What's happening
This bill creates a task force to study and improve mental health and suicide prevention for Latina residents in New York.
Why it matters
Addresses a critical and specific community need. The bill focuses on Latina residents, a demographic shown by research to face unique cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic barriers to mental health care and suicide prevention—meaning the task force could help address gaps not met by broader or more generic mental health initiatives.
Brings together diverse, expert voices. By requiring appointees to have expertise in mental health and knowledge of the Latina community, and ensuring statewide geographic representation, the task force is positioned to generate solutions that are both evidence-based and tailored to the real-world experiences of Latinas across New York.
Mandates actionable outcomes and legislative proposals. The task force must deliver both preliminary and final reports with findings and recommendations, including potential new laws, which increases the likelihood that its work will lead to concrete policy changes rather than just discussion.
Facilitates coordination and accountability across state agencies. The bill gives the task force authority to request assistance and data from any state department or agency, ensuring it has access to necessary information and fostering collaboration that could lead to more comprehensive and effective interventions.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Create Latina Suicide Prevention Task Force
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to mental health and developmental disabilities
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to ways and means
- Returned to assembly
- Repassed senate
- Amended on third reading 3806a
- Vote reconsidered - restored to third reading
- Returned to senate
- Recalled from assembly
- Referred to mental health
- Delivered to assembly
Show 5 earlier actions
- Passed senateVote 56–3
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.297
- Referred to mental health and developmental disabilities
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Create Latina Suicide Task Force
In Assembly Committee · Ways And Means · Sponsor Nathalia Fernandez
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3806--A Cal. No. 297
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 14, 2019
Introduced by Sens. RAMOS, KENNEDY, KRUEGER, RIVERA, SERRANO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, passed by Senate and delivered to the Assembly, recalled, vote reconsidered, restored to third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading
AN ACT to establish a Latina suicide prevention task force; and provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Latina suicide prevention task force. (a) There is hereby created the Latina suicide prevention task force to examine, evaluate and determine how to improve mental health and suicide prevention for Latina New York residents, consisting of seven members, each to serve until two years after the effective date of this act.
(b)(1) Such members shall be appointed as follows: one member shall be appointed by the governor; one member shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate; one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; one member shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; one member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; and two members shall be appointed by the commissioner of mental health. Appointments shall be made within sixty days of the effective date of this act. Vacancies in the task force shall be filled in the same manner provided for original appointments.
(2) All appointees shall have expertise in fields or disciplines related to mental health suicide prevention services and support and knowledge related to the Latina community. All appointments shall be coordinated to ensure geographic representation from the entire state.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03620-03-9
S. 3806--A 2
(3) The task force shall be chaired by the governor's appointee. The task force shall elect a vice-chair by a majority vote and other necessary officers from among all appointed members.
(4) The task force shall meet at least quarterly at the call of the chair. Meetings may be held via teleconference. Special meetings may be called by the chair at the request of a majority of the members of the task force.
(5) Members of the task force shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for their actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties in the work of the task force.
(c) The task force shall:
(1) study current mental health practices and suicide prevention efforts;
(2) recommend mental health practices and suicide prevention efforts to increase effectiveness across the state; and
(3) determine potential reasons for the high number of Latina suicides.
(d) The task force may establish advisory committees as it deems appropriate on matters relating to the task force's functions, powers and duties. Such committees shall be chaired by a task force member, but may be composed of task force members as well as other individuals selected by the task force to provide expertise of interest specific to the charge of such committees.
(e) The task force may, as it deems appropriate, request that studies, surveys, or analyses relating to the task force's powers and duties be performed by any state department, commission, agency or public authority. All state departments, commissions, agencies or public authorities shall provide information and advice in a timely manner and otherwise assist the task force with its work; provided, however, any information obtained pursuant to this subdivision shall be kept confidential and shall only be used by members of the task force in the course of their tasks and duties as a task force member.
(f) The task force shall provide a preliminary report to the governor and the legislature of its findings, conclusions, recommendations and activities already undertaken by the task force, not later than thirteen months after the effective date of this act, and a final report of its findings, conclusions, recommendations and activities already undertaken by the task force, not later than twenty-two months after the effective date of this act and shall submit with its reports legislative proposals as it deems necessary to implement its recommendations.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law and shall expire 2 years after such effective date when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed repealed.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to establish a Latina suicide prevention task force; and provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation establishes a Latina suicide prevention task force to evaluate and determine how to improve mental health and suicide prevention amongst Latina New York residents.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Establishes a Latina suicide prevention task force to exam- ine, evaluate, and determine how to improve mental health and suicide prevention amongst Latina New York residents. Members of the task force shall be appointed by different ranking members of the state and will have expertise in fields or disciplines related to mental health and knowledge related to the Latina community.
Section 2: This act shall take effect on the sixteenth day after it shall have become law and will expire 2 years after such effective date.
Justification
Suicide amongst Latina teens has reached epidemic levels. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a survey in 2015, which reported that 15 percent of Latina adolescents in the U.S. have attempted suicide and almost 26 percent of Latina teens considered suicide.
With over 3.5 million Hispanics in New York, this is a dire issue that we must address. It is horrific that so many Latinas consider suicide.
By establishing a task force, we can determine what causes such mental illness and then properly understand how to address these issues.
Legislative history
2018: A.11326 Referred to Mental Health
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
Reimbursement for Task Force
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law and shall expire 2 years after such effective date when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed repealed.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.