[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5020-S5021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. Moran):
  S. 2425. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to ensure the 
provision of high-quality service through the Suicide Prevention 
Lifeline, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, unfortunately, rates of suicide have risen 
to epidemic levels in the United States, with suicide now the tenth 
leading cause of death in the country. On average, there are 129 
suicides every day, roughly one every eleven minutes, a staggering 
statistic. That is why I am pleased to be introducing the Suicide 
Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act with Senator Moran to help turn the 
tide on this increasingly dire situation.
  This legislation would provide $568 million in new funding over five 
years for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, delivering an 
infusion of new funds to help improve call capacity, make improvements 
to the Lifeline, and make the switch to a new, easy-to-remember, three-
digit number, 9-8-8. The Lifeline has long been underfunded, but we 
have worked on a bipartisan basis to more than double the funding over 
the last three years. However, much more is needed, and this new 
legislation will help build on these efforts to ensure that the 
Lifeline is able to answer the calls of those seeking help.
  In 2019, 47,500 Americans lost their lives to suicide. That same 
year, there were 1.4 million suicide attempts. We must renew our 
efforts on suicide prevention. In 2004, working with my colleague, 
former Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon, we authored the Garrett Lee 
Smith Memorial Act. This law authorized new youth suicide prevention 
programs in honor of Senator's Smith son, who tragically died by 
suicide just a couple of weeks short of his 22nd birthday. For over a 
decade, these programs have funded college campus, state, and tribal 
efforts to prevent suicide among our youth and young adult populations, 
who are particularly at risk of suicide. During this time, youth 
suicide rates have decreased significantly in my home state of Rhode 
Island. However, nationwide, suicide rates have skyrocketed.
  That is why we must renew our attention and focus on suicide 
prevention, including by increasing funding for, and improving access 
to, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. This effort is critical 
to ensuring that when people in crisis call looking for help, someone 
will be there on the

[[Page S5021]]

other end of the line to offer hope and counseling. Last Congress, I 
was able to work with my former colleague Senator Gardner, and Senators 
Baldwin and Moran on legislation to designate the Lifeline as an easy 
to remember, three-digit number, 988. This common-sense law will make 
it easier for people across the country to access the Lifeline when 
they really need it. I am glad that the bill was signed into law last 
year, paving the way for every state to implement the switch to 9-8-8 
by July 2022. This upcoming deadline, however, makes it all the more 
important that we provide more funding for the Lifeline.
  I am pleased to once again have the opportunity to partner with 
Senator Moran on suicide prevention efforts. I look forward to working 
together with our colleagues, as well as stakeholders supporting these 
efforts, to pass this critical legislation.

                          ____________________