HB 513: Suicide fatality review teams, local and regional; established, membership, penalty. - Virginia

Behavioral Health Subcommittee Substitute → Chaptered · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized into law (Chaptered) after passing the House, converting it from a substitute amendment to an enacted act. The primary substantive change is the addition of a new section (32.1-283.9) establishing local and regional suicide fatality review teams to investigate suicide deaths, including those of military service members and veterans. This new section mandates confidentiality for team records, grants immunity to participants, and authorizes a Class 3 misdemeanor penalty for violating confidentiality.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded by adding a new legal mechanism for suicide fatality reviews at the local and regional levels, specifically including military service members and veterans in the scope of review.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new section establishing local and regional suicide fatality review teams to investigate suicide deaths, including those of military service members and veterans.

Granted immunity from civil liability to team members and information providers acting in good faith during suicide fatality reviews.

ENFORCEMENT

Established a Class 3 misdemeanor penalty for violating the confidentiality requirements of the new suicide fatality review teams.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document header to reflect that the bill has been approved and enacted into law (Chapter 158) rather than being a pending substitute amendment.

Standardized the formatting of legal citations throughout the text to use non-breaking spaces (§ ) instead of standard spaces.

Health and Human Services Substitute → Behavioral Health Subcommittee Substitute · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted from a standard legislative layout to a 'House Substitute' format with added page headers and line numbers. The substantive legal content, including the new section on suicide fatality review teams and the confidentiality rules for health records, remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

The document structure was altered to include 'HOUSE SUBSTITUTE' headers, page numbers, and line numbers, while the actual legal text of the bill was preserved.

Enrolled → Health and Human Services Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to change its effective date from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2027, and to add a new provision allowing the State Board of Elections to review complaints regarding the personal use of campaign funds in closed meetings. The rest of the text regarding suicide fatality review teams and other confidentiality exclusions remains substantively unchanged.

Scope change

The bill's scope of closed meeting exemptions was expanded to include campaign fund misuse complaints, and the timeline for the new suicide fatality review teams was extended by one year.

TIMELINE

The effective date for the new suicide fatality review teams and related confidentiality provisions was moved from July 1, 2026, to July 1, 2027.

SCOPE

A new exemption was added to allow the State Board of Elections to discuss complaints about the personal use of campaign funds in closed meetings.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting and spacing changes were made throughout the document, including the addition of page headers and draft markings.

Introduced → Enrolled · 3 edits · Mar 6, 2026

MINOR

The bill evolved from a draft introducing a new section for suicide fatality reviews to an enrolled version that amends existing confidentiality laws. The final version adds a new section (32.1-283.9) to create local suicide fatality review teams and expands the list of confidential records in the Freedom of Information Act to include data from these new teams, alongside existing child, family violence, and adult fatality review teams.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a standalone new section to an amendment of existing confidentiality statutes, ensuring that suicide fatality review data receives the same legal protection as child and family violence fatality review data.

SCOPE

Added a new section (32.1-283.9) to establish local and regional suicide fatality review teams, allowing localities to investigate suicide deaths similar to how they investigate overdose deaths.

REQUIREMENT

Amended the Virginia Freedom of Information Act to explicitly include information from suicide fatality review teams in the list of records that must be kept confidential and excluded from public disclosure.

ENFORCEMENT

Established that violations of confidentiality regarding suicide fatality review records are punishable as a Class 3 misdemeanor.

Suicide fatality review teams, local and regional; established, membership, penalty.

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