STATEHOUSE — A bill authored by State Senator Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) that would address suicide and drug overdose death reporting has passed the Senate by a vote of 46-1.
Senate Bill 84 would require the Indiana Department of Health to create a yearly report on all suicide and drug overdose deaths within the state from the previous year. This report would include:
· the number of fatalities that occurred in each county;
· the number of fatalities that occurred during each month;
· the age, sex and race of each fatality victim; and
· the method of suicide or overdose.
“We lose too many people each year to suicide and drug overdose,” Leising said. “My intent with SB 84 is to make sure we have the information we need to make informed public policy decisions that will combat this issue in a meaningful way and help struggling Indiana residents in the future.”
SB 84 will now move to the Indiana House of Representatives for further consideration.
To learn more about SB 84, visit iga.in.gov.
(State Senator Jean Leising press release)
