[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H549-H550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               ADVANCING RESEARCH TO PREVENT SUICIDE ACT

  Mr. McADAMS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4704) 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, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4704

       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) 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 on Mental 
     Health where 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) To promote the development of early career researchers, 
     in awarding funds under subsection (a) the National Science 
     Foundation shall encourage applications submitted by early 
     career researchers, including doctoral students or 
     postdoctoral researchers.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. McAdams) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.

                              {time}  1745


                             General Leave

  Mr. McADAMS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on H.R. 4704, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McADAMS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan legislation, 
H.R. 4704, the Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act, which directs 
the National Science Foundation to support fundamental, 
multidisciplinary research to further our understanding of suicide.
  In Utah and across the country, communities are facing a mental 
health crisis. Public health and medical professionals are tracking an 
alarming rise in the rate of death by suicide, a 30 percent increase 
from 2000 to 2016 occurring in nearly every State.
  Suicide is now the second leading cause of death among Americans age 
15 to 24 and the first cause of death for Utahns in the same age range. 
Behind the statistics are heart-wrenching stories, such as the one I 
heard in Utah last month.
  A local television news anchor courageously told her family's 
personal story. Her 44-year-old husband, who was a physical therapist 
working toward a doctorate degree, died by suicide. She thought their 
family was doing well, but what she did not know was that her husband 
had struggled with depression in secret for years.
  A week after his death, she went through his phone and noticed a call 
to a national suicide hotline. The call was placed the day before he 
died. He didn't say anything to his wife, not that he was struggling or 
having a hard time.
  Now, she is using her platform in the newsroom to talk about her 
experience and break the stigma that surrounds mental illness. People 
need to understand, she says, that this is not something to be ashamed 
of and to ensure that we can get help and support to those who find 
themselves in crisis.
  In developing this legislation, I recently convened a panel of 
experts in Utah, including healthcare providers, advocates, and 
community leaders. One constituent shared with me that her school 
district has had three students die by suicide in this school year 
alone. The immense tragedy of this--young people who die far too 
early--has left an entire community grieving and reflecting upon how we 
can help those in need.
  This epidemic has led to much-needed action in Utah to identify and 
to support those at risk and those in crisis. It has also brought new 
attention to the need to understand suicide and to help develop 
interventions to support people at risk.
  How we understand human behavior, our social ties, and the 
environments in which we live connects us to understanding what puts 
people at risk of suicide and how we can support those in crisis, not 
to mention the changing issues that people face, particularly young 
people, from economic change and the constant presence of technology 
that reshape how we live, how we connect, and how we communicate.

[[Page H550]]

  This legislation will contribute to the foundational research that we 
need to give our mental health professionals the tools to save lives.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to have developed the Advancing Research to 
Prevent Suicide Act with my colleague and my friend, Congressman 
Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, to direct research into these questions and 
issues through the National Science Foundation.
  The National Science Foundation is a cornerstone of our Nation's 
scientific efforts and leadership. It supports fundamental research in 
many key fields related to our understanding of suicide--social 
behavior, cognition, development, genetics, and so much more.
  I extend my thanks to the teams at the American Foundation for 
Suicide Prevention and the American Psychological Association for their 
insight on and endorsement of this legislation.
  I also thank Chairwoman Johnson and her staff for her support and 
cosponsorship of this bill and for her leadership on our committee to 
address the scientific and research issues facing our Nation today.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill 
that will advance our national efforts to address the suicide crisis, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4704, the Advancing 
Research to Prevent Suicide Act. I was proud to join my friend, 
Congressman McAdams, in introducing this legislation, and I thank him 
for his leadership and his efforts to reduce suicide rates.
  H.R. 4704 directs the National Science Foundation to support 
multidisciplinary research to discover the root causes of the growing 
suicide epidemic across the United States.
  The Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act will work to address 
suicide from all angles. The research authorized under this bill will 
look at social and economic factors, the use of technology, and the 
stigma associated with mental health conditions.
  Madam Speaker, just this past week, I participated in a suicide 
prevention roundtable organized by my office to hear from local 
community leaders and stakeholders about the ongoing efforts to prevent 
suicide among youth and veterans and to stop suicide contagions from 
spreading. I left the meeting encouraged by the ongoing efforts in my 
community, but I also left knowing that there is still much to be done.
  Madam Speaker, I want to provide my colleagues with some raw data to 
give a full picture of the scope of the crisis in our country and in my 
home State of Ohio.
  The National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention released data ranking suicide as the 10th most 
common cause of death among Americans of all ages in 2017. Between 1999 
and 2017, the suicide rate increased by 33 percent in the United 
States.

  Nationally, the veteran suicide rate is 1\1/2\ times the rate of 
nonveteran adults, with 6,139 veterans dying from suicide in 2017 
alone.
  Closer to my district, according to a report published by the 
Northeast Ohio Youth Health Survey, between August 2017 and March 2018, 
the suicide rate among Stark County youth ages 10-19 rose to more than 
7 times the national rate and 11 times the 2011-2016 Stark County rate. 
Furthermore, between 2000 and 2016, suicide rates increased by 36 
percent in the entire State of Ohio.
  Personally, three of my own college football teammates have taken 
their lives in the past 12 months alone.
  We all know we have a mental health crisis in this country, but for 
me and my constituents, the suicide problem has impacted far too many 
close to home, as seen by the suicide rates in Stark County and the 
State of Ohio.
  Too many times, when I have met with a group of constituents to 
discuss an international trade or veteran-related policy issue, often, 
the biggest problem on their mind is the growing suicide threat.
  In 2018, a high school near my district suffered from what CDC called 
a suicide contagion, when six students killed themselves within a 6-
month timeframe.
  I sincerely believe that if we want to make a dent in the issue at 
hand, we need to be more proactive in finding the causes of suicide 
clusters and suicide contagions. Our children, our veterans, and our 
neighbors cannot wait much longer. It is imperative that we dig in and 
put in the work to find the roots of this crisis.
  The more we know about the fundamental causes, the better equipped we 
will be as a country to tackle the problem head-on, and that is what 
this bill does.
  Madam Speaker, again, I thank Congressman McAdams, Chairwoman 
Johnson, and Ranking Member Lucas for bringing this bill to the House 
floor today. I am encouraged by the bipartisanship already shown on 
this initiative, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to 
see this bill signed into law.
  Suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States in 
2017 and the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-34.
  For our Nation's veterans, it is an epidemic. We lose 17 veterans in 
America a day to suicide.
  This bill will support basic research at the National Science 
Foundation that will inform better interventions and improve their 
outcomes.
  Madam Speaker, I again thank Congressman McAdams for his work on this 
bill. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. McADAMS. Madam Speaker, we are facing a suicide epidemic in this 
country. This legislation will bring resources to address this epidemic 
and to identify solutions that help to bend the curve and help to 
prevent future death by suicide.
  Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of this important bipartisan 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 
4704, the--Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act. I want to thank 
Representative McAdams for his leadership in this good bipartisan bill, 
which I am proud to cosponsor.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  January 27, 2020, on page H550, the following appeared: Mr. 
JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 
4704, the--Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: Ms. JOHNSON of 
Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4704, the--
Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Tragically, suicide is a major public health concern in our country. 
According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide is the second 
leading cause of death among young people between ages 10 and 34 and 
the fourth leading cause of death for individuals between ages 35 and 
54.
  In 2017, suicide accounted for more than twice as many fatalities 
than homicide.
  Despite decades of research into the complex and multifaceted risk 
factors and circumstances that contribute to suicidal thoughts and 
behavior, the rate of death by suicide is rising. In 2017, 18 out of 
every 100,000 Americans were lost to suicide. We haven't seen a suicide 
rate this high since World War II.
  We must do more to address this crisis. There is a clear need for 
additional research to improve our understanding of the factors that 
put a person at risk of experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors. 
The Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act directs the National 
Science Foundation to support much needed research on the science of 
suicide to inform prevention strategies and save lives.
  I want to once again thank Mr. McAdams for his leadership on this 
issue. I also want to thank Science Committee Ranking Member Lucas and 
Representatives Gonzalez and Balderson for their bipartisan efforts to 
get this bill to the floor today.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. McAdams) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 4704, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. McADAMS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________