 |
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, First Regular Session
AMENDED
veteran suicide prevention; pilot program
Purpose
Appropriates $10,000,000 from the State Parks Revenue Fund in FY 2024 to the Arizona State Parks Board (Board) to purchase, design and construct the Arizona Veterans Memorial State Park Site. Requires the Board to establish the Arizona Veterans Memorial State Park, subject to outlined conditions. Establishes the Veteran Suicide Prevention Training Pilot Program (Program) within the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services (ADVS).
Background
Duties of ADVS include informing veterans,
their families and dependents, military and civilian authorities about federal,
state and local laws enacted to benefit veterans and others as outlined, as
well as collecting information relating to services and facilities available to
veterans and entering into agreements with veterans' organizations in Arizona
holding a charter granted by the U.S. Congress for the beneficial interest of
veterans. ADVS may also establish a training
center to provide training to current or potential employees and the veteran
community (A.R.S.
§ 41-603).
The Department of Health Services must annually compile a report on veteran suicides in Arizona that includes the number and rate of veterans who died by suicide in Arizona's resident population for the most current complete calendar year, historic trends of veteran suicide rates, the most common mechanism of suicide in Arizona's resident veteran population, and utilization and encounter data for a nonprofit veterans' services organization that provides services related to reducing suicides among Arizona's military and veteran populations (A.R.S. § 36-146).
S.B. 1454 appropriates $10,000,000 from the State Parks Revenue Fund to the Board in FY 2024.
Provisions
Veteran Suicide Prevention Program
1. Establishes the Program in ADVS to offer claims examiners as well as county and municipal veteran service offices specialized training and certification in preventing veteran suicides.
2. Requires ADVS to contract with an organization that has experience in developing and implementing veteran-relevant and evidence-based suicide prevention training to develop the training curriculum for the Program.
3. Requires ADVS to establish and oversee the process for selecting Program participants and certifying Program participants who successfully complete veteran suicide prevention training.
4. Requires the Program to train participants to:
a) identify indicators of elevated suicide risk in veterans; and
b) provide emergency crisis referrals for veterans expressing or exhibiting symptoms of emotional or psychological distress.
5. Requires ADVS to submit a report, on or before July 30 each year, to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives that includes information concerning the Program and whether any changes should be made to the Program to increase the Program's effectiveness.
6. Requires ADVS final report to recommend whether the Program should be continued.
7. Repeals the Program on January 1, 2028.
Arizona Veterans Memorial State Park
a) the Board purchases the Arizona Veterans Memorial State Park Site;
b) the Joint Committee on Capital Review approves the design and construction of the memorial; and
c) the purchased site is located in Maricopa County, within two miles of a veteran's national cemetery.
9. Allows the Board to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Maricopa County for the maintenance and preservation of the Arizona Veterans Memorial State Park.
10. Appropriates $10,000,000 from the State Parks Revenue Fund to the Board in FY 2024 to purchase the memorial site and specifies that remaining unexpended and unencumbered monies on July 1, 2025, revert to the State Parks Revenue Fund.
11. Makes conforming changes.
12. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Increases the appropriation from $500,000 to $600,000, and adds one FTE position to ADVS.
2. Allows ADVS to use up to $100,000 of the appropriated monies to hire one program specialist and to pay for other administrative costs associated with the Program.
Amendments Adopted by the House of Representatives
1. Removes the $600,000 appropriation and one FTE position to ADVS.
2. Adds a $10,000,000 appropriation from the State Parks Revenue Fund to the Board.
3. Requires the Board to establish the Arizona Veterans Memorial State Park, subject to the following conditions:
a) the Board purchases the Arizona Veterans Memorial State Park Site;
b) the Joint Committee on Capital Review approves the design and construction of the memorial; and
c) the purchased site is located in Maricopa County within two miles of a veteran's national cemetery.
4. Allows the Board to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Maricopa County for the maintenance and preservation of the Arizona Veterans Memorial State Park.
Senate Action House Action
APPROP 2/23/23 DP 10-0-0 MAPS 3/27/23 DP 14-0-0-1
MAPS 2/15/23 DP 7-0-0 3rd Read 6/12/23 31-29-0
Prepared by Senate Research
June 13, 2023
ZD/KS/sr