[116th Congress Public Law 172]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[[Page 831]]
NATIONAL SUICIDE HOTLINE
DESIGNATION ACT OF 2020
[[Page 134 STAT. 832]]
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. <<NOTE: Oct. 17, 2020 - [S. 2661]>>
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: National
Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020.>>
SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 47 USC 609 note.>> SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``National Suicide Hotline Designation
Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. <<NOTE: 47 USC 251 note.>> 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.''.
[[Page 134 STAT. 833]]
(b) <<NOTE: 47 USC 251 note.>> 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. <<NOTE: 47 USC 251a.>> 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--
[[Page 134 STAT. 834]]
(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;
[[Page 134 STAT. 835]]
(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) <<NOTE: Strategy. Consultation.>> 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) <<NOTE: Recommenda- tions.>> 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,
[[Page 134 STAT. 836]]
or members of other high-risk populations to access specialized
services.
Approved October 17, 2020.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 2661:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 166 (2020):
May 13, considered and passed Senate.
Sept. 21, considered and passed House.
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