What's happening
This bill establishes a task force to address and prevent suicide among New York youth with ADHD, recommending statewide improvements.
Why it matters
Focuses on a vulnerable group. By specifically addressing youth with ADHD, the task force acknowledges that these individuals are at higher risk for suicide and face unique mental health challenges that may not be fully addressed by general youth suicide prevention efforts.
Brings expert and diverse perspectives. The task force is designed to include appointees with expertise in ADHD, mental health, and related conditions, ensuring that recommendations are informed by up-to-date clinical and scientific knowledge and reflect the needs of communities across the state.
Aims for actionable statewide change. The group is tasked not just with studying current practices but with recommending concrete, evidence-based improvements and legislative proposals to enhance mental health and suicide prevention services for youth with ADHD.
Protects privacy and fosters collaboration. The bill ensures sensitive data remains confidential, while also mandating cooperation from various state agencies, which could lead to more comprehensive insights and more effective, coordinated interventions.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Create ADHD Suicide Task Force
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 38
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to mental health and developmental disabilities
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7049
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2020
Introduced by Sen. CARLUCCI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
AN ACT to establish a task force to create an approach to address and prevent suicide in the ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) youth population; and providing 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. ADHD suicide prevention task force. (a) There is hereby created the ADHD suicide prevention task force (ASPT) to examine, evaluate and determine how to improve mental health and suicide prevention for New York residents aged 3 though 18 years, consisting of nine 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; one member shall be appointed by the chair of the senate committee on mental health; one member shall be appointed by the chair of the assembly standing committee on mental health; 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 ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and have knowledge related to comorbidities impacting individuals with ADHD. 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.
LBD14521-01-9
S. 7049 2
(3) The task force shall be chaired by the governor's appointee. The task force shall elect a vice-chair by 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 for youths aged 3 through 18 years;
(2) recommend mental health practices and suicide prevention efforts for such age group to increase effectiveness across the state; and
(3) determine potential reasons for the high number of youth 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 and 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 or records otherwise confidential and privileged in accordance with state or federal law that are provided to the task force pursuant to this subdivision shall remain confidential as provided by such state or federal law and provided, further, that reports of the task force shall not identify the name or related identifying information concerning individual persons who are deceased as a result of suicide.
(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 task force to create an approach to address and prevent suicide in the ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) youth population; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation will create a task force to examine, evaluate and determine how to improve mental health and prevent suicide among New York residents aged 3 through 18 who are impacted by ADHD.
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 establishes the ADHD Suicide Prevention Task Force (ASPT) to examine, evaluate, and determine how to improve mental health and prevent suicide among New York's resident young people. ASPT will consist of nine members, each serving until two years after the effec- tive date of this Act.
Read the full memo (889 words)
Such members shall be appointed as follows: one member shall be appointed by the Governor; one member shall be appointed by the Tempo- rary President and Majority Leader 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; one member shall be appointed by the Chairperson of Senate Committee on Mental Health; one member shall be appointed by the Chair of the Assembly's Standing Committee on Mental Health; two members shall be appointed by the Commissioner of Health.
Appointments shall be made within sixty days of the effective date of this Act. Vacancies on the Task Force shall be filled in the same manner provided for by original appointments.
All appointees shall have expertise in fields or disciplines related to mental health ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and have knowledge related to comorbidities impacting individuals with ADHD.
All appointments shall be coordinated to ensure geographic represen- tation from the entire state. The Task Force shall be chaired by the governor's appointee. The Task Force shall elect a vice-chair and other necessary officers from among its appointed members.
Section 2 of the bill provides for an effective date for commencement of the Task Force; it shall enter into effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have become a law and shall expire two (2) years after such effec- tive date when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed repealed.
Justification
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 11% of American children have ADHD, irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, educational achieve- ment or any socioeconomic stratification.
ADHD does not reflect intelligence, it impacts sufferers' ability to attend and diminishes one's ability to focus. A subset of ADHD, Execu- tive Function Disorder, is an inability to effectively plan, organize, and coordinate one's affairs.
ADHD is rarely seen on its own; it is usually accompanied by comorbid factors. Learning challenges and anxiety often complement ADHD, and must be addressed in synchrony with ADHD to truly help those who are affected with these disabilities.
There is a strong positive association between ADHD and suicide among all genders and age groups (World Journal of Psychiatry, 2017;' Surczyk et al; (20)).Suicidal attempts and completions among children and young adults with ADHD are 1.5 to two times higher than control populations (Impey et al (19)), especially in cases of delinquency and substance misuse.
Joel Nigg in the Clinical Psychology Review, doi:10.1016/i.cpr.2012.11.005 wrote that "The documented percentage that suicide is the second leading cause of death in children ages 10-18, and young adults. Accidental injury is number one. All of this is relevant because children with ADHD have a 3-fold risk of serious, life threaten- ing accidental injury, and when depression, ADHD and substance abuse are combined, suicide risk can be increased by 10 Fold."
Skills and strategies must be focused on both individuals with ADHD and their family. ADHD has a significant genetic component, and treating families holistically is the best way to prevent ADHD from manifesting in multi-generational problems like incarcerations and suicides.
Fiscal implications
Investment in a Task Force mandated with creating a strategy for the identification, support, and coaching of youth with ADHD will save New York State millions in expenses the state would otherwise incur.
Currently, untreated ADHD costs the State of New York untold billions of dollars each year in the areas of criminal justice, corrections and prisons, education, and emergency care.
This economic drain on public coffers is preventable; in the last analy- sis, investment in strategic aid for young people who suffer from ADHD will save New York State more than spent on the current system of miti- gation.
Investing a Task Force to create strategies for coaching the one in eleven of New York's young people who suffer from ADHD will be more than cost-neutral. It will provide young people with ADHD the opportunity to become active, productive, and contributing members of society; it will save the State of New York significant amounts of money that would have been spent on mitigation, incarceration and emergencies; and most impor- tant, it will prevent thousands of people with ADHD from committing suicide.
Effective date
This bill shall take into 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.