BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2246
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
2246 (O'Donnell)
As Amended June 9, 2016
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |67-6 |(June 1, 2016) |SENATE: |38-0 |(August 23, |
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Original Committee Reference: ED.
SUMMARY: Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) that serve
students in grades 7 to 12 to adopt policies on the prevention
of student suicides and also require the California Department
of Education (CDE) to develop and maintain a model suicide
prevention policy.
The Senate amendments are technical and clarifying.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee:
1)This bill imposes a likely significant reimbursable state
mandate on LEAs to create suicide prevention plans, as
specified. Costs will vary by LEA but could be in the mid to
high hundreds of thousands statewide, one-time, to develop the
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plan. See staff comments. (Proposition 98)
2)The CDE estimates one-time costs of $55,000 to develop and
maintain a model policy to serve as a guide for LEAs.
(General Fund)
COMMENTS:
Youth suicide in California. According to the Lucile Packard
Foundation for Children's Health, in 2011-13, nearly 20% of
California public school students in grades 9, 11, and
nontraditional classes reported seriously considering attempting
suicide in the past year. The Foundation reports that in 2013,
481 California youth ages 5-24 were known to have committed
suicide, and that the state's youth suicide rate was 7.7 per
100,000 youth ages 15-24.
High risk groups. This bill requires that the suicide policies
required by the bill address the needs of specific groups of
students who are at higher risk of suicide. Research cited in
materials provided by the sponsor indicate the following about
risk factors for the specific groups named in this bill:
1)Youth bereaved by suicide: Young people appear to be
particularly affected by others' suicides. Research has found
that the relative risk of suicide following exposure to
another individual's suicide was two to four times higher
among 15- to 19-year-olds than among other age groups, and
that between 1% and 5% of teen suicides occur in "suicide
clusters." A phenomenon known as "suicide contagion" refers
to the increased risk of suicide for individuals bereaved by
the suicide of others.
2)Youth with disabilities: Research shows that adolescents with
particular disabilities, such as chronic pain, loss of
mobility, disfigurement, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord
injuries are at higher risk of suicide. People with multiple
sclerosis, for example, are more than twice as likely as the
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general population to attempt suicide and almost twice as
likely to actually complete suicide.
3)Youth with mental illness and substance abuse disorders:
Nearly 90% of all suicides are associated with a diagnosable
mental health or substance-abuse disorder. People
experiencing depression, manic-depressive disorder, anxiety
disorders, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, and
conduct disorders are at elevated risk for suicide.
4)Youth experiencing homelessness: Limited research suggests
that more than half of homeless and runaway youth have
attempted suicide.
5)Youth in foster care: Limited research suggests that youth in
foster care are more than twice as likely to commit suicide
and nearly four times as likely to attempt suicide as their
peers.
6)Youth in juvenile detention: Youth involved with the juvenile
justice system are four times more likely to commit suicide
than their peers.
7)Lesbian, gay and bisexual youth: LGBTQ (lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, and queer) youth are four times more
likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. Nearly
half of young transgender people have seriously considered
suicide, and one-quarter report having made a suicide attempt.
In August of this year the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention released the first nationally representative study
on the health risks of United States lesbian, gay, and
bisexual high school students, which found that more than 40%
had seriously considered suicide, and 29% reported having
attempted suicide, during the past 12 months.
National suicide rate increasing. In an April, 2016 report, the
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Centers on Disease Control and Prevention reported an increase
in the national suicide rate of 24% between 1999 and 2014, from
10.5 to 13.0 per 100,000, with the rate of increase greater
after 2006. The largest increase for females occurred among
those aged 10-14.
Suicide policy legislation in other states. Six other states
(Pennsylvania, Georgia, Maine, Connecticut, Utah, and
Washington) have enacted legislation requiring school districts
to adopt suicide prevention policies. Many other states
provide model suicide prevention policies for their school
districts, as this bill requires.
Analysis Prepared by:
Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN:
0004203