Connecticut SB 218: AN ACT ESTABLISHING TASK FORCES TO STUDY BEREAVEMENT AND GRIEF COUNSELING SERVICES AND SOCIAL ISOLATION AND LONELINESS.

Bill Text

LCO No. 1186 1 of 3

General Assembly Raised Bill No. 218
February Session, 2024 LCO No. 1186

Referred to Committee on COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN

Introduced by:
(KID)

AN ACT ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY THE CREATION
AND ADMINISTRATION OF A STATE-WIDE PROGRAM FOR THE
DELIVERY OF BEREAVEMENT AND GRIEF COUNSELING SERVICES
TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a task force 1
to develop recommendations for the creation and administration of a 2
state-wide program for the delivery of bereavement and grief 3
counseling services to children and families at no cost to participants. 4
The task force shall make recommendations for (1) the appropriate 5
agency or agencies to administer such program, (2) the scope of services 6
offered by such program, including, but not limited to, the provision of 7
culturally informed services and services to marginalized communities, 8
(3) the role that existing bereavement and grief counseling services 9
programs and school-based health centers should have in the delivery 10
of services under such program, (4) the delivery of services by such 11
program in areas of the state where such services do not currently exist 12
or are not sufficient, and the resources that will be needed to deliver 13
services to such areas, (5) long-term funding sources for such program, 14

Raised Bill No. 218

LCO No. 1186 2 of 3

and (6) any additional considerations identified by the task force. 15
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: 16
(1) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 17
who shall be a representative of a bereavement and grief counseling 18
services program that serves children and families; 19
(2) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who 20
shall be a representative of a state-wide association of school-based 21
health centers; 22
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of 23
Representatives, who shall be a representative of a state-wide 24
association of school counselors; 25
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who shall be 26
a representative of the state chapter of a national nonprofit organization 27
that works to improve the lives of children and families; 28
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of 29
Representatives, who shall be a representative of a child study center 30
affiliated with a medical school in the state; 31
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall be 32
a psychologist licensed pursuant to chapter 383 of the general statutes, 33
who has expertise in treating bereaved children; 34
(7) The Commissioner of Public Health, or the commissioner's 35
designee; 36
(8) The Commissioner of Children and Families, or the 37
commissioner's designee; 38
(9) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, or 39
the commissioner's designee; and 40
(10) The executive director of the Commission on Women, Children, 41
Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, or the executive director's designee. 42

Raised Bill No. 218

LCO No. 1186 3 of 3

(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (1), 43
(2), (3), (4), (5) or (6) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member 44
of the General Assembly. 45
(d) All initial appointments to the task force shall be made not later 46
than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall 47
be filled by the appointing authority. 48
(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro 49
tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force from 50
among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule 51
the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty 52
days after the effective date of this section. 53
(f) The administrative staff of the Commission on Women, Children, 54
Seniors, Equity and Opportunity shall serve as administrative staff of 55
the task force. 56
(g) Not later than July 1, 2025, the task force shall submit a report on 57
its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committees of 58
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public 59
health and children, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a 60
of the general statutes. The task force shall terminate on the date that it 61
submits such report or July 1, 2025, whichever is later. 62
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 from passage New section

Statement of Purpose:
To establish a task force to study the creation and administration of a
state-wide program for the delivery of bereavement and grief
counseling services to children and families.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section