ENROLLED

H. B. 2535

                        (By Delegates Longstreth, Ferro, Caputo, Rowan, O'Neal, Ashley,

                                    Hamrick, L. Phillips, Fleischauer, Skinner and P. Smith)

                        [Passed March 10, 2015; in effect ninety days from passage.]

AN ACT to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-2-40; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §18B-1B-7; and to amend said code by adding thereto a new article, designated §27-6-1, all relating to creating “Jamie’s Law”; requiring a public middle and high school administrator to disseminate and provide opportunities to discuss suicide prevention awareness information to all middle and high school students; requiring each public and private institution of higher education to develop and implement a policy to advise students and staff on suicide prevention programs available on and off campus; requiring each public and private institution of higher education to provide all incoming students with information about depression and suicide prevention resources available to students; requiring the posting of certain information on the website of the public and private institutions of higher education, the Higher Education Policy Commission, and the Council for Community and Technical College Education; and requiring the Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities to post on its website suicide prevention awareness information.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

            That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-2-40; that said code be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §18B-1B-7; that said code be amended by adding thereto a new article, designated §27-6-1; all to read as follows:

CHAPTER 18. EDUCATION.

ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-2-40. Suicide prevention awareness training; dissemination of information.

            (a) This section, section seven, article one-b, chapter eighteen-b of this code and section one, article six, chapter twenty-seven of this code shall be known as “Jamie’s Law”.

            (b) On or before September 1, 2015 and each year thereafter, a public middle and high school administrator shall disseminate and provide opportunities to discuss suicide prevention awareness information to all middle and high school students. The information may be obtained from the Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities or from a commercially developed suicide prevention training program approved by the State Board of Education in consultation with the bureau to assure the accuracy and appropriateness of the information.

CHAPTER 18B. HIGHER EDUCATION.

ARTICLE 1B. HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY COMMISSION.

§18B-1B-7. Student mental health policies; suicide prevention.

            (a) Each public and private institution of higher education shall develop and implement a policy to advise students and staff on suicide prevention programs available on and off campus that includes, but is not limited to:

            (1) Crisis intervention access, which includes information for national, state and local suicide prevention hotlines;

            (2) Mental health program access, which provides information on the availability of local mental health clinics, student health services and counseling services;

            (3) Multimedia application access, which includes crisis hotline contact information, suicide warning signs, resources offered and free-of-cost applications;

            (4) Student communication plans, which consist of creating outreach plans regarding educational and outreach activities on suicide prevention; and

            (5) Post intervention plans which include creating a strategic plan to communicate effectively with students, staff and parents after the loss of a student to suicide.

            (b) Each public and private institution of higher education shall provide all incoming students with information about depression and suicide prevention resources available to students. The information provided to students shall include available mental health services and other support services, including student-run organizations for individuals at risk of or affected by suicide.

            (c) The information prescribed by subsection (a), subdivisions (1) through (4) of this section shall be posted on the website of each institution of higher education in this state.

            (d) Any applicable free-of-cost prevention materials or programs shall be posted on the websites of the public and private institutions of higher education, the Higher Education Policy Commission, and the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education.

CHAPTER 27. MENTALLY ILL PERSONS.

ARTICLE 6. SUICIDE PREVENTION AND AWARENESS.

§27-6-1. Dissemination of information.

            (a) The Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities shall, on or before August 1, 2015, post on its website suicide prevention awareness information, to include recognizing the warning signs of a suicide crisis. The website shall include information related to suicide prevention training opportunities offered by the bureau or an agency recognized by the bureau as a training provider.

            (b) The bureau may assist the public middle and high school administrators in providing suicide prevention information to students in the public middle and high schools.

            (c) The bureau shall annually review, for adequacy and completeness, the materials or programs posted on the websites of the institutions of higher education as required by section seven, article one-b, chapter eighteen-b of this code.