Bill Text: NY S06194 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Establishes a 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system; provides crisis intervention services and crisis care coordination to individuals accessing the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-2)
Status: (Passed) 2021-12-22 - APPROVAL MEMO.145 [S06194 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-S06194-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Establishes a 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system; provides crisis intervention services and crisis care coordination to individuals accessing the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-2)
Status: (Passed) 2021-12-22 - APPROVAL MEMO.145 [S06194 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-S06194-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6194 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN SENATE April 14, 2021 ___________ Introduced by Sen. BROUK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government AN ACT to amend the county law, in relation to a 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "9-8-8 Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Act". 3 § 2. The county law is amended by adding a new article 6-B to read as 4 follows: 5 ARTICLE 6-B 6 9-8-8 SUICIDE PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS ACT 7 Section 340. Definitions. 8 341. 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline 9 system. 10 342. Mobile crisis teams. 11 343. Establishment of fees for system costs. 12 344. Application; limitations; exemptions. 13 § 340. Definitions. When used in this article, the following words and 14 phrases shall have the following meanings unless the specific context 15 clearly indicates otherwise: 16 1. "9-8-8" means the three digit phone number designated by the feder- 17 al communications commission for the purpose of connecting individuals 18 experiencing a mental health crisis with suicide prevention and mental 19 health crisis counselors, mobile crisis teams, and crisis receiving and 20 stabilization services and other mental health crises services through 21 the national suicide prevention lifeline. 22 2. "9-8-8 crisis hotline center" means a state-identified and funded 23 center participating in the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network 24 to respond to statewide or regional 9-8-8 calls. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD10757-04-1S. 6194 2 1 3. "Crisis receiving and stabilization services" means facilities 2 providing short-term observation and crisis stabilization services to 3 all referrals in a home-like environment for no longer than twenty-four 4 hours. 5 4. "Mental health professional" means any of the following, but not 6 limited to: 7 (a) a licensed clinical social worker, pursuant to subdivision seven 8 of section nine hundred twenty-three of the public health law; 9 (b) a licensed psychologist, pursuant to section 10.03 of the mental 10 hygiene law; 11 (c) a registered professional nurse, pursuant to subdivision one of 12 section six thousand nine hundred two of the education law; and 13 (d) a licensed marriage and family therapist, pursuant to subdivision 14 nine of section nine hundred twenty-three of the public health law. 15 5. "Mobile crisis teams" means a team including, but not limited to, 16 mental health professionals, family advocates, and peers, as defined by 17 section three hundred forty-two of this article, to provide onsite 18 community-based intervention for individuals who are experiencing a 19 mental health crisis. 20 6. "National suicide prevention lifeline" or "NSPL" means the national 21 network of local crisis centers that provide free and confidential 22 emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 23 twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week via a toll-free hotline 24 number, which receives calls made through the 9-8-8 system. The toll- 25 free number is maintained by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 26 and Substance Use under Section 50-E-3 of the Public Health Service Act, 27 Section 290bb-36c of Title 42 of the United States Code. 28 7. "Peers" means individuals employed on the basis of their personal 29 experience of mental illness, addiction, or both, and recovery there- 30 from, and who meet the certification requirements set forth by the New 31 York state peer specialist certification board. 32 8. "Family advocates" means individuals who support person-centered 33 planning, offer culturally responsive trauma-informed care and support 34 families and youth with mental health or co-occurring disorders and have 35 experience working with multiple agencies and providers, including, but 36 not limited to, mental health, physical health, substance abuse, juve- 37 nile justice, developmental disabilities, and other state and local 38 systems of care. 39 9. "Veterans crisis line" or "VCL" means the veterans crisis line 40 maintained by the secretary of veterans affairs pursuant to section 41 1720F(h) of Title 38 of the United States Code. 42 10. "Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration" 43 ("SAMHSA") means the agency of the United States Department of Health 44 and Human Services. 45 § 341. 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline 46 system. 1. The department of public service, in consultation with the 47 commissioner of the office of mental health and the commissioner of the 48 office of addiction services and supports shall, on or before July 49 sixteenth, two thousand twenty-two, designate a crisis hotline center or 50 centers to provide crisis intervention services and crisis care coordi- 51 nation to individuals accessing the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental 52 health crisis hotline from anywhere within the state twenty-four hours a 53 day, seven days a week. 54 (a) A designated hotline center shall have an active agreement with 55 the administrator of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for 56 participation within the network.S. 6194 3 1 (b) A designated hotline center shall meet NSPL requirements and best 2 practices guidelines for operation and clinical standards. 3 (c) A designated hotline center shall utilize technology including 4 chat and text that is interoperable between and across crisis and emer- 5 gency systems used throughout the state and with the administrator of 6 the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 7 (d) A designated hotline center shall transfer any call made to 9-1-1 8 pertaining to a mental health crisis to a 9-8-8 crisis hotline center. 9 If a law enforcement, medical or fire response is also needed, 9-8-8 and 10 9-1-1 operators shall coordinate the simultaneous deployment of services 11 with mobile crisis teams. 12 (e) A designated hotline center shall have the authority to deploy 13 crisis and outgoing services, including mobile crisis teams, and coordi- 14 nate access to crisis receiving and stabilization services, as appropri- 15 ate, and according to guidelines and best practices established by the 16 NSPL. 17 (f) The department of public service in conjunction with the commis- 18 sioner of the office of mental health and the commissioner of the office 19 of addiction services and supports shall have joint oversight of suicide 20 prevention and crisis service activities and essential coordination with 21 a designated 9-8-8 hotline center, and shall work in concert with NSPL 22 and VCL networks for the purposes of ensuring consistency of public 23 messaging about 9-8-8 services. 24 (g) A designated hotline center shall meet the requirements set forth 25 by the NSPL for serving high risk and specialized populations including 26 but not limited to: Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, 27 Pacific Islander, Native American, Alaskan Native; Lesbian, gay, bisexu- 28 al, transgender, nonbinary, queer, and questioning individuals; individ- 29 uals with intellectual and developmental disabilities; individuals expe- 30 riencing homelessness or housing instability; immigrants and refugees; 31 children and youth; older adults; and religious communities as identi- 32 fied by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminis- 33 tration, including training requirements and policies for transferring 34 such callers to an appropriate specialized center or subnetworks within 35 or outside the NSPL network and for providing linguistically and 36 culturally competent care. 37 (h) A designated hotline center shall provide follow-up services as 38 needed to individuals accessing the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental 39 health crisis hotline consistent with guidance and policies established 40 by the NSPL. 41 2. The commissioner of the office of mental health and the commis- 42 sioner of the office of addiction services and supports shall establish 43 a comprehensive list of reporting metrics to be included in the annual 44 report of the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis 45 hotline's usage, services and impact which shall include, at a minimum: 46 (a) The volume of requests for assistance that the 9-8-8 suicide 47 prevention and mental health crisis hotline received; 48 (b) The average length of time taken to respond to each request for 49 assistance, and the aggregate rates of call abandonment; 50 (c) The types of requests for assistance that the 9-8-8 suicide 51 prevention and mental health crisis hotline received; 52 (d) The number of mobile crisis teams dispatched; 53 (e) The number of individuals contacted by mobile crisis teams; 54 (f) The number of such individuals transported for care by mobile 55 crisis teams;S. 6194 4 1 (g) The number of such individuals transferred by mobile crisis team 2 responders to the custody of law enforcement; and 3 (h) The age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin of individuals 4 contacted, transported, or transferred by each mental health response 5 unit. 6 3. The commissioner of the office of mental health and the commis- 7 sioner of the office of addiction services and supports shall submit an 8 annual report on or by December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-three 9 and annually thereafter, regarding the comprehensive list of reporting 10 metrics to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the 11 speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the senate and the 12 minority leader of the assembly. 13 § 342. Mobile crisis teams. The commissioner of the office of mental 14 health and the commissioner of the office of addiction services and 15 supports shall provide onsite response services for crisis calls utiliz- 16 ing state or local mobile crisis teams. 17 1. A mobile crisis team shall include, but not be limited to, mental 18 health professionals, family advocates and peers, as defined by section 19 three hundred forty of this article; 20 2. A mobile crisis team shall collaborate on data and crisis response 21 protocols with local law enforcement agencies as co-responders, only as 22 needed, to respond to high-risk situations that are unmanageable without 23 law enforcement; 24 3. A mobile crisis team shall collaborate on data and crisis response 25 protocols with local emergency medical services as co-responders, only 26 as needed to respond to situations that require such services. 27 § 343. Establishment of fees for system costs. 1. The commissioner of 28 the department of taxation and finance, in consultation with the commis- 29 sioner of the office of mental health and the commissioner of the office 30 of addiction services and supports, shall establish and maintain a 9-8-8 31 trust fund for the purposes of creating and maintaining a 9-8-8 suicide 32 prevention and mental health crisis system pursuant to the National 33 Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 and the Federal Communication 34 Commission's rules adopted July sixteenth, two thousand twenty, and 35 national guidelines for crisis care. 36 2. (a) The fund shall consist of: 37 (i) monies from a 9-8-8 fee assessed on users pursuant to section 38 three hundred forty-four of this article; 39 (ii) appropriations, if any; 40 (iii) grants and gifts intended for deposit in the fund; 41 (iv) interest, premiums, gains, or other earnings on the fund; and 42 (v) any other monies that are deposited in or transferred to the fund. 43 (b) Monies in the fund: 44 (i) do not revert at the end of any fiscal year and remain available 45 for the purposes of the fund in subsequent fiscal years; 46 (ii) are not subject to transfer to any other fund or to transfer, 47 assessment, or reassessment for any other use or purpose outside of 48 those specified in this section; and 49 (iii) are continuously dedicated for the purposes of the fund. 50 3. The commissioner of the department of taxation and finance in 51 conjunction with the commissioner of the office of mental health and the 52 commissioner of the office of addiction services and supports shall 53 submit an annual report of fund deposits and expenditures into the 9-8-8 54 trust fund, to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the 55 speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the senate, the minorityS. 6194 5 1 leader of the assembly, and the chair of the federal communications 2 commission. 3 § 344. Application; limitations; exemptions. 1. The commissioner of 4 public service, consistent with the National Suicide Hotline Designation 5 Act of 2020, shall establish a monthly 9-8-8 fee on each resident that 6 is a subscriber of wireless communication service or voice over internet 7 protocol service, as defined by section three hundred one of this chap- 8 ter at a fixed rate that provides for the creation, operation, and main- 9 tenance of a 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis system 10 and the continuum of services provided pursuant to federal guidelines 11 for crisis services. 12 2. The 9-8-8 fee shall not be applied to mobile service users who 13 receive benefits under the federal Lifeline program as defined in 47 CFR 14 54.401. 15 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
