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Oregon lawmakers hear testimony for bill to designate Oct. 9 as Youth Suicide Awareness Day
Summary
A public hearing on House Bill 3,643 drew family members, students and lawmakers to the House Committee on Rules to urge designation of Oct. 9 as Oregon Youth Suicide Awareness Day; no committee vote was recorded in the transcript.
Representative Lucetta Elmer, sponsor of House Bill 3,643, told the House Committee on Rules on March 17 that the measure would designate Oct. 9 of each year as Oregon Youth Suicide Awareness Day.
The bill attracted emotional testimony from family members and students from McMinnville and elsewhere. “On October ninth of 2024, I found my daughter had taken her own life,” said Katie Morris, identifying herself as the mother of the teenager the bill’s sponsors seek to honor. Kim Morris, the girl’s grandmother, also described the family’s loss and said the community “wrapped themselves around us in support and love.”
The bill’s sponsor, Representative Lucetta Elmer (R-24), said Oregon ranks near the top among states for youth suicide and “ranks last in the nation in balancing the prevalence of youth mental illness with access to care.” Representative Ewern Arashke (R-55) also gave personal testimony about surviving a suicide attempt and urged the committee to schedule a work session on the bill “and get it on the floor quick.”
Students and peers who testified described how a single death affected classmates and prompted outreach among students. “Suicide is a permanent solution to temporary problems,” said a student who identified herself as Jocelyn Middleton, urging the committee to support awareness efforts to help peers feel seen and to encourage help-seeking.
Committee staff closed the public hearing after several hours of testimony. The transcript records committee gratitude and the public hearing’s closure; it does not record a committee vote, amendment, or a formal work-session recommendation on HB 3,643 during the portion of the meeting provided.
Why it matters: supporters said a statewide awareness day would reduce stigma and prompt conversations that could help identify and assist youth at risk. Testimony combined personal stories of loss with appeals for system-level attention to youth mental health and access to care.
The committee then recessed and proceeded to other agenda items; no formal action on HB 3,643 appears in the provided transcript segment.
