[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 163 (Monday, September 21, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4608-H4611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL SUICIDE HOTLINE DESIGNATION ACT OF 2020
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
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 Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 2661
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 ``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
[[Page H4609]]
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 SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. McNerney) and the gentleman from Montana (Mr.
Gianforte) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on S. 2661.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, last Congress, the House took up the National Suicide
Hotline Improvement Act, which directed the FCC to study and consider
whether it is technically feasible to establish a three-digit number
for calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
I am proud that today, during Suicide Prevention Month, the House is
taking up the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act to expand our
previous efforts. The legislation before us directs the FCC to
designate ``988'' as the number for accessing the lifeline. The FCC, in
response to our previous legislation, is already taking steps to
accomplish this, but the legislation goes further.
[[Page H4610]]
Critically, this measure paves the way to create a sustainable
funding stream for our suicide prevention call-takers, something that
we desperately need. These seemingly small changes will make finding
help immensely easier for Americans who are experiencing suicide or
mental health crises.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is accessible today
by calling 1-800-273-TALK, received more than 2.2 million calls in
2018. As hard as it is to believe, that figure is expected to go up
when 988 is fully implemented and becomes accessible to the public. But
designating a short three-digit code that is easier to remember than a
cumbersome 1-800 number is supposed to reach more people. That is the
point. But that is also why it is so important that the lifeline be
able to fund its operations.
Because of this legislation, it is likely that the lifeline will
receive more calls and save more lives than it does today. Luckily, the
lifeline has a proven track record, successfully deescalating almost 98
percent of interactions with callers experiencing suicidal or mental
health crises.
We have no reason to expect different outcomes when the number
changes to 988 because the bill ensures that the lifeline network call
centers will have the resources necessary to handle the increase in
volume that they are anticipating. It is undeniably one of the most
effective tools at our disposal to address the crisis of suicide in
America.
An analysis of 1,500 calls from just over 1,400 individuals showed
that callers who utilized the lifeline's assistance were significantly
more likely to feel less depressed, less suicidal, less overwhelmed,
and more hopeful by the end of the call. It is clear that people who
can access help when they need it have better outcomes than those who
can't.
That is why our immediate goal with this legislation is to reach the
people who need help but aren't getting it, and there are far too many
folks who fit that description. More than 47,000 Americans died by
suicide, and more than 1.4 million Americans attempted suicide in 2017.
In 2018, 48,000 Americans died by suicide. Sadly, the numbers are even
worse for certain at-risk populations.
More than 6,000 veterans died by suicide each year from 2008 to 2017.
Young LGBTQ adults are four times more likely to contemplate suicide
than their heterosexual peers, and 39 percent of LGBTQ youths reported
seriously considering suicide in the past 12 months.
Mr. Speaker, that is why this bill ensures that the lifeline and the
good people on the other end of the call have the tools and resources
they need to reach people who need it the most.
Mr. Speaker, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act is a
necessary step to reducing suicide in the United States and will
ultimately save lives. I thank Representatives Moulton and Stewart for
drafting this measure and the Senate for introducing a companion bill.
Mr. Speaker, I also thank the chairs and ranking members of the
Communications and Technology Subcommittee and the full Committee on
Energy and Commerce for their bipartisan work to bring this measure to
the floor. I look forward to the legislation passing the House today
and its signature by the President.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, S. 2661, the National
Suicide Hotline Designation Act by Senators Gardner, Baldwin, Moran,
and Reed. It is the Senate companion of legislation I introduced with
Representatives Stewart, Moulton, and Eddie Bernice Johnson.
It designates ``988'' as the universal telephone number for the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline system. This means no matter where
you are in the country, just like when you call 911, when you call 988,
you will be connected to mental health resources.
This legislation also authorizes States to collect a fee limited to
supporting local crisis call centers that are affiliated with the
national network or enhancement of such services. It also sets a 1-year
deadline to complete technical upgrades to enable the number.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad we have been able to work together on this
measure and others to improve the network of services that make up the
suicide prevention lifeline and to educate Americans about suicide
prevention. These bills are badly needed by a Nation working to emerge
from an unprecedented health and economic crisis, and it is badly
needed in Montana where, tragically, we have one of the highest rates
of suicide in the country.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to come together here today to
advance these bills, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Utah (Mr. Stewart).
Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Montana, as well
as others who have supported this.
Mr. Speaker, the sad reality is, here in the United States, we are in
the middle of a tragedy. It is a tragedy that is particularly painful
for our youth and our veterans, as so many of them have experienced
suicide and left tragedies behind for them and their families.
If you are in the middle of a mental health crisis and you need help,
if you are worried about one of your children, your son, a daughter, a
roommate, a friend, you need to know who to call. But the problem is,
no one knows the number.
The second problem is, the number is different. If you are calling in
Salt Lake City, it is a different number than if you are calling in New
York or if you are calling from California or even another part of
Utah.
This fixes it, which is why I rise to support the bill, S. 2661.
Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased, working with, again, my colleagues,
that after 4 years of working on designating this three-digit number--
legislation which, by the way, was based on something that we did in
Utah about 4 years ago--we are finally going to pass this bill to do
just that.
Imagine this: Every 11 minutes, somebody in the United States commits
suicide--not attempts suicide, actually commits suicide--leaving behind
devastation of broken hearts and broken families and friends. It used
to be that if I spoke to a group of 100 and said, ``How many of you
have been impacted by someone you know or love and you care about who
has attempted suicide or committed suicide?'' 5 or 6 years ago, maybe a
few hands would come up. Now, in those settings, almost everyone raises
their hands.
That is good because we are more willing to acknowledge and recognize
the problem and to discuss it. But the truth is, most of us have been
affected in one way or another by someone we know, someone we care
about.
It is heartbreaking, as I said, not only for the lives that are taken
but the family and the friends who are left behind to mourn that
terrible loss. Too many of us have been impacted by suicide and the
very real need to do something about it, and this bill does.
By designating ``988'' as a nationwide hotline number, we increase
the accessibility.
If your house is on fire, call 911.
If you need the police, call 911.
If you are in the middle of a mental health crisis, 988 is going to
get you help. It is going to immediately give you someone to talk with
and, in special cases where intervention is necessary, to give you that
resource as well.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues here in the House, and I thank my
colleagues in the Senate, to join with them in helping those people who
need our help--the most vulnerable, again, as I started out by saying,
particularly among our youth and our veterans.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah for his leadership. I
urge adoption of this, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr.
Stewart) for his leadership on this issue. It is an issue that can
affect families and tear them apart, and I appreciate the work.
[[Page H4611]]
The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act is a necessary step in
reducing suicide in the United States and will ultimately save lives.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the
National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which I have led in the House
with my colleagues Congressmen Chris Stewart, Seth Moulton, and Greg
Gianforte. I am so pleased that we are considering this critical
legislation on the floor today, in honor of September as Suicide
Prevention Month.
As a former chief psychiatric nurse, I have spent my legislative
career advocating for more accessible mental health resources in our
communities, especially considering the significant needs in these
difficult times. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
reported that in late June, 40 percent of American adults struggled
with mental health or substance abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, it reported that communities of color, essential workers,
younger adults, and unpaid caregivers had disproportionately worse
mental health outcomes and elevated suicidal ideation.
This is exactly why I am determined to pass this bill, as it directs
the Federal Communications Commission to designate 9-8-8 for the
national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system. It
also provides the necessary state funding guidance, federal reporting,
and specialized service training to effectively implement the new
dialing code. This three-digit phone number--instead of a full ten-
digit number--is much easier to remember, especially when you or a
loved one are in a crisis and in need of help. As such, this redesigned
and upgraded suicide prevention lifeline will save lives.
As the country's mental health and suicide crises have worsen during
the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress has an urgent responsibility to fulfill
the promise of 9-8-8 and develop a modern mental health and suicide
prevention crisis hotline system. I am especially proud of the efforts
in this legislation to support communities at higher risk of suicide,
including veterans and LGBTQ youth. This new system will include the
Veterans Crisis Line to specifically support veterans seeking mental
health support. The bill also authorizes states to collect a fee
designated solely to supporting local crisis call centers affiliated
within the national network, which includes the Suicide and Crisis
Center of North Texas in my district. This provision will ensure that
the local call centers experiencing increased call volume due to the
more accessible dialing code will have the financial resources needed
to expand their operations and serve all who are seeking help.
We must not allow the tragedies of this coronavirus to be compounded
by preventable losses of life due to mental health distress. As a
former mental health professional, I am proud to support the passage of
the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, and I thank my colleagues
for their collaboration on such a critical and timely effort. I urge my
colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.
{time} 1715
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, S. 2661.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________