The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has adopted HB 1559, a suicide prevention bill focusing on education for teachers in public middle and high schools. The bill was adopted in a 194 – 3 vote.
HB 1559 was introduced by Rep. Frank Farina (D-115) on June 20, 2013. Just seven days later, House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Clymer (R-145) put the bill up for a vote. In committee, the legislation was unanimously approved on June 27, 2013.
The vote on the House floor was nearly unanimous today, with Rep. Ted Krieger (R-57), Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-12), and Rep. Carl Metzgar (R-69) voting in opposition. By the time of the vote, HB 1559 had garnered 50 co-sponsors, 33 Democrats and 17 Republicans.
The bill is a simple requirement that all educators in Pennsylvania’s public and charter schools who teach 6th-12th grade receive four hours of training on suicide prevention every five years. This training is built into the regular professional development credit hours that teachers are already required to complete. To this end, the bill instructs the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Health to develop models for these trainings.
Rep. Tarah Toohil (R-116), wrote in the Standard Speaker that, “The bill’s aim is to strengthen suicide prevention techniques and resources in our public schools by providing educators with the training they need to identify at-risk students before a tragedy occurs. The four teen suicides that took place during one week last September in Luzerne County serve as a heartbreaking reminder of the pressing need to enact such legislation.”
We now await action from the Senate Education Committee on HB 1559. Chairman Sen. Folmer has not released a public statement indicating he will run the legislation in his committee.