[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 13, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2412-S2414]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NATIONAL SUICIDE HOTLINE DESIGNATION ACT OF 2019

  Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, in a Chamber that has seen more than its 
fair share of life-or-death matters, especially the last several 
months, this bill that I am about to ask for unanimous consent to pass 
before the Senate, the creation of the 988 National Suicide Hotline 
bill, is a bill that gives hope to life.
  This bill will save lives. It has been an honor to work on this 
legislation so we can come together as a Chamber, as a Congress, as a 
nation, to do all we can to save those precious lives, those precious 
voices, that we lose too often.
  In Colorado, we lose someone to suicide every 7 hours. The bill that 
we are about to pass can change that. We can all change that with 
responsible actions, more funding, more efforts, and this is our start 
to continue the great work that has been done, to build on the work 
that we know needs to be done, to create a 3-digit 988 national hotline 
to prevent suicide.
  I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate 
consideration of S. 2661.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 2661) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to 
     designate 9-8-8 as the universal telephone number for the 
     purpose of the national suicide prevention and mental health 
     crisis hotline system operating through the National Suicide 
     Prevention Lifeline and through the Veterans Crisis Line, and 
     for other purposes.

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to proceeding to the 
measure?
  There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the 
Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the Gardner substitute 
amendment at the desk be agreed to and that the bill, as amended, be 
considered read a third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 1585) was agreed to as follows

                (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)

        Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

[[Page S2413]]

  


     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``National Suicide Hotline 
     Designation Act of 2020''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) According to the American Foundation for Suicide 
     Prevention, on average, there are 129 suicides per day in the 
     United States.
       (2) To prevent future suicides, it is critical to 
     transition the cumbersome, existing 10-digit National Suicide 
     Hotline to a universal, easy-to-remember, 3-digit phone 
     number and connect people in crisis with life-saving 
     resources.
       (3) It is essential that people in the United States have 
     access to a 3-digit national suicide hotline across all 
     geographic locations.
       (4) The designated suicide hotline number will need to be 
     both familiar and recognizable to all people in the United 
     States.

     SEC. 3. UNIVERSAL TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR NATIONAL SUICIDE 
                   PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS HOTLINE 
                   SYSTEM.

       (a) In General.--Section 251(e) of the Communications Act 
     of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 251(e)) is amended by adding at the end 
     the following:
       ``(4) Universal telephone number for national suicide 
     prevention and mental health crisis hotline system.--9-8-8 is 
     designated as the universal telephone number within the 
     United States for the purpose of the national suicide 
     prevention and mental health crisis hotline system operating 
     through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline maintained 
     by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 
     Use under section 520E-3 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
     U.S.C. 290bb-36c) and through the Veterans Crisis Line 
     maintained by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under section 
     1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date 
     of enactment of this Act.
       (c) Required Report.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary for 
     Mental Health and Substance Use and the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall jointly submit a report that details the 
     resources necessary to make the use of 9-8-8, as designated 
     under paragraph (4) of section 251(e) of the Communications 
     Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 251(e)), as added by subsection (a) of 
     this section, operational and effective across the United 
     States to--
       (1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
     of the Senate;
       (2) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
       (3) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (4) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
     Representatives.

     SEC. 4. STATE AUTHORITY OVER FEES.

       (a) Authority.--
       (1) In general.--Nothing in this Act, any amendment made by 
     this Act, the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et 
     seq.), or any Commission regulation or order may prevent the 
     imposition and collection of a fee or charge applicable to a 
     commercial mobile service or an IP-enabled voice service 
     specifically designated by a State, a political subdivision 
     of a State, an Indian Tribe, or village or regional 
     corporation serving a region established pursuant to the 
     Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) 
     for 9-8-8 related services, if the fee or charge is held in a 
     sequestered account to be obligated or expended only in 
     support of 9-8-8 services, or enhancements of such services, 
     as specified in the provision of State or local law adopting 
     the fee or charge.
       (2) Use of 9-8-8 funds.--A fee or charge collected under 
     this subsection shall only be imposed, collected, and used to 
     pay expenses that a State, a political subdivision of a 
     State, an Indian Tribe, or village or regional corporation 
     serving a region established pursuant to the Alaska Native 
     Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) is expected to 
     incur that are reasonably attributed to--
       (A) ensuring the efficient and effective routing of calls 
     made to the 9-8-8 national suicide prevention and mental 
     health crisis hotline to an appropriate crisis center; and
       (B) personnel and the provision of acute mental health, 
     crisis outreach and stabilization services by directly 
     responding to the 9-8-8 national suicide prevention and 
     mental health crisis hotline.
       (b) Fee Accountability Report.--To ensure efficiency, 
     transparency, and accountability in the collection and 
     expenditure of a fee or charge for the support or 
     implementation of 9-8-8 services, not later than 2 years 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 
     thereafter, the Commission shall submit to the Committees on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Appropriations of 
     the Senate and the Committees on Energy and Commerce and 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report 
     that--
       (1) details the status in each State, political subdivision 
     of a State, Indian Tribe, or village or regional corporation 
     serving a region established pursuant to the Alaska Native 
     Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) of the 
     collection and distribution of such fees or charges; and
       (2) includes findings on the amount of revenues obligated 
     or expended by each State, political subdivision of a State, 
     Indian Tribe, or village or regional corporation serving a 
     region established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims 
     Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) for any purpose other 
     than the purpose for which any such fees or charges are 
     specified.
       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Commercial mobile service.--The term ``commercial 
     mobile service'' has the meaning given that term under 
     section 332(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
     332(d)).
       (2) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
     Communications Commission.
       (3) IP-enabled voice service.--The term ``IP-enabled voice 
     service'' shall include--
       (A) an interconnected VoIP service, as defined in section 
     9.3 of the title 47 of the Code of Federal Regulations, or 
     any successor thereto; and
       (B) a one-way interconnected VoIP service.
       (4) State.--The term ``State'' has the meaning given that 
     term in section 7 of the Wireless Communications and Public 
     Safety Act of 1999 (47 U.S.C. 615b).

     SEC. 5. LOCATION IDENTIFICATION REPORT.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications 
     Commission shall submit to the appropriate committees a 
     report that examines the feasibility and cost of including an 
     automatic dispatchable location that would be conveyed with a 
     9-8-8 call, regardless of the technological platform used and 
     including with calls from multi-line telephone systems (as 
     defined in section 6502 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and 
     Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1471)).
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate committees.--The term ``appropriate 
     committees'' means the following:
       (A) The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
     of the Senate.
       (B) The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
     of the Senate.
       (C) The Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (2) Dispatchable location.--The term ``dispatchable 
     location'' means the street address of the calling party and 
     additional information such as room number, floor number, or 
     similar information necessary to adequately identify the 
     location of the calling party.

     SEC. 6. REPORT ON CERTAIN TRAINING PROGRAMS.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or 
     queer (referred to in this section as ``LGBTQ'') are more 
     than 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide than their 
     peers, with 1 in 5 LGBTQ youth and more than 1 in 3 
     transgender youth reporting attempting suicide;
       (2) American Indian and Alaska Natives have the highest 
     rate of suicide of any racial or ethnic group in the United 
     States with a suicide rate over 3.5 times higher than the 
     racial or ethnic group with the lowest rate, with the suicide 
     rate increasing, since 1999, by 139 percent for American 
     Indian women and 71 percent for men;
       (3) between 2001 and 2015, the suicide death rate in rural 
     counties in the United States was 17.32 per 100,000 
     individuals, which is significantly greater than the national 
     average, and the data shows that between that same time 
     period, suicide rates increased for all age groups across all 
     counties in the United States, with the highest rates and the 
     greatest increases being in more rural counties; and
       (4) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
     Administration must be equipped to provide specialized 
     resources to these and other high-risk populations.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary for Mental 
     Health and Substance Use shall submit to the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the 
     Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
     Senate, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 
     of Representatives a report that--
       (1) details a strategy, to be developed in consultation 
     with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 
     National Institute of Mental Health, and organizations 
     capable of providing nationwide suicide prevention and crisis 
     services for LGBTQ youth, minorities, rural individuals, or 
     other high-risk populations, for the Substance Abuse and 
     Mental Health Services Administration to offer, support, or 
     provide technical assistance to training programs for 
     National Suicide Prevention Lifeline counselors to increase 
     competency in serving high-risk populations; and
       (2) includes recommendations regarding--
       (A) the facilitation of access to services that are 
     provided to specially trained staff and partner organizations 
     for LGBTQ youth, minorities, rural individuals, and other 
     high-risk populations; and
       (B) a strategy for optimally implementing an Integrated 
     Voice Response, or other equally effective mechanism, to 
     allow National Suicide Prevention Lifeline callers who are 
     LGBTQ youth, minorities, rural individuals, or members of 
     other high-risk populations to access specialized services.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
the third time.
  Mr. GARDNER. I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate on the bill, as 
amended?
  The bill having been read the third time, the question is, Shall the 
bill pass?

[[Page S2414]]

  The bill (S. 2661), as amended, was passed.
  Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, this is a big deal for the lives of so 
many people across the country, and I am grateful to our colleagues 
that we were able to get this passed today.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BARRASSO. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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