New Michigan Bill Aims To Help Prevent Teen Suicide

If a new bill passes in Lansing, soon student IDs for students in grades 6 -12 will include 24-hour suicide hotline numbers on the back.

Fox 17 reports the bill, which was introduced by Rep. Andrea Schroeder, has bipartisan support and would require schools to print a local, state or national 24-hour suicide hotline number. Although this part confuses me, because it doesn't require the schools to distribute them, just print the number on the card if they do give them out.  Although I'm thinking most if not all schools now have id cards, so maybe I'm overthinking.

According to Fox 17 Rep Schroeder drafted the bill after she learned about two students in Oakland County that had taken their lives.  The bill is still in the review status, but it has been assigned a committee in the statehouse.

Teen Suicide rates have increased in recent years with the explosion of social media, reaching its highest peak in 2017, as the LA Times reports.