    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Public Law 116-172
    116th Congress

    An Act

    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. <>

    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 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.''.

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    (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--

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    (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;

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    (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,

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    or members of other high-risk populations to access specialized
    services.

    Approved October 17, 2020.

    LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 2661:
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 166 (2020):
    May 13, considered and passed Senate.
    Sept. 21, considered and passed House.