Bill Text: NY A05836 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Creates a veterans' mental health and suicide prevention task force to examine, evaluate and determine how to improve mental health and suicide prevention for our veterans.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-06-03 - substituted by s1788a [A05836 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A05836-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         5836--A

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 26, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. CUSICK, GRIFFIN -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Veterans' Affairs -- committee discharged, bill  amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN  ACT  to  create a veterans' suicide prevention temporary task force;
          and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration there-
          of

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Legislative intent. The legislature is concerned with the
     2  health, safety, and welfare of all  returning  veterans  of  the  United
     3  States armed forces to New York and the high rate of mental health prob-
     4  lems and suicides of members of the United States armed forces.
     5    §  2.  Veterans' suicide prevention temporary task force. (a) There is
     6  hereby created the veterans' temporary suicide prevention task force  to
     7  examine, evaluate and determine how to improve mental health and suicide
     8  prevention  for  our veterans, consisting of nine members, each to serve
     9  until May first, two thousand twenty-three.
    10    (b)(1) Such members shall be appointed as follows: three members shall
    11  be appointed by the governor; two members  shall  be  appointed  by  the
    12  temporary  president of the senate; one member shall be appointed by the
    13  minority leader of the senate; two members shall  be  appointed  by  the
    14  speaker of the assembly; and one member shall be appointed by the minor-
    15  ity leader of the assembly. Appointments shall be made within sixty days
    16  of the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the temporary task force
    17  shall be filled in the manner provided for original appointments.
    18    (2)  All  appointees  shall  have  expertise  in fields or disciplines
    19  related to mental health and at least three members  shall  have  worked
    20  with  members  of  the  military or veterans community on a professional
    21  basis. All appointments shall be coordinated to ensure geographic repre-
    22  sentation from the entire state.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04863-04-1
        A. 5836--A                          2

     1    (3) The temporary task  force  shall  be  chaired  by  the  governor's
     2  appointee.  The  temporary task force shall elect a vice-chair and other
     3  necessary officers from among all appointed members.
     4    (4)  A  majority  of  the  members of the temporary task force then in
     5  office shall constitute a quorum.
     6    (5) The temporary task force shall meet at least quarterly at the call
     7  of the chair. Meetings may be held via teleconference. Special  meetings
     8  may  be  called by the chair at the request of a majority of the members
     9  of the task force.
    10    (6) Members of the temporary task force shall receive no  compensation
    11  for  their  services  but  shall be reimbursed for their actual expenses
    12  incurred in the performance of their duties in  the  work  of  the  task
    13  force.
    14    (c) The temporary task force shall:
    15    (1)  study  current  mental  health  practices  and suicide prevention
    16  efforts of those individuals who have served on active military duty;
    17    (2) recommend mental health practices and suicide  prevention  efforts
    18  to  increase  effectiveness  across  the state for those individuals who
    19  have served on active military duty;
    20    (3) determine potential reasons for the number of  veterans  who  have
    21  committed  suicide  and  how  this  may be addressed by the state of New
    22  York;
    23    (4) determine what role post traumatic stress disorder   and  military
    24  sexual trauma may have contributed to the number of veterans suicides in
    25  the state of New York;
    26    (d) work with the New York state suicide prevention task force and the
    27  New York state suicide prevention council; and
    28    (e)  make  a preliminary report to the governor and the legislature of
    29  its findings, conclusions, recommendations and activities already under-
    30  taken by the temporary task force, not later than June 1,  2023,  and  a
    31  final  report  of  its findings, conclusions, recommendations and activ-
    32  ities already undertaken by the temporary task  force,  not  later  than
    33  June 30, 2024 and shall submit with its reports legislative proposals as
    34  it deems necessary to implement its recommendations.
    35    §  3.  This  act  shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
    36  have become a law and shall expire August 31, 2024 when upon  such  date
    37  the provisions of this act shall be deemed to be repealed.