Legislation

Published: Mar 12, 2006

LEGISLATION

Florida's Legislature is to consider several bills related to suicide during the current session:

House Bill 527, Senate Bill 1008

Creates the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention within the state's Office of Drug Control and a coordinator's position. It also would create a coordinating council of state agencies to work on suicide prevention. Bills are in the Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations Committee.

House Bill 999, Senate Bill 1876

Provides $600,000 for a suicide prevention and depression screening pilot program called Signs of Suicide for use in secondary schools in Brevard, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. Bills are in the PreK-12 Committee.

House Bill 1213, Senate Bill 2286

Requires fully informed consent by a parent before his or her child's evaluation for an emotional, behavioral or mental disorder, a specific learning disability, or other health impairment. It also specifies the contents of a statement that must be signed by a parent, acknowledging the evaluation may result in the child being labeled and prescribed psychotropic medications. It specifies the side effects of the medications, including increased suicide risk, that some of the medications have not been FDA-approved for use in children, and that no medical tests exist to prove such psychiatric diagnoses. Actresses and Scientologists Kirstie Alley and Kelly Preston testified in favor of similar bills in Tallahassee last year. Bills are in the Health Care Regulation Committee.

Buddy Jaudon

and Donna Koehn

LEGISLATION

Florida's Legislature is to consider several bills related to suicide during the current session: