Senate Bill sb0210c2
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Florida Senate - 2005 CS for CS for SB 210
By the Committees on Governmental Oversight and Productivity;
Children and Families; and Senator Lynn
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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, contingent upon a specific
9 appropriation; specifying the education and
10 experience requirements for the position of
11 coordinator; detailing the duties and
12 responsibilities of the coordinator;
13 authorizing the Statewide Office for Suicide
14 Prevention to seek and accept grants or funds
15 from any source to support its operation;
16 creating s. 397.3336, F.S.; creating the
17 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council within
18 the Office of Drug Control; providing the scope
19 of activities for the coordinating council;
20 creating an interagency workgroup for state
21 agencies within the coordinating council in
22 order to coordinate state agency plans for
23 suicide prevention; authorizing the
24 coordinating council to assemble an ad hoc
25 committee to advise the coordinating council;
26 providing for membership on the coordinating
27 council; providing an effective date.
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29 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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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, substance
19 abuse agencies, health care 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,
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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 a specific appropriation, the
9 director of the Office of Drug Control shall employ a
10 coordinator for the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention.
11 In selecting the coordinator, the director of the Office of
12 Drug Control should consider whether a candidate has:
13 (a) The following education and employment experience:
14 1. A bachelor's degree in social work, psychology,
15 sociology, counseling, public health, or a closely related
16 field and 5 or more years of work experience in behavioral
17 health care or a closely related field; or
18 2. A master's or a doctoral degree in social work,
19 psychology, sociology, counseling, public health, or a closely
20 related field and 2 or more years of work experience in
21 behavioral health or a closely related field.
22 (b) The following skills:
23 1. Significant professional experience in social
24 services, mental health, or a closely related field;
25 2. Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, methods
26 of facilitation, community development, behavioral health
27 treatment and prevention programs, and community-based
28 behavioral health problems;
29 3. Experience in working with community groups and
30 constituents that are diverse and representative of the
31 gender, ethnic, and racial populations in this state; and
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1 4. Experience in writing grant proposals and technical
2 reports.
3 (4) The coordinator shall work under the direction of
4 the director of the Office of Drug Control to achieve the
5 goals and objectives set forth in this section. The
6 coordinator shall:
7 (a) Facilitate an interagency workgroup within the
8 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council to integrate state
9 agency programs for suicide prevention into a unified
10 statewide plan;
11 (b) Review local, state, and national suicide
12 prevention programs for examples of innovative suicide
13 prevention models. If innovative models are discovered, the
14 coordinator shall prepare a report to describe the feasibility
15 of implementing some or all of the innovation models in this
16 state. The report must be filed with the President of the
17 Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
18 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council after review and
19 approval of the report by the director of the Office of Drug
20 Control. The innovative models, and the feasibility of their
21 implementation in this state, shall be evaluated by the
22 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council, which shall file a
23 report with the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the
24 House of Representatives, and the Governor if the council
25 determines that legislation is necessary to implement an
26 innovative model;
27 (c) Develop and maintain an Internet website with
28 links to appropriate suicide prevention resource documents,
29 suicide hotlines, state and community mental health agencies,
30 and appropriate national suicide prevention organizations;
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1 (d) Identify and disseminate information regarding
2 crisis services for suicide prevention;
3 (e) Join with stakeholders in suicide prevention to
4 develop public awareness and media campaigns in each county
5 directed towards persons who are at risk of suicide;
6 (f) Provide technical assistance to educational
7 activities for residents of this state relating to suicide
8 prevention;
9 (g) Cooperate with school districts to develop
10 training and counseling programs for school-based suicide
11 prevention activities. The coordinator and school districts
12 must also develop a method by which to evaluate each
13 prevention training and counseling program;
14 (h) Join with stakeholders in suicide prevention to
15 develop education and training programs for suicide
16 prevention. The education and training programs must be
17 directed first to persons who have face-to-face contact with
18 individuals who may be at risk of suicide. The training must
19 assist persons to recognize when an individual is at risk of
20 suicide and how to properly refer those individuals to
21 treatment or support services;
22 (i) Review current research data and findings to
23 identify at-risk populations, factors relating to suicide, and
24 suicide prevention activities and disseminate this research to
25 the Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council to develop
26 strategies for preventing suicide; and
27 (j) Develop and submit proposals to agencies of the
28 state and Federal Government and to nongovernmental
29 organizations for funding suicide prevention activities.
30 (5) The Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention may
31 seek and accept grants or funds from any federal, state, or
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1 local source to support its operation and defray the expenses
2 incurred in its operation and implementation.
3 Section 2. Section 397.3336, Florida Statutes, is
4 created to read:
5 397.3336 Suicide Prevention Coordinating Council;
6 creation; membership; duties.--There is created within the
7 Office of Drug Control a Suicide Prevention Coordinating
8 Council. The council shall develop strategies for preventing
9 suicide.
10 (1) SCOPE OF ACTIVITY.--The Suicide Prevention
11 Coordinating Council is a council as defined in s. 20.03(9)
12 and shall:
13 (a) Advise the Office of Suicide Prevention regarding
14 the development of a statewide plan for suicide prevention,
15 with the guiding principle being that suicide is a preventable
16 problem. The statewide plan must:
17 1. Align and provide direction for statewide suicide
18 prevention initiatives;
19 2. Establish partnerships with state and private
20 agencies to promote public awareness of suicide prevention;
21 3. Address specific populations in this state who are
22 at risk for suicide;
23 4. Improve access to help individuals in acute
24 situations; and
25 5. Identify resources to support the implementation of
26 the statewide plan.
27 (b) Create an interagency workgroup within the council
28 in order to incorporate state agency plans for suicide
29 prevention into the statewide plan. The interagency workgroup
30 must include, but need not be limited to:
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1 1. The Secretary of Elderly Affairs, or his or her
2 designee;
3 2. The Secretary of Health, or his or her designee;
4 3. The Commissioner of Education, or his or her
5 designee;
6 4. The Secretary of Health Care Administration, or his
7 or her designee;
8 5. The Secretary of Juvenile Justice, or his or her
9 designee;
10 6. The executive director of the Department of Law
11 Enforcement, or his or her designee;
12 7. The Secretary of Children and Family Services, or
13 his or her designee;
14 8. The Secretary of Corrections, or his or her
15 designee;
16 9. The executive director of the Department of
17 Veterans' Affairs, or his or her designee; and
18 10. The director of Workforce Innovation, or his or
19 her designee.
20 (c) Assemble an ad hoc advisory committee with
21 membership from outside the council when necessary in order
22 for the council to receive advice and assistance in carrying
23 out its responsibilities.
24 (d) Advise the Statewide Office for Suicide
25 Prevention.
26 (e) Make findings and recommendations regarding
27 suicide prevention programs and activities. The council shall
28 prepare an annual report and present it to the Governor, the
29 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
30 Representatives by January 1, 2006, and each year thereafter.
31 The annual report must describe the status of existing and
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1 planned initiatives identified in the statewide plan for
2 suicide prevention and any recommendations arising therefrom.
3 (2) MEMBERSHIP.--The Suicide Prevention Coordinating
4 Council shall consist of 25 members.
5 (a) Nine members shall be appointed by the director of
6 the Office of Drug Control and shall represent the following
7 organizations:
8 1. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation,
9 Inc., described in s. 394.655;
10 2. The Florida Association of School Psychologists;
11 3. The Florida Sheriffs Association;
12 4. The Suicide Prevention Action Network USA;
13 5. The Florida Initiative of Suicide Prevention;
14 6. The Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition;
15 7. The Alzheimer's Association;
16 8. The Florida School Board Association;
17 9. A representative from Volunteer Florida;
18 10. The state chapter of the AARP; and
19 11. The Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association.
20 (b) The following state officials shall be appointed
21 to the coordinating council:
22 1. The Secretary of Elderly Affairs, or his or her
23 designee;
24 2. The Secretary of Health, or his or her designee;
25 3. The Commissioner of Education, or his or her
26 designee;
27 4. The Secretary of Health Care Administration, or his
28 or her designee;
29 5. The Secretary of Juvenile Justice, or his or her
30 designee;
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1 6. The Secretary of Corrections, or his or her
2 designee;
3 7. The executive director of the Department of Law
4 Enforcement, or his or her designee;
5 8. The executive director of Veterans' Affairs, or his
6 or her designee;
7 9. The Secretary of Children and Family Services, or
8 his or her designee; and
9 10. The director of Workforce Innovation, or his or
10 her designee.
11 (c) The Governor shall appoint four additional members
12 to the coordinating council. The appointees must have
13 expertise critical to the prevention of suicide or represent
14 an organization that is not already represented on the
15 coordinating council.
16 (d) Council members shall be appointed to terms of 4
17 years each. Any vacancy on the coordinating council shall be
18 filled in the same manner as the original appointment, and any
19 member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring because of death,
20 resignation, or ineligibility for membership shall serve only
21 for the unexpired term of the member's predecessor. A member
22 is eligible for reappointment.
23 (e) Members of the coordinating council shall serve
24 without compensation. Any member of the coordinating council
25 who is a public employee is entitled to reimbursement for per
26 diem and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061.
27 (3) MEETINGS.--
28 (a) The director of the Office of Drug Control shall
29 be a nonvoting, ex officio member of the coordinating council
30 and shall act as chair.
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1 (b) The coordinating council shall meet at least
2 quarterly or upon the call of the chair. The council meetings
3 may be held via teleconference or other electronic means.
4 (c) Public organizations shall participate and
5 cooperate with the coordinating council.
6 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.
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8 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
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11 Increases the membership of the Suicide Prevention
Coordinating Council from 23 to 25 by adding the state chapter
12 of the AARP and the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Association.
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Clarifies that the Council is an advisory body.
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Provides flexibility to the director of the Office of Drug
15 Control in hiring the coordinator.
16 Clarifies who must file a report recommending legislation to
the Legislature.
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