Bill > S2715

Introduced Session

This bill establishes in the Department of Health (DOH) the New Jersey Suicide Prevention Advisory Council, which would serve as the one advisory council in the State to advise about suicide prevention. Currently, there are two councils, the New Jersey Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Council in the Department of Children and Families and the New Jersey Elderly Person Suicide Prevention Advisory Council in the Department of Human Services. By establishing one council, information could be shared by all council members. The 19-member New Jersey Suicide Prevention Advisory Council established under the bill would examine existing needs and services for all those at risk of suicide, and would make recommendations to any suicide prevention entity operating under statutory authority. The eight ex officio members would include the Commissioners of Health, Human Services, Children and Families, Corrections, and Education, the Secretary of Higher Education, the Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs, the Executive Director of the Board of Directors of NJ Transit, and the Chief Technology Officer of the Office of Information and Technology, or their designees, except that if one of these members has a suitable prevention or mental health entity operating under their control, the member shall select a member of that entity as a member of the council. The Governor would appoint four public members, three of whom would each be a faculty member with expertise in the area of mental health at an institution of higher education. In addition to those three, the Governor would appoint one law enforcement officer in the Office of the Attorney General with expertise related to suicide, or a mental health professional. The President of the Senate would appoint three public members, one of whom has experience as a mental health professional in the private sector with experience in youth suicide prevention and counseling, one of whom has experience as a psychiatrist in the private sector in the provision of services to elderly persons, and one of whom is a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor who is also a licensed clinical social worker with experience working with individuals in crisis. The Speaker of the General Assembly also would appoint three public members, who are each a current or former mental health professional in a secondary school. Additionally, the bill repeals sections 1 through 4 of P.L.2005, c.274 (C.26:2MM-1 through C.26:2MM-4), which established the New Jersey Elderly Person Suicide Prevention Advisory Council, and sections 1 through 7 of P.L.2003, c.214 (C.30:9A-22 et seq.), which gave certain duties to the Departments of Children and Families and Human Services, since the bill establishes one council in the Department of Health, whose duties and responsibilities are located in Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

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Jennifer Beck (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (on 11/03/2016)