Date: 01/26/2006

Final
BILL SUMMARY for HB06-1098

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
Refer House Bill 06-1098 to the Committee of the WPASS



03:36 PM -- House Bill 06-1098

Representative Cloer reviewed the provisions of House Bill 06-1098, concerning the inclusion of mental health in-service programs in professional development options for public school educators. He described his reasons for bringing the legislation and said that he wanted educators to be able to gauge suicide warning signs in students. Representative Cloer provided a hand-out of statistics compiled by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (Attachment F).


03:43 PM

The following persons testified:

03:43 PM -- Michael Brewer, representing Equal Rights Colorado, testified in support of the bill and described the impact of mental health issues on gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth.

03:45 PM -- Rob Hernandez, representing the Colorado branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), testified in support of the bill. He said that the bill could help provide a support system for youth at risk of suicide.

03:47 PM -- Vicki Newell, representing the Colorado Parent-Teacher Association, testified in support of the bill. She spoke to the problem of youth suicide.

03:49 PM -- Chris Habgood, representing the Mental Health Association of Colorado, testified in support of the bill. He discussed the state's rate of youth suicide as a critical problem.

03:51 PM -- Mark Alford, representing the Jason Foundation (JFI), a national organization for suicide prevention, testified in support of the bill. He provided a copy of a letter to Representative Cloer from the JFI (Attachment G). Representative Cloer responded to questions regarding current prevention efforts in school districts. Representative Larson commented on suicide prevention efforts in his district.

03:52 PM -- Dale Emme, representing the Yellow Ribbon International, a suicide prevention program, spoke to the efforts of his organization to work with schools and teachers. He voiced support for House Bill 06-1098. He said that the legislation could help teachers and could lower the liability for a teacher and a school district. He also noted that Colorado ranks among the top states in the country in youth suicide rates.

4:00 PM

Several committee members made final comments about past experiences and expressed appreciation to Representative Cloer for bringing the legislation.
BILL:HB06-1098
TIME: 04:00:48 PM
MOVED:Larson
MOTION:Refer House Bill 06-1098 to the Committee of the Whole with favorable recommendation. The motion passed on a 13-0 roll call vote.
SECONDED:Solano
VOTE
Benefield
Yes
King
Yes
Larson
Yes
Massey
Yes
McKinley
Yes
Penry
Yes
Pommer
Yes
Rose
Yes
Solano
Yes
Todd
Yes
White
Yes
Paccione
Yes
Merrifield
Yes
Final YES: 13 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS