Bill Text: NY S02248 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Creates a veterans' mental health and suicide prevention task force to examine, evaluate and determine how to improve mental health and suicide prevention for our veterans.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-3)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-07-21 - referred to veterans' affairs [S02248 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S02248-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         2248--A

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 23, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens. SANDERS, ADDABBO, JACKSON, LANZA, PARKER, RITCHIE,
          SAVINO -- read twice and ordered  printed,  and  when  printed  to  be
          committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military
          Affairs -- recommitted to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security
          and  Military  Affairs  in  accordance  with  Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
          committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
          recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to create a veterans' mental health and suicide prevention task
          force; 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.  Legislative intent. The legislature is concerned with the
     2  health, safety, and welfare of all  returning  veterans  of  the  United
     3  States armed forces to New York and the high rate of mental health prob-
     4  lems and suicides of members of the United States armed forces.
     5    §  2.  Veterans'  suicide  task force. (a) There is hereby created the
     6  veterans' mental health and suicide prevention task  force  to  examine,
     7  evaluate  and  determine  how  to  improve  mental  health  and  suicide
     8  prevention for our veterans, consisting of seven members, each to  serve
     9  until May first, two thousand twenty-two.
    10    (b)(1) Such members shall be appointed as follows: one member shall be
    11  appointed  by  the governor; one member shall be appointed by the tempo-
    12  rary president of the senate; one  member  shall  be  appointed  by  the
    13  minority  leader  of  the  senate;  one member shall be appointed by the
    14  speaker of the assembly; one member shall be appointed by  the  minority
    15  leader of the assembly; one member shall be appointed by the director of
    16  the  New York State Division of Veterans' Services; and one member shall
    17  be appointed by the commissioner of health. Appointments shall  be  made
    18  within  sixty  days  of the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07156-04-0

        S. 2248--A                          2

     1  task force shall be filled in the manner provided for original  appoint-
     2  ments.
     3    (2)  All  appointees  shall  have  expertise  in fields or disciplines
     4  related to mental health.  All  appointments  shall  be  coordinated  to
     5  ensure geographic representation from the entire state.
     6    (3)  The  task force shall be chaired by the governor's appointee. The
     7  task force shall elect a vice-chair and other  necessary  officers  from
     8  among all appointed members.
     9    (4)  A  majority of the members of the task force then in office shall
    10  constitute a quorum for the transaction of business or the  exercise  of
    11  any  power or function of the task force. An act, determination or deci-
    12  sion of the majority of the members present during  the  presence  of  a
    13  quorum  shall  be  held to be the act, determination, or decision of the
    14  task force.
    15    (5) The task force shall meet at least quarterly at the  call  of  the
    16  chair.  Meetings may be held via teleconference. Special meetings may be
    17  called by the chair at the request of a majority of the members  of  the
    18  task force.
    19    (6)  Members of the task force shall receive no compensation for their
    20  services but shall be reimbursed for their actual expenses  incurred  in
    21  the performance of their duties in the work of the task force.
    22    (c) The task force shall:
    23    (1)  study  current  mental  health  practices  and suicide prevention
    24  efforts; and
    25    (2) recommend mental health practices and suicide  prevention  efforts
    26  to increase effectiveness across the state.
    27    (d)  The task force may establish such advisory committees as it deems
    28  appropriate on matters relating to the task  force's  functions,  powers
    29  and duties. Such committees shall be chaired by a task force member, but
    30  may  be  composed  of  task  force  members as well as other individuals
    31  selected by the task force to provide expertise of interest specific  to
    32  the charge of such committees.
    33    (e) The task force may, as it deems appropriate, request that studies,
    34  surveys,  or  analyses relating to the task force's powers and duties be
    35  performed by any state department, commission, agency or public authori-
    36  ty. All state departments, commissions, agencies or  public  authorities
    37  shall  provide  information  and advice in a timely manner and otherwise
    38  assist the task force with its work.
    39    (f) The task force shall submit a request  for  any  appropriation  as
    40  shall be necessary to enable the task force to perform its functions and
    41  duties  to  the governor, director of the division of budget, and chair-
    42  persons of the senate finance committee and the assembly ways and  means
    43  committee.
    44    (g)  The  task force may hold public hearings, take testimony and make
    45  investigations at such places as it deems necessary.
    46    (h) The task force shall make a preliminary report to the governor and
    47  the legislature of its findings, conclusions, recommendations and activ-
    48  ities already undertaken by the task force, not later than June 1, 2021,
    49  and a final report of its  findings,  conclusions,  recommendations  and
    50  activities already undertaken by the task force, not later than March 1,
    51  2022 and shall submit with its reports legislative proposals as it deems
    52  necessary to implement its recommendations.
    53    §  3.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
    54  have become a law and shall expire May 1, 2022 when upon such  date  the
    55  provisions of this act shall be deemed to be repealed.
feedback