Establishes the rural suicide prevention council to identify barriers to mental health and substance use treatment and prevention services and other policies, practices, resources, services, and potential legislation that aim to reduce death by suicide and suicide attempts and acknowledge the demographic and cultural differences in rural communities; makes related provisions.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8434 Revised 7/22/2026
SPONSOR: Kelles TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the
rural suicide prevention council; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon expiration thereof
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to reduce the growing rate of suicide in
rural New York through the establishment of a rural suicide prevention
council to examine circumstances unique to rural New York State and
provide informed recommendations to address those circumstances.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of the bill amends the mental hygiene law by adding a new
section 7.49 to establish a rural suicide prevention council.
Paragraph (a) provides that the council shall be established by the
office of mental health and lists the commissioners of mental health,
health, and agriculture and markets or their designees as members of the
council along with twelve additional members, four of whom will be
appointed by the Governor, three of whom will be appointed by the Speak-
er of the Assembly, three of whom will be appointed by the Temporary
President of the Senate, one of whom will be appointed by the Minority
Leader of the Assembly and one of whom will be appointed by the Minority
Leader of the Senate.
Paragraph (b) provides that the Commissioner of Mental Hygiene shall
appoint the chair of the council and vacancies will be filled by the
appropriate appointing authority.
Paragraph (c) describes the qualifications for council members.
Paragraph (d) provides the duties of the council to include but not be
limited to:
1. identifying barriers to mental health and substance use treatment and
prevention services, as well as the causes and conditions related to
death by suicide or suicide attempts in rural parts of the state;
2. determine if there is sufficient capacity for peer supports and
mental health crisis services;
3. assess the use of the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline in rural areas
of the state and identify strategies to increase utilization;
4. identifying vulnerable populations in rural areas and the prevalence
of suicide among such populations including, but not limited to, farmers
and agricultural workers;
5. identifying policies, practices, resources, services, and potential
legislation that aim to reduce death by suicide and suicide attempts and
acknowledge the demographic and cultural differences in rural communi-
ties;
6. offering recommendations on policies and procedures to improve the
coordination of services and resources among agencies involved in the
delivery of mental health, substance use, or suicide prevention
services; and
7. making recommendations on funding initiatives to increase access to
mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention services in rural
areas and facilitate the use of innovative intervention strategies
specific to individuals residing in rural areas. Paragraph (e) provides
that the council will meet no less than three times annually or as
deemed necessary by the chair of the council or the commissioner.
Paragraph (f) provides that council members will receive no compensation
for their services but allows for compensation for expenses incurred in
the performance of their duties.
The section includes a requirement for the council to provide a prelimi-
nary report of their findings within nine months of the effective date
and a final report of their findings within eighteen months of the
effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control released data from 2001-2005
which showed that rural counties had higher rates of suicide than metro-
politan counties. Presently, suicide is the tenth leading cause of death
among Americans with over half a million suicides occurring during the
survey period.
The rise in suicide rates is not attributable to one factor but instead
to a number of factors. Increasing rural suicide may be the result of
economic insecurity, social isolation, a dearth of mental health profes-
sionals, higher levels of alcohol and substance abuse, weakened social
support, and many other factors.
The Rural Suicide Prevention Council envisioned in this legislation
would be tasked with examining the epidemic of suicide in rural New York
and then creating a comprehensive plan to address the problem. Address-
ing the root problems of the mental health crisis in our state is a
critical first step to helping the state provide needed services to our
residents.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024: A7188 (Gunther): Passed both houses; veto memo 55
2023: A7188 (Gunther): Mental Health reported to WAM; WAM reported to
Rules
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall have
become a law and shall expire 2 years after such effective date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8434
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the
rural suicide prevention council; and providing for the repeal of such
provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
2 7.49 to read as follows:
3 § 7.49 Rural suicide prevention council.
4 (a) There shall be established by the office, a council on rural
5 suicide prevention. Members of the council shall include the commission-
6 er or the commissioner's designee, the commissioner of health or the
7 commissioner's designee, and the commissioner of agriculture and markets
8 or the commissioner's designee. There shall be twelve additional members
9 of the council including four members appointed by the governor; three
10 members shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly; three members
11 shall be appointed by the temporary president of the senate; one member
12 shall be appointed by the minority leader of the assembly; and one
13 member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate.
14 (b) The commissioner shall designate the chair from appointed council
15 members. Vacancies in the membership of such council shall be filled by
16 the appropriate appointing authority.
17 (c) The membership of the council may include, but not be limited to,
18 representatives of the state conference of local mental hygiene direc-
19 tors; mental health professionals and practitioners with experience in
20 the delivery of mental health treatment or suicide prevention services
21 in rural areas; persons with expertise in research of public health
22 issues in rural areas; any group, association, or university with exper-
23 tise in financial or economic analysis, business planning, and providing
24 supports for farmers and other individuals residing in a rural area;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06752-02-5
A. 8434 2
1 certified peers; rural community members with lived experience who have
2 been or are currently receiving mental health services or supports; and
3 others whose professional expertise includes rural affairs related to
4 the duties of the council. For the purposes of this section the term
5 rural areas shall have the same meaning as it is defined in section four
6 hundred eighty-one of the executive law.
7 (d) Duties of the council shall include, but not be limited to:
8 (1) identifying barriers to mental health and substance use treatment
9 and prevention services, as well as the causes and conditions related to
10 death by suicide or suicide attempts in rural parts of the state;
11 (2) determine if there is sufficient capacity for peer supports and
12 mental health crisis services;
13 (3) assess the use of the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline in rural
14 areas of the state and identify strategies to increase utilization;
15 (4) identifying vulnerable populations in rural areas and the preva-
16 lence of suicide among such populations including, but not limited to,
17 farmers and agricultural workers;
18 (5) identifying policies, practices, resources, services, and poten-
19 tial legislation that aim to reduce death by suicide and suicide
20 attempts and acknowledge the demographic and cultural differences in
21 rural communities;
22 (6) offering recommendations on policies and procedures to improve the
23 coordination of services and resources among agencies involved in the
24 delivery of mental health, substance use, or suicide prevention
25 services; and
26 (7) making recommendations on funding initiatives to increase access
27 to mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention services in
28 rural areas and facilitate the use of innovative intervention strategies
29 specific to individuals residing in rural areas.
30 (e) The rural suicide prevention council shall meet not less than
31 three times annually, or as deemed necessary by the chair of the council
32 or the commissioner.
33 (f) The members of the rural suicide prevention council shall receive
34 no compensation for their services but shall be allowed their actual and
35 necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
36 The council shall provide a preliminary report to the governor and the
37 legislature of its findings, conclusions, recommendations and activities
38 already undertaken by the council, not later than nine months after the
39 effective date of this section, and a final report of its findings,
40 conclusions, recommendations and activities already undertaken by the
41 council, not later than eighteen months after the effective date of this
42 section and shall submit with its reports legislative proposals as it
43 deems necessary to implement its recommendations.
44 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall
45 have become a law and shall expire 2 years after such effective date
46 when upon such date the provisions of this act shall be deemed repealed.
