Senate Bill sb2042c1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2042
By the Committee on Children and Families; and Senators Lynn
and Wilson
300-2229-04
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to suicide prevention; creating
3 s. 397.3335, F.S.; creating the Statewide
4 Office for Suicide Prevention in the Office of
5 Drug Control; providing the goals and
6 objectives of the office; creating the position
7 of statewide coordinator for the statewide
8 office; specifying the education and experience
9 requirements for the position of coordinator;
10 detailing the duties and responsibilities of
11 the coordinator; creating s. 397.3336, F.S.;
12 creating the Suicide Prevention Coordinating
13 Council within the Office of Drug Control;
14 providing the scope of activities for the
15 coordinating council; creating an interagency
16 workgroup for state agencies within the
17 coordinating council in order to coordinate
18 state agency plans for suicide prevention;
19 authorizing the coordinating council to
20 assemble an ad hoc committee to advise the
21 coordinating council; providing for membership
22 on the coordinating council; authorizing the
23 coordinating council to seek and accept grants
24 or funds from any source to support its
25 operation; providing an appropriation and
26 authorizing an additional position; providing
27 an effective date.
28
29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
30
31
1
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2042
300-2229-04
1 Section 1. Section 397.3335, Florida Statutes, is
2 created to read:
3 397.3335 Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention.--
4 (1)(a) The Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention is
5 created in the Office of Drug Control within the Executive
6 Office of the Governor.
7 (b) The statewide office shall develop a network of
8 community-based programs to improve suicide prevention
9 initiatives. The network shall identify and work to eliminate
10 barriers that impede providing suicide prevention services to
11 individuals who are at risk of suicide.
12 (c) The network of community-based programs shall
13 consist of stakeholders advocating suicide prevention,
14 including, but not limited to, not-for-profit suicide
15 prevention organizations, faith-based suicide prevention
16 organizations, law enforcement agencies, first responders to
17 emergency calls, suicide prevention community coalitions,
18 schools and universities, mental health agencies, health care
19 providers, and school personnel.
20 (2) The statewide office shall, within available
21 resources:
22 (a) Implement the statewide plan prepared by the
23 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council;
24 (b) Build a network of community-based programs to
25 integrate suicide prevention initiatives into the programs'
26 activities;
27 (c) Increase public awareness concerning topics
28 relating to suicide prevention;
29 (d) Coordinate education and training curricula in
30 suicide prevention efforts for law enforcement personnel,
31 first responders to emergency calls, health care providers,
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2042
300-2229-04
1 school employees, and other persons who may have contact with
2 persons at risk of suicide; and
3 (e) Direct an interagency workgroup within the Suicide
4 Prevention Coordinating Council to prepare a suicide
5 prevention communication plan among state agencies. The
6 communication plan must be incorporated into the council's
7 statewide plan.
8 (3) Contingent upon an appropriation specifically
9 intended for this purpose, the director of the Office of Drug
10 Control shall employ a coordinator for the Statewide Office
11 for Suicide Prevention. Unless waived by the director of the
12 Office of Drug Control, the coordinator must:
13 (a) Have the following education and employment
14 experience:
15 1. A bachelor's degree in social work, psychology,
16 sociology, counseling, public health, or a closely related
17 field and 5 or more years of work experience in behavioral
18 health care or a closely related field; or
19 2. A master's or a doctoral degree in social work,
20 psychology, sociology, counseling, public health, or a closely
21 related field and 2 or more years of work experience in
22 behavioral health or a closely related field.
23 (b) Possess the following skills:
24 1. Significant professional experience in social
25 services, mental health, or a closely related field;
26 2. Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, methods
27 of facilitation, community development, behavioral health
28 treatment and prevention programs, and community-based
29 behavioral health problems;
30
31
3
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2042
300-2229-04
1 3. Experience in working with community groups and
2 constituents that are diverse and representative of the
3 gender, ethnic, and racial populations in this state; and
4 4. Experience in writing grants and technical reports.
5 (4) The coordinator shall work under the direction of
6 the director to achieve the goals and objectives set forth in
7 this section. Contingent upon specific appropriations, the
8 coordinator shall:
9 (a) Facilitate an interagency workgroup within the
10 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council to integrate state
11 agency programs for suicide prevention into a unified
12 statewide plan;
13 (b) Conduct a review of local, state, and national
14 suicide prevention programs for examples of innovative suicide
15 prevention models. If innovative models are discovered, the
16 coordinator shall prepare a presentation to describe the
17 feasibility of implementing some or all of the innovation
18 models in this state. The innovative models, and the
19 feasibility of their implementation in this state, shall be
20 evaluated by the Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council;
21 (c) Develop and maintain an Internet website with
22 links to appropriate suicide prevention resource documents,
23 suicide hotlines, state and community mental health agencies,
24 and appropriate national suicide prevention organizations;
25 (d) Identify and disseminate information regarding
26 crisis services for suicide prevention;
27 (e) Join with stakeholders in suicide prevention to
28 develop public awareness and media campaigns in each county
29 directed towards persons who are at risk of suicide;
30
31
4
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2042
300-2229-04
1 (f) Provide technical assistance to educational
2 activities for residents of this state relating to suicide
3 prevention;
4 (g) Cooperate with school districts to develop
5 training and counseling programs for school-based suicide
6 prevention activities. The coordinator and school districts
7 must also develop a method by which to evaluate each
8 prevention training and counseling program;
9 (h) Join with stakeholders in suicide prevention to
10 develop education and training programs for suicide
11 prevention. The education and training programs must be
12 directed first to persons who have face-to-face contact with
13 individuals who may be at risk of suicide. The training must
14 assist persons to recognize when an individual is at risk of
15 suicide and on how to properly refer those individuals to
16 treatment or support services;
17 (i) Review current research data and findings to
18 identify at-risk populations, factors relating to suicide, and
19 suicide prevention activities and disseminate this research to
20 the Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council to develop
21 strategies to prevent suicide; and
22 (j) Develop and submit proposals to agencies of the
23 state and federal government and to nongovernmental
24 organizations to fund suicide prevention activities.
25 Section 2. Section 397.3336, Florida Statutes, is
26 created to read:
27 397.3336 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council;
28 creation; membership; duties.--There is created within the
29 Office of Drug Control a Suicide Prevention Coordinating
30 Council. The council shall develop strategies for preventing
31 suicide.
5
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2042
300-2229-04
1 (1) SCOPE OF ACTIVITY.--The Suicide Prevention
2 Coordinating Council shall:
3 (a) Develop a statewide plan for suicide prevention
4 with the guiding principal being that suicide is a preventable
5 problem. The statewide plan shall:
6 1. Align and provide direction for statewide suicide
7 prevention initiatives;
8 2. Establish partnerships with state and private
9 agencies to promote public awareness of suicide prevention;
10 3. Address specific populations in this state who are
11 at risk for suicide;
12 4. Improve access to help individuals in acute
13 situations; and
14 5. Identify resources to support the implementation of
15 the statewide plan.
16 (b) Create an interagency workgroup within the council
17 in order to incorporate state agency plans for suicide
18 prevention into the statewide plan. The interagency workgroup
19 must include, but need not be limited to:
20 1. The Secretary of Elderly Affairs, or his or her
21 designee;
22 2. The Secretary of Health, or his or her designee;
23 3. The Commissioner of Education, or his or her
24 designee;
25 4. The Secretary of Health Care Administration, or his
26 or her designee;
27 5. The Secretary of Juvenile Justice, or his or her
28 designee;
29 6. The executive director of the Department of Law
30 Enforcement, or his or her designee;
31
6
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2042
300-2229-04
1 7. The Secretary of Children and Family Services, or
2 his or her designee;
3 8. The Secretary of Corrections, or his or her
4 designee; and
5 9. The executive director of the Department of
6 Veterans' Affairs, or his or her designee.
7 (c) Assemble an ad hoc advisory committee with
8 membership from outside the council when necessary for the
9 council to receive advice and assistance in carrying out its
10 responsibilities.
11 (d) Advise the Statewide Office for Suicide
12 Prevention.
13 (e) Make findings and recommendations regarding
14 suicide prevention programs and activities. The council shall
15 prepare an annual report and present it to the Governor, the
16 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
17 Representatives by January 1, 2005, and each year thereafter.
18 The annual report must describe the status of existing and
19 planned initiatives identified in the statewide plan for
20 suicide prevention and any recommendations arising therefrom.
21 (2) MEMBERSHIP.--The Suicide Prevention Coordinating
22 Council shall consist of 23 members.
23 (a) Nine members shall be appointed by the director of
24 the Office of Drug Control and shall represent the following
25 organizations:
26 1. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation,
27 Inc., described in s. 394.655;
28 2. The Florida Association of School Psychologists;
29 3. The Florida Sheriffs Association;
30 4. The Suicide Prevention Action Network USA;
31 5. The Florida Initiative of Suicide Prevention;
7
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2042
300-2229-04
1 6. The Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition;
2 7. The Alzheimer's Association;
3 8. The Florida School Board Association; and
4 9. A representative from the Governor's Mentoring
5 Initiative.
6
7 Each identified organization shall recommend three individuals
8 to the director for appointment to membership on the
9 coordinating council.
10 (b) The following state officials shall be appointed
11 to serve on the coordinating council:
12 1. The Secretary of Elderly Affairs, or his or her
13 designee;
14 2. The Secretary of Health, or his or her designee;
15 3. The Commissioner of Education, or his or her
16 designee;
17 4. The Secretary of Health Care Administration, or his
18 or her designee;
19 5. The Secretary of Juvenile Justice, or his or her
20 designee;
21 6. The Secretary of Corrections, or his or her
22 designee;
23 7. The executive director of the Department of Law
24 Enforcement, or his or her designee;
25 8. The executive director of Veterans' Affairs, or his
26 or her designee; and
27 9. The Secretary of Children and Family Services, or
28 his or her designee.
29 (c) The Governor shall appoint 5 additional members to
30 the coordinating council. The appointees shall have expertise
31 critical to the prevention of suicide or represent an
8
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2042
300-2229-04
1 organization that is not already represented on the
2 coordinating council.
3 (d) Council members shall be appointed to terms of 4
4 years. Any vacancy on the coordinating council shall be filled
5 in the same manner as the original appointment, and any member
6 appointed to fill a vacancy occurring because of death,
7 resignation, or ineligibility for membership shall serve only
8 for the unexpired term of the member's predecessor. A member
9 is eligible for reappointment.
10 (e) Members of the coordinating council shall serve
11 without compensation. Any member of the coordinating council
12 who is a public employee is entitled to reimbursement for per
13 diem and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061.
14 (3) MEETINGS.--
15 (a) The director of the Office of Drug Control shall
16 be a nonvoting, ex officio member of the coordinating council
17 and shall act as chair.
18 (b) The coordinating council shall meet at least
19 quarterly or upon the call of the chair. The council meetings
20 may be held via teleconference or other electronic means.
21 (c) Public organizations shall participate and
22 cooperate with the coordinating council.
23 (4) FUNDING.--The coordinating council for suicide
24 prevention may seek and accept grants or funds from any
25 federal, state, or local source to support its operation and
26 defray the expenses incurred in its operation and
27 implementation of this section.
28 Section 3. The sum of $100,000 is appropriated from
29 the General Revenue Fund, and one additional full-time
30 equivalent position is authorized, to the Office of Drug
31
9
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2004 CS for SB 2042
300-2229-04
1 Control for the purpose of implementing this act during the
2 2004-2005 fiscal year.
3 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.
4
5 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
6 Senate Bill 2042
7
8 Clarifies that the focus of the network of community-based
programs is to address the needs of individuals who are at
9 risk of suicide.
10 Requires that the interagency workgroup include in its
membership the Secretary of the Department of Corrections and
11 the Executive Director of the Department of Veterans' Affairs
or their designees.
12
Reduces the number of appointments made by the Director of the
13 Office of Drug Control to the coordinating council.
14 Requires that the Executive Director of Veterans' Affairs, or
his or her designee, be appointed to the coordinating council.
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
10
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.