Florida Senate - 2025                                    SB 1460
       
       
        
       By Senator Jones
       
       
       
       
       
       34-01724A-25                                          20251460__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to mental health services for first
    3         responders; creating s. 394.4675, F.S.; providing
    4         definitions; requiring the Division of State Fire
    5         Marshal to develop and implement a statewide
    6         behavioral health access program to provide certain
    7         mental wellness services and resources to first
    8         responders; providing requirements for the program;
    9         providing that first responders are not required to
   10         pay a copayment for the services and resources;
   11         providing training requirements for licensed
   12         professional counselors; requiring the program, by a
   13         specified date, to develop a specified plan and submit
   14         the plan to the Legislature; providing an effective
   15         date.
   16          
   17  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   18  
   19         Section 1. Section 394.4675, Florida Statutes, is created
   20  to read:
   21         394.4675 Mental health services for first responders.—
   22         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   23         (a) “First responder” has the same meaning as in s.
   24  112.1815(1) and includes 911 public safety telecommunicators as
   25  defined in s. 401.465(1)(a), correctional officers as defined in
   26  s. 943.10(2), and correctional probation officers as defined in
   27  s. 943.10(3).
   28         (b) “Licensed professional counselor” means a clinical
   29  psychologist, clinical social worker, marriage and family
   30  therapist, or mental health counselor authorized to provide
   31  services under s. 491.017 or a psychologist authorized to
   32  provide services under chapter 490.
   33         (2)(a) By engaging key stakeholders and partnerships with
   34  established nonprofit or state university first responder mental
   35  wellness initiatives, the Division of State Fire Marshal shall
   36  develop and implement a statewide behavioral health access
   37  program to provide comprehensive mental wellness services and
   38  resources with a focus on prevention and early intervention to
   39  reduce the prevalence of suicide and related mental health and
   40  substance abuse disorders for first responders. The program
   41  shall include all of the following:
   42         1. Training on resiliency, mental health awareness, and
   43  posttraumatic growth.
   44         2. Developing and training of peer support teams.
   45         3. Assisting first responder departments in building
   46  behavioral health access programs including internal mental
   47  wellness programs.
   48         4. Establishing suicide prevention and mental health
   49  communication campaigns.
   50         5. Integrating with partners for state disaster deployments
   51  under an emergency response plan.
   52         6. Conducting statewide epidemiologic research on incidence
   53  and prevalence of suicide and mental health-related issues in
   54  this state.
   55         (b) First responders are not required to pay a copayment
   56  for the services and resources.
   57         (3) The program shall provide a statewide network of
   58  licensed professional counselors who meet additional training
   59  requirements and who are available to provide services to first
   60  responders, families of first responders, and retired first
   61  responders at routine, urgent, and crisis levels of care. The
   62  additional training must include training in trauma management
   63  and evidence-based suicide prevention modalities with first
   64  responders.
   65         (4) By June 30, 2026, the program shall develop a research
   66  and evaluation plan to measure the effectiveness and return on
   67  investment of the program and submit the plan to the Speaker of
   68  the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate.
   69         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.