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House unanimously backs suicide‑prevention package funding youth programs and data collection
Summary
First substitute HB 346 establishes funding and structures for suicide-prevention programs (including reinstating juvenile programs, K–6 grants and a state data‑collection position). The House passed the bill unanimously, 69–0.
The House unanimously approved first substitute House Bill 346, a suicide‑prevention package that funds a suite of programs and creates a data‑collection position within the Department of Health.
Representative Lisonbee, the sponsor, said the bill restores a juvenile justice suicide‑prevention program that had lapsed, funds peer‑resiliency and anti‑bullying programs for elementary schools, and establishes a position to collect and analyze voluntary data from survivors and families to identify trends and causes. He argued that better data is a prerequisite to managing and reducing roughly 600 suicides a year in Utah.
Supporters noted the program's evidence base and cited local success stories, including the Provo school district’s Hope Squad program. Representative 41 (floor speaker) described practical examples of interventions that saved lives. The bill passed the House 69–0 and will be considered by the Senate.
