[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4704 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.4704

                     One Hundred Sixteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday,
            the third day of January, two thousand and twenty


                                 An Act


 
  To direct the Director of the National Science Foundation to support 
multidisciplinary research on the science of suicide, and to advance the 
   knowledge and understanding of issues that may be associated with 
  several aspects of suicide including intrinsic and extrinsic factors 
   related to areas such as wellbeing, resilience, and vulnerability.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
    This Act may be cited as the ``Advancing Research to Prevent 
Suicide Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
    Congress finds the following:
        (1) The rate of Americans dying by suicide is on the rise, 
    increasing 10.7 to 14.0 deaths per 100,000 people from 2001 to 
    2017.
        (2) Suicide is the tenth-leading cause of death among people in 
    the United States and the second-leading cause of death for young 
    people between the ages of 15 and 34.
        (3) The National Science Foundation funds research that is 
    improving our basic understanding of factors with potential 
    relevance to suicide, including potential relevance to prevention 
    and treatment.
        (4) Despite progress in mental health research, current gaps 
    exist in scientific understanding and basic knowledge of human 
    neural, genetic, cognitive, perceptual, behavioral, social, and 
    environmental factors with potential relevance to suicide.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RESEARCH.
    (a) In General.--The Director of the National Science Foundation, 
in consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of Health 
and the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and taking 
into consideration prioritized research agendas or strategic plans, as 
appropriate, shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, 
award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to institutions of 
higher education (or consortia of such institutions) to support 
multidisciplinary, fundamental research with potential relevance to 
suicide, including potential relevance to prevention and treatment, 
including, but not limited to--
        (1) basic understanding of human social behavior;
        (2) the neural basis of human cognition;
        (3) basic understanding of cognitive, linguistic, social, 
    cultural, and biological processes related to human development 
    across the lifespan;
        (4) basic understanding of perceptual, motor, and cognitive 
    processes, and their interaction, in typical human behavior; and
        (5) basic understanding of the relevance of drug and alcohol 
    abuse.
    (b) Encouraging Applications From Early Career Researchers.--To 
promote the development of early career researchers, in awarding funds 
under subsection (a), the Director of the National Science Foundation 
shall encourage applications submitted by early career researchers, 
including doctoral students or postdoctoral researchers.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.