Michigan bill calls for suicide hotline on student ID cards
21 February, 2020
category: Card Issuance
Michigan is now joining the list of states to explore legislation mandating that student ID cards feature suicide prevention phone numbers. The state’s “save our students act,” is a bipartisan House bill introduced this month that would make suicide hotline information readily available on student identification cards.
According to a report from Michigan’s ABC 13, House Bill 5482 is designed to make critical resource information readily available to students all the time. The bill would see local, state or national suicide prevention hotline telephone numbers printed on all ID cards issued to students in grades 6-12.
Supporters of the bill suggest that having phone numbers readily available on a student ID card is one way to address teen suicide. Thirty lawmakers have signed onto the Michigan bill, which has now been referred to the House Committee on Education.
Michigan joins other states that have put forth similar bills. California last year began requiring schools to print the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on all student ID cards. Similar legislation has also been proposed in Wisconsin, Nebraska and Washington state.
As it’s currently written, Michigan’s House Bill 5482 does not include higher education institutions in its student ID card mandate. Both Wisconsin and California, however, have included ID cards issued to students at universities and colleges in its legislation.