House Appropriations Committee to consider mental health bills

by Joseph Beaudet

The Sheridan Press

Via Wyoming News Exchange

SHERIDAN —- The Wyoming House of Representatives referred three mental health bills to its Appropriations Committee last week.

Speaker of the House Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, brought the bills up for consideration, noting his and the Governor’s focus on mental health.

“That has been a priority of mine, and I think we heard that it was a priority of (Gov. Mark Gordon during his State of the State address),” Sommers said.

The House voted to introduce three mental health bills last week, referring each to the House Appropriations Committee. The committee could review the bills as early as its meeting Tuesday morning.

988 funding

As previously reported, Rep. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo, told The Sheridan Press ahead of the budget session he and several other legislators would look for a way to fund the 988 suicide prevention hotline trust fund. Crago co-sponsored House Bill 186 to fund the $40 million trust fund fully.

“This is not a hotline, it’s a lifeline,” Rep. Jon Conrad, R-Mountain View, said on the House floor. Conrad is the primary sponsor of HB 186.

Those opposed to the bill on the House floor Thursday morning said 988 funding should remain in the state’s budget, rather than in a trust fund to ensure it keeps working for Wyomingites.

Many opponents to funding the trust fund during the last legislative session wanted proof the hotline worked and helped prevent suicides. According to Wyoming Department of Health data, 988 fielded 3,452 calls from June to December 2023. Wyoming started operating the hotline 24 hours per day in July 2022 and had 35 fewer deaths by suicide in 2022 than in 2021.

While the 988 suicide prevention hotline has helped Wyoming decrease its suicide rate, there is still a long way to go, Conrad noted.

“We’re not there yet. We need to be 50th,” Conrad said. The Center for Disease Control has not released suicide rate statistics for 2022. However, WDH statistics indicate the state likely no longer has the highest suicide rate, having a lower rate than both Montana and Alaska according to state health department data.

Suicide prevention license plate

House Bill 144 would help fund the 988 suicide prevention hotline accounts by auctioning off historic license plates. Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne and the bill sponsor, noted some of the state’s old license plates are in high demand and even remain in use by the state’s residents.

The bill would allow the Department of Transportation to auction off the license plates with an additional 988 badge. The plates, Brown said, would help Wyomingites show their support for suicide prevention and awareness.

“It also shows the rest of the country when you leave this state that Wyoming cares about suicide awareness,” Brown said.

Rep. Clarence Styvar, R-Cheyenne, was critical of the bill because “Wyoming has too many license plates now.” He said having stickers available to gauge interest before spending money on license plates would be a more appealing option.

Retaining the MHVA task force

The Wyoming Legislature’s Management Council established the Mental Health and Vulnerable Adults Task Force shortly after the 2023 general session ended. Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, explained the management council determined the task force should continue its work for another year, so he sponsored a bill to allow legislators to weigh in.

“It made more sense to have the entire Legislature vote on the task force than just having management council renew it for another year,” Zwonitzer said.

The task force is comprised of six legislators — three representatives and three senators — as well as state department representatives and a member of the Judiciary branch. Zwonitzer said he expects more bills to come from the task force during next year’s general session.

The shortened, 20-day budget session began Feb. 12 and will end March 8.