What's happening
This bill establishes a statewide New York Youth Mental Health Advisory Board to advise on youth mental health policy and recommend initiatives.
Why it matters
Direct youth involvement in policy-making. The board is composed of young people (ages 16-20) from diverse backgrounds across the state, ensuring that actual youth voices and lived experiences shape mental health policies and recommendations.
Focus on equity and inclusion. The membership criteria and selection process emphasize diversity across race, ethnicity, geography, socioeconomic status, and lived experience with mental health services, aiming to address disparities and promote equitable representation in decision-making.
Broad impact on mental health issues. The board’s powers extend beyond general mental health to include specific topics like suicide prevention, social media impacts, trauma, substance abuse, bullying, poverty, and the inclusion of youth in government, meaning its work could influence a wide array of youth services and policies.
Annual accountability and legislative influence. By requiring yearly reports to key legislative leaders and empowering the board to propose and comment on legislation, the bill creates a formal mechanism for youth-driven priorities and insights to shape state-level mental health initiatives and funding.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Create Youth Mental Health Board
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to mental health
- Referred to mental health
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1007
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sen. BROUK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a statewide youth mental health advisory board
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds and declares that poor mental health outcomes for youth is a public health crisis that poses a threat to the health, wellbeing, and quality of life for youth now and in the future. The legislature acknowledges the need for youth voice and youth leadership in advocating for themselves and others regarding mental and behavioral needs. Amongst the shortage of behavioral and mental specialists, lack of representation within marginalized communities, and insufficient funding infrastructure and opportunities for appropriate school-based services, the legislature hereby finds the importance in establishing a dedicated board to support youth in their mental and behavioral needs by increasing youth participation in state government. A dedicated board would provide advancement in creating policies that aid in improving youth outcomes in an effort to address and resolve the youth mental health crisis in New York.
§ 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new article 19-E to read as follows:
ARTICLE 19-E
NEW YORK YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD Section 461. New York youth mental health advisory board.
462. Organization and membership.
463. Powers and duties.
464. Report.
§ 461. New York youth mental health advisory board. There is hereby established a New York youth mental health advisory board (advisory
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02216-01-5
board) to examine, evaluate, confer and provide recommendations for the needs and concerns related to the mental health of youth now and in the future. The New York youth mental health advisory board shall formally advise and make recommendations regarding the issues enumerated in section four hundred sixty-three of this article.
§ 462. Organization and membership. 1. There shall be an oversight committee to the advisory board established by this article which shall be composed of the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the senate mental health committee, and the chair of the assembly mental health committee, or their designees. The oversight committee shall be responsible for appointing members to the advisory board and overseeing their activities, functions and duties.
2. The youth mental health advisory board shall consist of seventy-two members as follows:
(a) sixty-two members representing the diverse racial, ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds of the state; and
(b) ten at large members representing New York city.
3. Members shall:
(a) be at least sixteen years of age, but no older than twenty years of age;
(b) be enrolled in and attending a public, online or home-based educational program in New York state; and
(c) have resided in this state for at least one year.
4. The application process and appointment of members to the advisory board shall be made by the oversight committee no later than ninety days after the effective date of this section. Appointments of youth representatives shall be diverse, equitable, and inclusive of youths from various racial, ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. The advisory committee shall make a best possible effort to include youth mental health consumers who are receiving, or have received, mental health services, or have siblings or immediate family members who are mental health consumers. Members shall be appointed for terms of two years. The advisory committee will be responsible for creating the process to fill vacancies.
§ 463. Powers and duties. 1. The oversight committee shall develop rules, procedures, and a leadership structure for the advisory board. The advisory board shall meet as frequently as its business may require, but no less frequently than four times per year. Meetings may be held virtually, provided that the oversight committee may provide for in-person meetings as they determine as necessary or desirable. The advisory board members shall be reimbursed for any relevant fees and expenses incurred when attending in-person meetings. The advisory board shall have the following duties which shall include, but not be limited to:
(a) Making recommendations to the oversight committee regarding:
(i) the betterment of mental, behavioral, and physical health of youth;
(ii) initiatives for suicide prevention and supports;
(iii) implications of social media on mental health and protective factors;
(iv) advancements in mental health wellness;
(v) access to state and local government services;
(vi) educational development within schools;
(vii) bullying prevention;
(viii) substance abuse and misuse in relation to mental health;
(ix) poverty in relation to mental health;
(x) implications of trauma informed care;
(xi) inclusion of youth participation in state and local governments; and
(xii) any other topics related to youth mental health that the board considers relevant.
(b) Proposing ideas for legislation to the oversight committee and commenting on pending legislation dealing with issues related to youth mental health.
(c) Working with any existing and appropriate local, state, or national organizations and groups, including youth groups, to collect and analyze information on issues related to youth mental health.
(d) At the discretion of the oversight committee, providing testimony to any legislative committees, commissions, task forces, or state agencies and departments, as appropriate.
(e) Setting priorities and establishing any subcommittees that may be necessary to achieve the goals of the advisory board.
2. The oversight committee, subject to appropriation, may contract with a mental health professional and other appropriate staff members to assist the advisory board and facilitate its powers and duties.
§ 464. Report. The advisory board, in cooperation with the oversight committee, shall develop and submit a joint report to the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate, the chair of the senate mental health committee, and the chair of the assembly mental health committee no later than December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-five and annually thereafter regarding the recommendations, findings and other activities of the advisory board. Additionally, the report shall indicate recommendations for the implementation of any initiatives developed by the advisory board or other appropriate recommendations of the oversight committee.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing a state- wide youth mental health advisory board
Purpose or general idea of bill
To establish a Youth Mental Health Advisory Board in which youth aged 16-20 can advise the legislature and other government actors on topics pertaining to mental health needs and concerns of youth.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Legislative findings.
Read the full memo (639 words)
Section 2: The Executive Law is amended by adding a new article 19-E. The article will create and establish the New York Youth Mental Health Advisory Board. Section 461 names the New York State Youth Mental Health Advisory Board. Section 462 establishes the organization of the advisory board, along with the oversight committee. Section 463 gives the powers and duties of the advisory board and the oversight committee. Section 464 establishes the requirement for the advisory board in cooperation with the oversight committee to develop and submit a joint report.
Section 3: Establishes the effective date.
Justification
Our youth's declining mental health is one the defining public health crises of our time. According to the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, from 2011-2021, the rates of youth who persistently felt sad or hopeless increased from 21 percent to 29 percent for teen boys, and from 36 percent to 57 percent for teen girls. A staggering 42 percent of high school students felt so sad or hopeless almost every day for at least two weeks in a row that they reported having stopped doing their usual activities. Youth suicide has risen by 3 percent nationwide in 2022, with a drastic increase in mental health-related visits to emergency rooms. New York State has seen similar outcomes, with suicide as the third leading cause of death for kids ages 15 to 19 the highest it's been in 20 years in the state.
As the legislature considers bills and budget proposals to address this adolescent mental health crisis, it is imperative that these efforts center the youths' voices. Those closest to the problems in society often have the best solutions, and that means the legislature must acknowledge that young people are an important source of ideas and feed- back on policies that will result in meaningful and lasting improvement. With this bill, the legislature further acknowledges the need for youth voice and youth leadership in advocating for themselves and others regarding mental and behavioral needs.
This bill calls for the creation of a Youth Mental Health Advisory Board that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive with youth of various racial, ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. The advisory board will be charged with proposing ideas for legislation, as well as commenting on pending legislation that relate to youth mental health, including suicide prevention, implications of social media, access to care and much more. By involving young people with diverse lived experiences from throughout New York State in policy making, the policies enacted will likely be more successful and relevant to the lives of young people.
As stated by the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Murthy, "mental health chal- lenges in children, adolescents, and young adults are real, and they are widespread. But most importantly, they are treatable, and often prevent- able." We cannot wait. Our youth have expressed interest in being a part of the solution and policy making process. By providing opportunities for our young people to be part of the policymaking process, our legis- lative bodies will be more able to enact solutions that will meet the needs of our youth during this dire time and help end this public health crisis in which we find ourselves.
Legislative history
2024: S8359 Referred to Mental Health.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the one hundred and twentieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.