The Legislation
Senate Bill 21 (Glazer) – Specialized license plates: mental health awareness.
State Senator Steve Glazer introduced SB 21 to require the California Department of Education (CDE) to apply to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to establish a mental health awareness license plate program.
Why We Need It
Children and youth are experiencing escalating mental health needs and face numerous barriers to accessing care and support.
1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year.
17% of U.S. youth aged 6-17 experienced a mental health disorder each year.
Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-34 in the U.S.
California ranks 48th in the nation for providing children with needed mental health care (source: the most recent Commonwealth Fund Scorecard on State Health System Performance).
30-Second Survey: Mental Health Education
Have you or someone you loved had mental health challenges as a youth? What kind of impact do you think would result from students in grades 1-12 receiving mental health education in schools? Take our 30-second survey on mental health education.