SUICIDE PREVENTION COMMISSION                                                       S.B. 228 (S-1):

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                     REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

Senate Bill 228 (Substitute S-1 as reported)

Sponsor:  Senator Jim Runestad

Committee:  Health Policy and Human Services

CONTENT

The bill would enact a new law to create the "Suicide Prevention Commission" within the Legislative Council and to do all the following:

-- Provide for the appointment of members to the Commission, their terms, and the Commission's procedures.

-- Require the Commission to work with State departments and agencies and nonprofit organizations on researching the cause and possible underlying factors of suicide in the State.

-- Require the Commission to prepare and present to the Legislature a preliminary report of its research and findings within six months after the bill's effective date.

-- Require the Commission to complete an updated report within one year after the bill's effective date, and each year thereafter.

-- Require the Commission, at its first meeting, to establish a seven-member executive committee to oversee compilation of data and resources from State universities and to set a timetables for the completion of the Commission's work by December 30, 2024.

-- Require the Legislative Council to furnish clerking services to the Commission.

-- Specify that the Act would not apply beginning December 31, 2024.

                                                                            Legislative Analyst:  Tyler VanHuyse

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on the State's Legislative Council. The bill would create the Suicide Prevention Commission. Commission members would not receive a salary; however, they would be eligible for reimbursement for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. The Legislative Council also would have to provide the Commission with clerking services, which could include assistance with the Commission's tasks of working with other entities, studying suicide prevention factors, and filing a report with the Legislature. The bill does not specify the number of staff that would be needed, if any; however, the current estimated average annual cost for 1.0 FTE for a classified State employee is $105,000 gross, $55,500 General Fund/General Purpose for salary and benefits. The estimate could be higher or lower based on the classification level of the FTEs hired. Also based on appropriations for the most recent commission housed in the Legislative Council (the Criminal Justice Policy Commission), that Commission has received a total of $550,000 since it was created in 2015.

Date Completed:  4-30-19                                                   Fiscal Analyst:  Joe Carrasco

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.