November 8, 2018, Introduced by Senator HANSEN and referred to the Committee on Health Policy.
A bill to provide for the review and prevention of suicides in
this state; to allow for the creation of a suicide fatality review
task force; and to prescribe powers and duties of certain state and
local governmental officers and entities.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the
"suicide fatality review act".
Sec. 3. As used in this act:
(a) "Department" means the department of health and human
services.
(b) "Suicide fatality review task force" means a suicide
fatality review task force established under section 5.
Sec. 5. (1) Each county may establish a suicide fatality
review task force. Two or more counties may appoint a single
suicide fatality review task force for those counties. A suicide
fatality review task force must consist of at least 7 individuals
who are selected from at least 7 of the following fields:
(a) A county medical examiner or deputy medical examiner
appointed under 1953 PA 181, MCL 52.201 to 52.216, or his or her
representative.
(b) A representative of a local law enforcement agency.
(c) A representative of the department.
(d) A representative of the health care field.
(e) A representative of the mental health field.
(f) A representative of a local health department.
(g) A representative of survivors of suicide loss or attempt.
(h) A representative of an intermediate school district.
(i) A representative of a local institution of higher
learning.
(j) A representative of an organization that represents older
adults.
(2) A suicide fatality review task force may review any
suicide occurring in the county or counties that established the
suicide fatality review task force.
(3) The department shall make available to each member of the
suicide fatality review task force a complete description of member
responsibilities.
(4) Information obtained or created by or for a suicide
fatality review task force is confidential and not subject to
discovery or the freedom of information act, 1976 PA 442, MCL
15.231 to 15.246. Documents created by or for the suicide fatality
review task force are not subject to subpoena, except that
documents and records otherwise available from other sources are
not exempt from subpoena, discovery, or introduction into evidence
from other sources solely because they were presented to or
reviewed by a suicide fatality review task force. Information
relevant to the investigation of a crime may be disclosed by a
suicide fatality review task force only to the prosecuting attorney
or to a law enforcement agency. A suicide fatality review task
force shall disclose information required to be reported under the
child protection law, 1975 PA 238, MCL 722.621 to 722.638, to the
department. A prosecuting attorney, a law enforcement agency, and
the department may use information received under this subsection
in carrying out their lawful responsibilities. Individuals and the
organizations represented by individuals who participate as members
of a suicide fatality review task force shall sign a
confidentiality agreement acknowledging the confidentiality
provisions of this section.
(5) An individual who provides information to a suicide
fatality review task force shall sign a notice acknowledging that
any information he or she provides to a suicide fatality review
task force shall be kept confidential by the suicide fatality
review task force, but is subject to possible disclosure to the
prosecuting attorney, a law enforcement agency, or the department
as provided in subsection (4).
(6) Suicide fatality review task force meetings are closed to
the public and are not subject to the open meetings act, 1976 PA
267, MCL 15.261 to 15.275. Information identifying an individual
whose cause of death is a suicide or whose case is being reviewed,
or that individual's family members, or an alleged or suspected
perpetrator of abuse upon the individual, or regarding the
involvement of any agency with the individual or that individual's
family, must not be disclosed in any report that is available to
the public. However, analysis, process improvement, and other
findings and de-identified and aggregated data may be released to
the public, health officials, or organizations to improve public
health.
Enacting section 1. This act takes effect 90 days after the
date it is enacted into law.