SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1714        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 970

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Paul R. Feeney

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to suicide prevention signage at certain facilities.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1714        FILED ON: 1/19/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 970

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act relative to suicide prevention signage at certain facilities.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 32 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting the following 3 paragraphs:- 

Every owner, proprietor and person in control or keeper of a garage of a vertical height above 3 stories or 30 feet shall, within 1 year of this act, conspicuously post signage providing information on suicide prevention including, but not limited to, the 988 behavioral health emergency line, and the words “You Are Not Alone”, designed and developed by the division on violence and injury prevention within the department of public health and available on the department’s website. The sign shall be posted conspicuously on each of the 4 walls of a garage on each floor above 3 stories or 30 feet in height and in each elevator lobby and stairwell on each floor leading to the top level of the garage.

Every owner, proprietor and person in control of a garage shall submit to the department of public health and to the architectural access board proof of posted signage within 1 year of the effective date of this section. 

The penalty for failure to comply with this act shall be $50 per day, payable to the commonwealth and to be distributed equally to Massachusetts non-profit organizations dedicated to preventing suicide at the end of each fiscal year.

SECTION 2. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department of public health, in consultation with the division on violence and injury prevention and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, shall conduct a study of mass transportation facilities, as defined in section 1 of chapter 161A of the General Laws, inclusive of railways and crossings, that are potential means of suicide or locations where a suicide has occurred in the last 10 years. 

(b) The department of public health shall submit a report containing the findings of its study to the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives, the joint committee on health care financing, the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery, the joint committee on transportation and the senate and house committees on ways and means within 1 year of the passage of this act. The department shall publish a copy of the report on its website. 

(c) Within 1 year of the publication of the report, the department of public health shall promulgate regulations requiring the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to integrate at mass transportation facilities, physical infrastructure and design elements that will reduce and eliminate means of suicide, including, but not limited to, a requirement to conspicuously post signage providing information on suicide prevention, developed and provided by the division on violence and injury prevention within the department of public health, including, but not limited to, the 988 behavioral health emergency line, and the words “You Are Not Alone”. The sign shall use a soothing light green color and shall be developed in a manner that is large enough to be viewed from a distance and that can be clearly viewed and read by persons in all lighting conditions. The department of public health shall make the sign, as well as design recommendations for barriers and features to prevent means of suicide at mass transportation facilities, railways and crossings, available on its website for viewing and download by the public.

SECTION 3. Section 1 of this Act shall take effect 1 year after the publication of the signage required under section 2 on the website of the department of public health.