and efficient collection of data and promote more effective suicide prevention and intervention activities, programs, and initiatives.

k. As used in this section:

"Attempted suicide" means destructive behavior intended by the actor to result in the actor's harm or death.

"Completed suicide" means a death that is known or reasonably suspected to have resulted from an intentional act of the deceased, regardless of whether it has been ruled a suicide by a medical examiner.

"Suicide prevention entity" means any entity operating under imprimatur of State authority that engages in activities related to suicide prevention or collecting data specific to attempted and completed suicides, regardless of whether the entity was established by statute, regulation, or executive or administrative action.

2. The Commissioner of Human Services shall, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt any rules and regulations as the commissioner deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes the New Jersey Statewide Suicide Prevention Coordination and Oversight Council in the Department of Human Services. The purpose of the council will be to:

(1) periodically survey and evaluate existing activities,
programs, initiatives, and services related to suicide prevention efforts operating throughout the State;

(2) develop standards and guidelines for suicide prevention entities operating in the State to report certain data to the council as required under the bill;

(4) provide guidance and assistance to suicide prevention entities concerning compliance with regulations adopted by the Commissioner of Human Services to implement the provisions of the bill;

(5) serve as a centralized hub for reporting, analyzing, and retaining certain non-identifying and de-identified data collected from suicide prevention entities operating within the State, including: the individual's age, gender, race, and ethnicity; whether the suicide was completed; the method of attempted or completed suicide; the person's status as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, undesignated/nonbinary, questioning, queer, or intersex; the person's status a current or former law enforcement officer; the person's status as active or retired military; the municipality in which the attempted or completed suicide occurred; whether the person had previous involvement with a mental health professional or a professional specializing in the treatment of substance use disorders; and any other metric the council requires to be reported, provided that the Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner of Human Services, the Commissioner of Children and Families, and the Attorney General have each approved collection of the additional metric by the council;

(7) compile and make available to appropriate entities, including the Department of Health and other State and federal authorities authorized to acquire such data and related information, certain data collected by the council, as well as the council's findings and recommendations related to completed suicides and suicide attempts, provided that any data or other information furnished by the council to another entity does not contain any private or personal identifying information, and the data and other information
is furnished in a manner that is not violative of State or federal privacy laws.

With regard to the entities that are subject to the reporting requirements under the bill, the term "suicide prevention entity" is defined to mean any entity operating under imprimatur of State authority that engages in activities related to suicide prevention or collecting data specific to attempted and completed suicides, regardless of whether the entity was established by statute, regulation, or executive or administrative action.

The council will consist of 25 members, including: the Commissioners of Health, Human Services, Children and Families, Corrections, and Education, the Secretary of Higher Education, the executive director of the Juvenile Justice Commission, the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, the Executive Director of the Board of Directors of NJ Transit, the Chief State Medical Examiner, the assistant commissioner of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services, the chair of the Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma, and the Chief Technology Officer of the Office of Information Technology, or their designees, who will serve ex officio;

(2) four public members appointed by the Governor, three of whom are to be faculty members at institutions of higher education who have expertise in the area of mental health, and one of whom is to be either a law enforcement officer in the Office of the Attorney General with expertise related to suicide or a mental health professional;

(3) four public members appointed by the President of the Senate, one of whom is to have experience as a mental health professional in the private sector with experience in youth suicide prevention and counseling, one of whom is to have experience as a psychiatrist in the private sector in the provision of services to elderly persons, one of whom is to be a person who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, undesignated/nonbinary, questioning, queer, or intersex, and one of whom is to be a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor who is also a licensed clinical social worker with experience working with individuals in crisis; and

(4) four public members appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, two of whom are to be current or former mental health professionals with experience providing services in a secondary school, one of whom is to be a survivor of suicide or have a family member who has been affected by suicide, and one of whom is to have experience as a primary health care practitioner.

The public members will serve for a term of five years.

The council will be required to issue an annual report to the
Governor and to the Legislature containing a summary of the data compiled by the council that includes aggregate demographic information about persons who attempt or complete suicide and any findings made by the council concerning attempted and completed suicides. The report will include recommendations for legislation or administrative or other actions as may be necessary to facilitate the accurate and efficient collection of data and promote more effective suicide prevention and intervention activities, programs, and initiatives.