NY State Senate Bill 2025-S3969

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Mental Health 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 31, 2025	referred to mental health

co-Sponsors

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A1660
Current Committee:: Senate Mental Health
Law Section:: Mental Hygiene Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §7.23, Ment Hyg L; amd §3006-a, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S6234
2017-2018: S3550
2019-2020: S5704
2021-2022: S2774, A9390
2023-2024: S1924, A9972

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to mandatory continuing education for teachers relating to mental health issues.

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S3969

SPONSOR: SEPULVEDA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the mental hygiene law and the education law, in
relation to mandatory continuing education for teachers relating to
mental health issues

 
PURPOSE:

Relates to mandatory continuing education for teachers relating to
mental health issues.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends Section 7.23 of the mental hygiene law by adding a new
subdivision (d) to provide for the development of course materials in
consultation with the Offices of Mental Health, Alcoholism and Substance
Abuse Services, Health and Education.

Section 2: Amends paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 3006-a of the

education law to require that continuing teacher and leader education
shall include at least twice during the 5-year registration period
programs and activities related to mental illness, eating disorders and
behavioral health disorders.

Section 3: Authorizes the Commissioner of education to promulgate any
necessary rules and regulations.

Section 4: Provides for the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Our youth spend more time in school than they do anywhere else, except
their own home. School is one of the best places for both educators and
students to become increasingly aware of mental health, mental health
problems and mental disorders. Thusly, making school one of the most
efficient places to use in developing and delivering interventions that
can improve youth mental health effectively and efficiently.

The Mental Health First Aid curriculum is unique in that it is aimed at
nonprofessional audiences and specifically seeks to aid in reducing
social distance, increase help-seeking and helping behaviors and provide
strategies to assist an individual in crisis.  Professionals from the
Offices of Mental Health, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, NYS Department
of Health, and State Education Department shall develop course
materials/curriculum which shall be available to school districts. Below
are primary points that emphasize why the notion of a "first aid"
approach is vital to the community.

* Mental health problems are common.

* People with mental health problems often face negative attitudes and
discrimination.

* Many people are not well informed about mental health problems.


* Professional help is not always on hand. *People often do not know how
to respond. *People with mental health problems often do not seek help.

* A continuing education curriculum would assist in educators responding
to their students by;

* Assessing for risk of suicide or harm

* Learning to listen with a non-judgmental attitude

* Sharing reassurance and information with knowledge and confidence

* Persuading self-help and other support strategies

* Encouraging appropriate professional help

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

S.1924 of 2023-2024; Referred to Mental Health;

S.2774 of 2021-22:Referred to Mental Health

S.5704 of2019-20:Referred to Mental Health and Developmental Disabili-
ties

S.3550 of 2017-18:Referred to Mental Health and Developmental Disabili-
ties

S.6234-B of 2016:Amended and Recommitted to Education

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law.

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3969
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 31, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sens. SEPULVEDA, COMRIE, JACKSON, RIVERA, SALAZAR -- read
   twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be  committed  to  the
   Committee on Mental Health
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  mental  hygiene  law  and the education law, in
   relation to mandatory continuing education for  teachers  relating  to
   mental health issues

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 7.23 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding
 a new subdivision (d) to read as follows:
   (D) THE COMMISSIONER IN CONSULTATION  WITH  THE  OFFICE  OF  ADDICTION
 SERVICES AND SUPPORTS, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND WITH THE COMMISSION-
 ER  OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, SHALL DEVELOP COURSE MATERIALS TO BE
 OFFERED AS PART OF THE REQUIRED CONTINUING TEACHER AND LEADER  EDUCATION
 REQUIREMENTS PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH A OF SUBDIVISION TWO OF SECTION THREE
 THOUSAND  SIX-A  OF THE EDUCATION LAW.  SUCH TRAINING SHALL INCLUDE, BUT
 NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   1. CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES;
   2. PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH;
   3. EATING DISORDERS;
   4. BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISORDERS;
   5. BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPROVING THE OVERALL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT;
   6. SAFE DE-ESCALATION OF CRISIS SITUATIONS;
   7. IDENTIFYING SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING EARLY  STAGES  OF  MENTAL
 ILLNESS AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES; AND
   8.  THE  USE  OF  EVIDENCE  BASED TRAINING PROGRAMS INCLUDING, BUT NOT
 LIMITED TO, MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID OR CORE ELEMENTS OF SUCH PROGRAMS TO
 THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE.
   § 2. Paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 3006-a of  the  education
 law,  as added by section 2 of subpart C of part EE of chapter 56 of the
 laws of 2015, is amended to read as follows:

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03448-01-5

 S. 3969                             2
 
   a. During each five-year registration period  beginning  on  or  after
 July  first,  two  thousand sixteen, an applicant for registration shall
 successfully complete a minimum  of  one  hundred  hours  of  continuing
 teacher  and  leader  education,  as defined by the commissioner.   SUCH
 CONTINUING  TEACHER  AND  LEADER EDUCATION SHALL INCLUDE, AT LEAST TWICE
 DURING THE FIVE-YEAR REGISTRATION PERIOD, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO CONTINU-
 ING  EDUCATION  COURSES,  PROGRAMS  AND  ACTIVITIES  RELATED  TO  MENTAL
 ILLNESS, EATING DISORDERS AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISORDERS AS PURSUANT TO
 PARAGRAPH  (D) OF SECTION 7.23 OF THE MENTAL HYGIENE LAW. The department
 shall issue rigorous standards for courses, programs, and  activities[,]
 that  shall  qualify as continuing teacher and leader education pursuant
 to this section. For purposes of this section, a peer review teacher, or
 a principal acting as an independent  trained  evaluator,  conducting  a
 classroom  observation as part of the teacher evaluation system pursuant
 to section three thousand twelve-d of this article may credit such  time
 towards  [his or her] SUCH TEACHER OR PRINCIPAL'S continuing teacher and
 leader effectiveness requirements.
   § 3. The commissioner of education is  authorized  to  promulgate  any
 rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.
   §  4. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately
 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or  regulation  neces-
 sary  for  the  implementation  of  this  act  on its effective date are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.

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Senate Bill S3969

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Mental Health Committee

co-Sponsors

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S3969

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Sponsored By

Luis R. Sepúlveda

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Mental Health Committee

co-Sponsors

Leroy Comrie

Robert Jackson

Gustavo Rivera

Julia Salazar

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S3969 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments