[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 36 (Monday, February 28, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H1158-H1159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUICIDE TRAINING AND AWARENESS NATIONALLY DELIVERED FOR UNIVERSAL
PREVENTION ACT OF 2021
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 1543) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide best
practices on student suicide awareness and prevention training and
condition State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and
Tribal educational agencies receiving funds under section 520A of such
Act to establish and implement a school-based student suicide awareness
and prevention training policy.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 1543
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 ``Suicide Training and
Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act
of 2021'' or the ``STANDUP Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. STUDENT SUICIDE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION TRAINING.
(a) In General.--Title V of the Public Health Service Act
is amended by inserting after section 520A of such Act (42
U.S.C. 290bb-32) the following:
``SEC. 520B. STUDENT SUICIDE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION
TRAINING.
``(a) In General.--In awarding funds under section 520A,
the Secretary shall give priority to applications under such
section from a State educational agency, local educational
agency, or Tribal educational agency, submitted directly or
through a State or Indian Tribe, for funding for activities
in secondary schools, where such agency has implemented, or
includes in such application a plan to implement, a student
suicide awareness and prevention training policy, which may
include applicable youth suicide early intervention and
prevention strategies implemented through section 520E--
``(1) establishing and implementing a school-based student
suicide awareness and prevention training policy in
accordance with subsection (c);
``(2) consulting with stakeholders (including principals,
teachers, parents, local Tribal officials, and other relevant
experts) and, as appropriate, utilizing information, models,
and other resources made available by the Suicide Prevention
Technical Assistance Center authorized under section 520C in
the development of the policy under paragraph (1); and
``(3) collecting and reporting information in accordance
with subsection (d).
``(b) Consideration.--In giving priority to applicants as
described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall, as
appropriate, take into consideration the incidence and
prevalence of suicide in the applicable jurisdiction and the
costs of establishing and implementing, as applicable, a
school-based student suicide awareness and prevention
training policy.
``(c) School-Based Student Suicide Awareness and Prevention
Training Policy.--A school-based student suicide awareness
and prevention training policy implemented pursuant to
subsection (a)(1) shall--
``(1) be evidence-based;
``(2) be culturally- and linguistically-appropriate;
``(3) provide evidence-based training to students in grades
6 through 12, in coordination with school-based mental health
resources, as applicable, regarding--
``(A) suicide prevention education and awareness, including
associated risk factors;
``(B) methods that students can use to seek help; and
``(C) student resources for suicide awareness and
prevention; and
``(4) provide for periodic retraining of such students.
``(d) Collection of Information and Reporting.--Each State
educational agency, local educational agency, and Tribal
educational agency that receives priority to implement a new
training policy pursuant to subsection (a)(1) shall report to
the Secretary the following aggregated information, in a
manner that protects personal privacy, consistent with
applicable Federal and State privacy laws:
``(1) The number of trainings conducted, including the
number of student trainings conducted, and the training
delivery method used.
``(2) The number of students trained, disaggregated by age
and grade level.
``(3) The number of help-seeking reports made by students
after implementation of such policy.
``(e) Evidence-Based Program Availability.--The Secretary
shall coordinate with the Secretary of Education and the
Secretary of the Interior to--
``(1) make publicly available the policies established by
State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and
Tribal educational agencies pursuant to this section and the
training that is available to students and teams pursuant to
such policies, in accordance with section 543A; and
``(2) provide technical assistance and disseminate best
practices on student suicide awareness and prevention
training policies, including through the Suicide Prevention
Technical Assistance Center authorized under section 520C, as
applicable, to State educational agencies, local educational
agencies, and Tribal agencies.
``(f) Implementation.--Not later than September 30, 2024,
the Secretary shall report to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the
Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives the number of recipients of funds under
section 520A who have implemented training policies described
in subsection (a)(1) and a summary of the information
received under subsection (d).
``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `evidence-based' has the meaning given such
term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965.
[[Page H1159]]
``(2) The term `local educational agency' has the meaning
given to such term in section 8101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965.
``(3) The term `State educational agency' has the meaning
given to such term in section 8101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965.
``(4) The term `Tribal educational agency' has the meaning
given to the term `tribal educational agency' in section 6132
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.''.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendment made by this Act shall apply only with
respect to applications for assistance under section 520A of
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-32) that are
submitted after the date of enactment of this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. PALLONE. 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. 1543.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1543, the Suicide Training
and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act, also
known as the STANDUP Act.
Americans are facing a growing mental health crisis, and that crisis
is hitting our Nation's youth particularly hard right now. While the
challenges of COVID-19 amplified this crisis, children and young people
in the U.S. have been experiencing rising rates of mental health
conditions and suicide for years, particularly among youth of color and
LGBTQI+ young people.
Between 2008 and 2018, the suicide rate among adolescents and young
people increased by nearly 60 percent. Today, Mr. Speaker, suicide is
the second leading cause of death among children and young people
between the ages of 10 and 24.
Black youth are nearly twice as likely as White youth to die by
suicide, and the rate of suicide amongst American Indian and Alaska
Native youth is 2\1/2\ times the overall national average. Meanwhile,
the suicide rate among young Hispanic women increased dramatically in
the decade leading up to the pandemic.
Additionally, LGBTQI+ youth are at greater risk for depression and
suicide. According to a 2020 survey, 50 percent of LGBTQ youth
considered attempting suicide in the prior year.
All of these trends are alarming, so much so that pediatric experts
have declared the state of children's mental health a national
emergency. Last December, Surgeon General Murthy issued an advisory on
the youth mental health crisis.
Today, the House is continuing its critical work of considering
legislation to address the crisis. The STANDUP Act would require State
and Tribal education agencies to establish and implement a suicide
awareness and prevention training policy for middle- and high-school
students. The policy would be required for any agency receiving funding
through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
or SAMHSA's Project AWARE funds, and it would need to be evidence
based, as well as culturally and linguistically appropriate.
{time} 1530
Last May, Mr. Speaker, we passed the House companion of this bill
with bipartisan support here on the House floor after it passed out of
the Energy and Commerce Committee last Congress. I commend the lead
House sponsors of the bill, Representatives Peters and Bilirakis, for
their leadership on this issue.
As chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I strongly support
legislation that will help bring awareness and promote best practices
on suicide prevention among our Nation's youth.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 1543, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of S. 1543, the Suicide Training and
Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act, or STANDUP
Act.
The House version of this bill, H.R. 586, was led by Representative
Scott Peters along with Energy and Commerce Committee colleagues
Bilirakis, Blunt Rochester, Upton, and Tonko. It passed this Chamber
unanimously last May.
This legislation helps promote suicide awareness and facilitates
prevention training for students and young Americans. For the last
decade, suicide has been the second-leading cause of death for
Americans ages 10 to 24 and the 10th leading cause of overall deaths in
the United States.
Initiatives that empower students with knowledge of the warning signs
and resources for prevention can help in preventing suicide, which this
legislation will help to accomplish.
The pandemic has greatly impacted the mental health of Americans
across the country. It is critical that we continue addressing these
growing challenges and work to prevent youth suicide while promoting
the mental wellness of all.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill. It is
bipartisan, and again, we would be sending it to the President with our
action today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, S. 1543.
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.
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