SB 877, as amended, Pan. Reporting and tracking of violent deaths.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health, which is responsible for various programs relating to the health and safety of people in the state, including licensing health facilities, regulating food and drug safety, and monitoring and preventing communicable and chronic diseases.
This billbegin delete wouldend deletebegin insert would, to the extent that funding is appropriated by the Legislature or available through private funds in each fiscal year,end insert require the department to establish and maintain the California Electronic Violent Death Reporting System. The bill would further require the department to collect data on violent deaths, as specified, andbegin delete contract with countiesend deletebegin insert
enter into contracts, grants, or other agreements with one or more local agenciesend insert to collect certain data, and would authorize the department to apply for grants to implement these provisions.begin insert The bill would, to the extent that funding is available for this purpose, authorize a law enforcement agency to report to the department data on the circumstances surrounding all violent deaths from investigative reports and laboratory toxicology reports to be used by the department for the limited purpose of conducting public health surveillance and epidemiology.end insert The bill would also make related legislative findings and declarations.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) Information and data regarding violent deaths can help
4provide states and communities with a clearer understanding of
5violent deaths and therefore lead to better prevention of violent
6deaths.
7(b) According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and
8Prevention (CDC), in the United States, violence accounts for
9approximately 56,000 deaths annually. Violent deaths result from
10the intentional use of physical force or power against oneself,
11another person, or a group or community, and include suicide,
12homicide, and
legal intervention deaths. Violence adversely affects
13all Americans, not only through premature death, but also through
14medical costs and lost productivity.
15(c) The CDC further notes that the cost of these deaths totaled
16$47.2 billion: $47 billion in work loss costs and $215 million in
17medical treatment.
18(d) In 2002, the National Violent Death Reporting System
19(NVDRS) was established as a surveillance system that pulls
20together data on violent deaths. NVDRS collects information from
21death certificates, coroner or medical examiner reports, police
22reports, and crime laboratories.
23(e) NVDRS data informs decisionmakers and program planners
24about the magnitude, trends, and characteristics of violent deaths
25in a
particular state or community so appropriate prevention efforts
26can be identified and implemented, and the data facilitates the
27evaluation of state-based prevention programs and strategies.
28(f) According to NVDRS, a national system will allow the CDC
29to provide information for every state to inform their prevention
30efforts. It will also ensure enhanced information on the national
P3 1scope of the problem of violent deaths is available to monitor and
2track trends and to inform national efforts.
Article 3 (commencing with Section 131230) is added
4to Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 112 of the Health and Safety
5Code, to read:
6
(a) begin deleteThe end deletebegin insertTo the extent that funding is appropriated by
10the Legislature or available through private funds in each fiscal
11year, the end insertdepartment shall establish and maintain the California
12Electronic Violent Death Reporting System.
13(b) The department shall collect data on violent deaths as
14reported from data sources, including, but not limited to, death
15certificates, law enforcement reports, and coroner or medical
16examinerbegin delete reports.end deletebegin insert
reports. The department shall post on its Internet
17Web site a summary and analysis of the collected data.end insert
18(c) The department shallbegin delete contract with countiesend deletebegin insert enter into
19contracts, grants, or other agreements with one or more local
20agenciesend insert to collect the data specified in subdivision (b).
21
(d) To the extent that funding is available for this purpose, a
22law enforcement agency may report to the department data on the
23circumstances surrounding all violent deaths from investigative
24reports and, if available, laboratory toxicology reports to be used
25by the
department for the limited purpose of conducting public
26health surveillance and epidemiology. Aggregate data shall be
27public, but individual identifying information shall remain
28confidential. The collected data shall be based on the data elements
29of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s
30National Violent Death Reporting System.
11 31(d)
end delete
32begin insert(e)end insert The department may apply for grants provided under the
33National Violent Death Reporting Systembegin delete of the federal Centers
34for Disease
Control and Preventionend delete
35this section.
15 36(e)
end delete
37begin insert(f)end insert The department may accept private or foundation moneys
38to implement this section.
17 39(f)
end delete
P4 1begin insert(g)end insert This section does not limit data sources that the department
2may collect, which may include any public agency
document that
3may contain data on violent deaths.
For purposes of this article, “violent death” means
5a death resulting from the use of physical force or power against
6oneself, another person, or a group or community, and includes,
7but is not limited to, homicide, suicide, legal intervention deaths,
8unintentional firearm deaths, and undetermined intent deaths.
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