HELENA — School boards would be required to establish policies and procedures for youth suicide prevention and response under a bill that passed the Montana Senate on Monday.
The bill, by Republican Rep. Dennis Lenz of Billings, passed 48-2 and now returns to the House for approval of an amendment that clarifies the bill does not impose a “specific duty of care,” that could be the subject of a lawsuit.
The bill passed the House 87-12 in February. It requires a two-thirds vote of the Legislature because it limits liability.
Also Monday, the Montana House narrowly endorsed a measure that sought to create a grant program for schools to implement suicide prevention plans but saw the funding stripped out in committee.
The bill, which passed 52-47 on second reading, also requires the Office of Public Instruction to develop a model suicide prevention plan that schools can use if they wish.
The bill by Democratic Rep. Mary Ann Dunwell of Helena faces a third-reading vote before it can move to the Senate.
The Legislature has heard several bills addressing Montana’s suicide rate, which has been at or near the top in the nation for nearly four decades.
The Montana Suicide Mortality Review Team, which reviewed 555 suicides that occurred from January 2014 through February 2016, recommended school prevention programs including resiliency and coping skills training at the elementary school level while older students would receive training to identify the signs of suicide and be screened for depression.
Republican Rep. Nancy Ballance of Hamilton argued there were other bills still in committee that could be combined to address the issue of youth suicide.
That prompted Democratic Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy to ask about the status and deadlines for addressing his suicide prevention bills, which call for $1 million in funding for agency grants and a statewide suicide prevention campaign.
“When are we going to start moving on this?” he asked.
Ballance acknowledged Friday would be the deadline to act on the bills by Windy Boy.
Lenz was among several Republicans who said they were going to vote against Dunwell’s bill, which they felt did nothing after the funding was removed.
“This bill is a skeleton of what it originally was and we need to vote this down,” Lenz said.
The House Education Committee heard testimony on Dunwell’s bill in January. Two 19-year-olds testified that they had each attempted suicide three times and that they felt no support in their schools in Helena.
“We need to do better in helping our kids prepare for what’s inevitably going to be some dark days in their lives,” Democratic Rep. Jenny Eck of Helena said Monday.