State lawmakers representing the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign legislation that would establish a statewide Rural Suicide Prevention Council aimed at addressing rising suicide rates in rural communities.
State Sens. Tom O’Mara and Pam Helming, along with Assemblymen Phil Palmesano and Joe Sempolinski, issued a joint statement Monday urging the governor to approve the measure, which passed both houses of the Legislature unanimously during the final days of the 2026 legislative session.
The bill would create a 15-member council tasked with examining suicide rates in rural New York and developing recommendations to address the issue. The council would include the commissioners of the state departments of Agriculture, Health and Mental Health, along with 12 members appointed by legislative leaders.
Similar legislation was vetoed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2024. At the time, Hochul cited fiscal concerns and said existing state mental health programs already addressed the issue.
The lawmakers said the proposed council would provide a focused strategy for combating what they described as an epidemic of rural suicide.
The effort has been championed by Joseph Tobia, a Steuben County legislator whose son, Matt, died by suicide in 2021. Tobia has worked with lawmakers in recent years to build support for the legislation.
“We strongly believe that the creation of a state-level Rural Suicide Prevention Council would be a lifeline for addressing the epidemic of rural suicide,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “Now we need to convince Governor Hochul that this is the right thing to do.”
Tobia thanked state lawmakers from both parties for advancing the legislation and expressed hope that Hochul will sign the bill into law.
A 2023 report cited by supporters found the suicide rate in rural New York was twice that of urban areas and increased by 17% between 2019 and 2020.
If signed, the council would be responsible for studying suicide trends in rural communities and developing a comprehensive statewide prevention plan.
