Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.2981 | Sponsor: Rep. Katko, John (R-NY)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2021
This bill expands the requirements for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Program.
Specifically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration must (1) develop a plan to ensure the provision of high-quality service, (2) strengthen data-sharing agreements to facilitate the transmission of epidemiological data from the program to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and (3) implement a pilot program focused on using other communications platforms (e.g., social media and texting) for suicide prevention.
The bill also directs the Government Accountability Office to study the program.

To amend the Public Health Service Act to ensure the provision of high-
quality service through the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 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 ``Suicide Prevention Lifeline 
Improvement Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE.

    (a) Plan.--Section 520E-3 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290bb-36c) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (e); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the following:
    ``(c) Plan.--
            ``(1) In general.--For purposes of maintaining the suicide 
        prevention hotline under subsection (b)(2), the Secretary shall 
        develop and implement a plan to ensure the provision of high-
        quality service.
            ``(2) Contents.--The plan required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    ``(A) Quality assurance provisions, including--
                            ``(i) clearly defined and measurable 
                        performance indicators and objectives to 
                        improve the responsiveness and performance of 
                        the hotline, including at backup call centers; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) quantifiable timeframes to track the 
                        progress of the hotline in meeting such 
                        performance indicators and objectives.
                    ``(B) Standards that crisis centers and backup 
                centers must meet--
                            ``(i) to participate in the network under 
                        subsection (b)(1); and
                            ``(ii) to ensure that each telephone call, 
                        online chat message, and other communication 
                        received by the hotline, including at backup 
                        call centers, is answered in a timely manner by 
                        a person, consistent with the guidance 
                        established by the American Association of 
                        Suicidology or other guidance determined by the 
                        Secretary to be appropriate.
                    ``(C) Guidelines for crisis centers and backup 
                centers to implement evidence-based practices including 
                with respect to followup and referral to other health 
                and social services resources.
                    ``(D) Guidelines to ensure that resources are 
                available and distributed to individuals using the 
                hotline who are not personally in a time of crisis but 
                know of someone who is.
                    ``(E) Guidelines to carry out periodic testing of 
                the hotline, including at crisis centers and backup 
                centers, during each fiscal year to identify and 
                correct any problems in a timely manner.
                    ``(F) Guidelines to operate in consultation with 
                the State department of health, local governments, 
                Indian tribes, and tribal organizations.
            ``(3) Initial plan; updates.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) not later than 6 months after the date of 
                enactment of the Suicide Prevention Lifeline 
                Improvement Act of 2021, complete development of the 
                initial version of the plan required by paragraph (1), 
                begin implementation of such plan, and make such plan 
                publicly available; and
                    ``(B) periodically thereafter, update such plan and 
                make the updated plan publicly available.''.
    (b) Transmission of Data to CDC.--Section 520E-3 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-36c) is amended by inserting after 
subsection (c) of such section, as added by subsection (a) of this 
section, the following:
    ``(d) Transmission of Data to CDC.--The Secretary shall formalize 
and strengthen agreements between the National Suicide Prevention 
Lifeline program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to 
transmit any necessary epidemiological data from the program to the 
Centers, including local call center data, to assist the Centers in 
suicide prevention efforts.''.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Subsection (e) of section 
520E-3 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-36c) is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--To carry out this section, there are 
        authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
        years 2022 through 2024.
            ``(2) Allocation.--Of the amount authorized to be 
        appropriated by paragraph (1) for each of fiscal years 2022 
        through 2024, at least 80 percent shall be made available to 
        crisis centers.''.

SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM ON INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES.

    (a) Pilot Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental 
        Health and Substance Use, shall carry out a pilot program to 
        research, analyze, and employ various technologies and 
        platforms of communication (including social media platforms, 
        texting platforms, and email platforms) for suicide prevention 
        in addition to the telephone and online chat service provided 
        by the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
            (2) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out 
        paragraph (1), there is authorized to be appropriated 
        $5,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 24 months after the date on which the 
pilot program under subsection (a) commences, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental 
Health and Substance Use, shall submit to the Congress a report on the 
pilot program. With respect to each platform of communication employed 
pursuant to the pilot program, the report shall include--
            (1) a full description of the program;
            (2) the number of individuals served by the program;
            (3) the average wait time for each individual to receive a 
        response;
            (4) the cost of the program, including the cost per 
        individual served; and
            (5) any other information the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.

SEC. 4. HHS STUDY AND REPORT.

    Not later than 24 months after the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services begins implementation of the plan required by section 520E-
3(c) of the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 2(a)(2) of 
this Act, the Secretary shall--
            (1) complete a study on--
                    (A) the implementation of such plan, including the 
                progress towards meeting the objectives identified 
                pursuant to paragraph (2)(A)(i) of such section 520E-
                3(c) by the timeframes identified pursuant to paragraph 
                (2)(A)(ii) of such section 520E-3(c); and
                    (B) in consultation with the Director of the 
                Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, options to 
                expand data gathering from calls to the Suicide 
                Prevention Lifeline in order to better track aspects of 
                usage such as repeat calls, consistent with applicable 
                Federal and State privacy laws; and
            (2) submit a report to the Congress on the results of such 
        study, including recommendations on whether additional 
        legislation or appropriations are needed.

SEC. 5. GAO STUDY AND REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 24 months after the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services begins implementation of the plan required by 
section 520E-3(c) of the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 
2(a)(2) of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall--
            (1) complete a study on the Suicide Prevention Lifeline; 
        and
            (2) submit a report to the Congress on the results of such 
        study.
    (b) Issues To Be Studied.--The study required by subsection (a) 
shall address--
            (1) the feasibility of geolocating callers to direct calls 
        to the nearest crisis center;
            (2) operation shortcomings of the Suicide Prevention 
        Lifeline;
            (3) geographic coverage of each crisis call center;
            (4) the call answer rate of each crisis call center;
            (5) the call wait time of each crisis call center;
            (6) the hours of operation of each crisis call center;
            (7) funding avenues of each crisis call center;
            (8) the implementation of the plan under section 520E-3(c) 
        of the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 2(a) of 
        this Act, including the progress towards meeting the objectives 
        identified pursuant to paragraph (2)(A)(i) of such section 
        520E-3(c) by the timeframes identified pursuant to paragraph 
        (2)(A)(ii) of such section 520E-3(c); and
            (9) service to individuals requesting a foreign language 
        speaker, including--
                    (A) the number of calls or chats the Lifeline 
                receives from individuals speaking a foreign language;
                    (B) the capacity of the Lifeline to handle these 
                calls or chats; and
                    (C) the number of crisis centers with the capacity 
                to serve foreign language speakers, in house.
    (c) Recommendations.--The report required by subsection (a) shall 
include recommendations for improving the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 
including recommendations for legislative and administrative actions.

SEC. 6. DEFINITION.

    In this Act, the term ``Suicide Prevention Lifeline'' means the 
suicide prevention hotline maintained pursuant to section 520E-3 of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-36c).

            Passed the House of Representatives May 12, 2021.

            Attest:

                                             CHERYL L. JOHNSON,

                                                                 Clerk.