Today, Rep. LaPointe’s first two bills of the 102nd General Assembly passed out of committee remotely. Both are related to mental health, working through the legislative process to get people the support they need while reducing stigma.
Over the past year and a half, LaPointe has spoken to parents who’ve had to take a teen out of state for treatment, who lost a child to suicide, or who breathed a visible sigh of relief upon hearing their elected official talk about mental health.
HB577 is a school youth suicide prevention bill recognizing that certain populations of youth are at higher risk of suicide, such as LGBTQ youth, youth in homelessness, and youth bereaved by suicide.
HB576 allows for students/their families to cite mental health as a reason for an excused absence from school, recognizing the legitimacy of mental health issues and the stigma they carry.
Special thank you to the national advocacy group the Trevor Project and Keygan Miller for testifying.
