Bill Text: NJ A5645 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires certain State employees receive mental health first aid training.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-06-24 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee [A5645 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-A5645-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain State employees receive mental health first aid training.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act requiring certain State employees receive mental health first aid training, and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Legislature finds and declares that:
(1) Mental illness impacts approximately 44 million people, but most do not get professional help or delay getting professional help;
(2) There is often discrimination and a stigma against people with mental illness, which may be reduced by understanding their experiences, but most people are not well informed about how to recognize mental health problems or how to best provide support;
(3) Someone with appropriate mental health first aid training can reduce the risk of a person coming to harm, including a person who is feeling suicidal or deliberately harming themselves, having a panic attack, or being acutely psychotic;
(4) Mental health first aid training programs teach a person to help another who is developing a mental health problem, including a substance abuse problem, experiencing a worsening of an existing mental health problem, or experience a mental health crisis; and
(5) Directors are in a unique position to provide assistance and the State should work to make sure directors have the necessary training to recognize and help those who suffer from mental illness.
b. As used in this act:
"Director" means a person employed by the State who has the authority to direct and control the work performance of other State employees, who has authority to take corrective action regarding the violation of any laws, rules or regulations, technical practices, operations, and management techniques, or who has been designated as, or is serving in such a capacity, as a director, or head of any branch, authority, commission, office, department, division, bureau, board, or any other agency or instrumentality thereof of the State as herein defined.
"State" means all branches of State Government, and any authority, commission, office, department, division, bureau, board, or any other agency or instrumentality thereof.
c. The Civil Service Commission, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services, shall take such actions as are necessary to ensure that every State employee who is a director or has director status receives mental health first aid training. Each State employer shall provide to the commission a list of directors, or persons with director status, in need of training.
The training shall include, at a minimum, information regarding common mental health disorders that may arise, information to assist in recognizing early signs of mental health problems and who may need professional mental health services, and information on appropriate intervention and referral strategies.
d. The Civil Service Commission shall, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Mental illness impacts approximately 44 million people, but many people with mental illness do not get professional help or delay getting professional help. Directors in a workplace are in a unique position to provide assistance to those dealing with mental illness, and the State, as an employer, should provide its directors with the necessary training to recognize and help those dealing with mental illness.
This bill requires the Civil Service Commission to ensure that every State employee with director status receives mental health first aid training. The commission will establish appropriate requirements for the training, and each employer will provide a list of directors in need of training to the commission.
The training will include, at a minimum, information regarding common mental health disorders that may arise, information to assist in recognizing early signs of mental health problems and who may need professional mental health services, and information on appropriate intervention and referral strategies.
