NY State Senate Bill 2019-S2462

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to education
Jan 25, 2019	referred to education

co-Sponsors

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §2801-c, amd §§3602 & 3602-c, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: S7805
2021-2022: S1956
2023-2024: S5683

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the school mental health services program coordinator to provide qualifying public and nonpublic schools with mental health services professionals.

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S2462

SPONSOR: AKSHAR
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the education law, in relation to creating a school
mental health services program coordinator

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would establish a Mental Health Services Coordinator Program
under the education law and establish a mental health services program
coordinator education aid program to reimburse school districts outside
the city of New York, $50,000 for the hiring of such a mental health
services professional.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

More specifically, this bill would add a new section 2801-c to the
education law to:

-Define the term Mental Health Services Program Coordinator to include a
mental health services professional, with qualifications determined by
regulation by the commissioner of education.

-Authorize school districts to hire mental health services program coor-
dinators, or contract for their services with mental health services
providers.

-Define the role and responsibility of a mental health services program
coordinator as working with students, faculty and other mental health
and health care professionals to identify, report and address mental
health issues of students, faculty and administration, at any public or
non-public school, that could pose a risk to public safety.

-Authorize the state department of education by regulation, to determine
the qualifications for a mental health services program coordinator, and
establish the mandatory reports, the persons or entities with whom such
reports shall be filed, and the treatment services that may be offered
or directed by a mental health services program coordinator.

This bill would further amend sections 3641 of the education law, to
establish a mental health services program coordinator grant program, in
order to reimburse school districts outside the city of New York, for
the hiring of mental health services professionals.

This bill would lastly amend section 211 of the retirement and social
security law, to make the position of mental health services program
coordinator a factor in the granting of a "211 waiver" allowing a reti-
ree to earn over the earnings limitation threshold amounts prescribed in
law.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Recent school attacks across the nation have demonstrated an important
need to increase security at schools. In many of these tragedies, it has
been demonstrated that the failure to properly identify and address
mental illness of the attacker has led, at least in part, to the failure
to prevent the attack. Therefore, one of the best possible preventive
and responsive measures is the deployment of mental health services to
identify, report and address individuals who they, in their clinical and
professional judgment could pose a threat to public safety and security.

This bill would provide a specific definition of Mental Health Services
Program Coordinator, requiring such persons to be experienced mental
health services professional, with the qualifications determined by
regulations established by the state department of education. it further
provides, for the first time, an important state aid component, which
will allow all schools across the state, to have the necessary funds to
retain the services of such invaluable mental health services
professions who could seriously enhance public protection.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

This bill will establish a new state education grant program, the cost
of which will depend upon the number of mental health services program
coordinators hired. This program would establish a grant formula,
providing $50,000 for every district that hires a single mental health
services professional, or a multiple of $20,000 for multiple hires.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S7805 of 2018 (Croci): Passed Senate

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act would take effect immediately.

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2462
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 25, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  AKSHAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the education law, in  relation  to  creating  a  school
   mental health services program coordinator
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 2801-c
 to read as follows:
   § 2801-C. NEW YORK STATE SCHOOL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PROGRAM COORDI-
 NATOR. 1. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE TERM "SCHOOL  MENTAL  HEALTH
 SERVICES  PROGRAM  COORDINATOR"  SHALL  MEAN  A  MENTAL  HEALTH SERVICES
 PROFESSIONAL,  WITH  QUALIFICATIONS  DETERMINED  BY  REGULATION  BY  THE
 COMMISSIONER,  WHOSE  ROLE  AND  RESPONSIBILITY  SHALL  BE  TO WORK WITH
 STUDENTS, FACULTY AND OTHER MENTAL HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE  PROFESSIONALS
 TO IDENTIFY, REPORT AND ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OF STUDENTS, FACUL-
 TY AND ADMINISTRATION AT ANY PUBLIC OR NON-PUBLIC SCHOOL THAT COULD POSE
 A RISK TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
   2. ANY PUBLIC OR NON-PUBLIC SCHOOL MAY EMPLOY A MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
 PROFESSIONAL,  IN  EITHER THE CLASSIFIED OR UNCLASSIFIED SERVICE, DETER-
 MINED IN REGULATION BY THE COMMISSIONER TO BE  QUALIFIED,  AS  A  MENTAL
 HEALTH  SERVICES  PROGRAM  COORDINATOR.    ANY SUCH PUBLIC OR NON-PUBLIC
 SCHOOL MAY ALSO CONTRACT WITH THE STATE OF NEW  YORK,  A  COUNTY,  CITY,
 TOWN  OR VILLAGE, OR WITH A PRIVATE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDER, FOR
 THE PROVISION OF A MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES  PROFESSIONAL,  DETERMINED  IN
 REGULATION  BY  THE  COMMISSIONER  TO BE QUALIFIED, TO SERVE AS A MENTAL
 HEALTH SERVICES PROGRAM COORDINATOR.
   3. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL, BY REGULATION, DETERMINE THE QUALIFICATIONS
 FOR A MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES  PROGRAM  COORDINATOR.  A  SCHOOL  DISTRICT
 SHALL  BE  AUTHORIZED  TO  EMPLOY  OR CONTRACT FOR AS MANY MENTAL HEALTH
 SERVICES PROGRAM COORDINATORS, AS SUCH  DISTRICT  DEEMS  NECESSARY.  THE
 COMMISSIONER  SHALL  BY REGULATION, ESTABLISH THE MANDATORY REPORTS, THE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD08827-01-9

 S. 2462                             2
 
 PERSONS OR ENTITIES WITH WHOM SUCH  REPORTS  SHALL  BE  FILED,  AND  THE
 TREATMENT  SERVICES  THAT  MAY BE OFFERED OR DIRECTED BY A MENTAL HEALTH
 SERVICES PROGRAM COORDINATOR.
   §  2.  Section  3602  of  the education law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 5-b to read as follows:
   5-B. MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES  PROGRAM  COORDINATOR  AID.  EVERY  SCHOOL
 DISTRICT  EMPLOYING  OR  CONTRACTING FOR THE SERVICES OF A MENTAL HEALTH
 SERVICES PROGRAM COORDINATOR, IN EITHER THE CLASSIFIED  OR  UNCLASSIFIED
 SERVICE,  IN  ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION TWENTY-EIGHT HUNDRED ONE-C OF THIS
 CHAPTER, SHALL BE ENTITLED  TO  A  PAYMENT  OF  MENTAL  HEALTH  SERVICES
 PROGRAM  COORDINATOR AID IN THE AMOUNT OF THE DISTRICT'S EXPENDITURE FOR
 THE COST OF  SUCH  EMPLOYMENT  OR  CONTRACTING  OF  SUCH  MENTAL  HEALTH
 SERVICES  PROGRAM  COORDINATOR.  BUT  IN NO EVENT SHALL SUCH AID TO SUCH
 SCHOOL DISTRICT BE IN EXCESS OF FIFTY  THOUSAND  DOLLARS  ANNUALLY.  THE
 MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PROGRAM COORDINATOR AID PROVIDED BY THIS SUBDIVI-
 SION  SHALL  BE  LIMITED  TO  THE PAYMENT FOR ONE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
 PROGRAM COORDINATOR PER SCHOOL DISTRICT.
   § 3. Section 3602-c of the education law is amended by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 11 to read as follows:
   11.  AID  SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS UNDER THIS
 SECTION, FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PROGRAM COORDINATORS,  IN  THE  SAME
 MANNER AS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN SUBDIVISION FIVE-B OF SECTION THIRTY-SIX
 HUNDRED TWO OF THIS ARTICLE.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S2462

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S2462

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Sponsored By

Fred Akshar

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

Daphne Jordan

Susan Serino

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Details

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S2462 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments