Suicide and Crisis Outreach Prevention Enhancement Act
Bill: S.2488 | Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John (R-TX)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Suicide and Crisis Outreach Prevention Enhancement Act
This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and otherwise revises the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program by expanding program activities and placing requirements on telecommunications carriers. The program provides free and confidential support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress through either a nationwide three-digit or toll-free telephone number.
Expanded activities include increasing the program's capacity to provide prevention and intervention services, carrying out public awareness and outreach about the program, and collecting data on disparities in accessing the program and among individuals seeking help.
Furthermore, telecommunications carriers must transmit any calls made to the program to the caller's local crisis center. They must also transmit the call, if transferred by the local crisis center, to the applicable local emergency service, mental health resource, or similar support. The bill also prohibits telecommunications carriers from deducting minutes from a caller's pre-paid phone plan for calls made to the program.

To amend the Public Health Service Act to expand the capacity of the 
     suicide prevention lifeline and mental health crisis centers.

    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 and Crisis Outreach 
Prevention Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPANDING CAPACITY OF THE SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE AND 
              MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS CENTERS.

    Section 520E-3 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-
36c) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by inserting ``supporting and'' before 
                        ``coordinating''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``mental health'' before 
                        ``crisis intervention services'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as 
                paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively;
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (1), the 
                following:
            ``(2) increasing the capacity of the program and crisis 
        centers participating in the network to provide suicide 
        prevention and mental health crisis intervention services to 
        individuals seeking help;'';
                    (D) in paragraph (3), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' after the 
                semicolon;
                    (E) in paragraph (4), as redesignated by 
                subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and 
                inserting a semicolon; and
                    (F) by inserting after paragraph (4), as 
                redesignated by subparagraph (B), the following:
            ``(5) improving awareness of the program for suicide 
        prevention and mental health crisis intervention services, 
        including by conducting an awareness campaign and ongoing 
        outreach to the public; and
            ``(6) establishing, standardizing, and maintaining data 
        collection and reports on racial, ethnic, geographic, 
        socioeconomic, and other health disparities to understand 
        disparities in access to the program and among individuals who 
        are seeking help.''; and
            (2) in subsection (c), by striking ``$7,198,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 2018 through 2022'' and inserting ``$50,000,000 
        for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026''.

SEC. 3. ENSURING CONNECTIONS AND ACCESS FOR LOW-INCOME USERS.

    (a) Transmission of Connection.--A telecommunications carrier (as 
defined in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
153))--
            (1) shall transmit all calls to 988 and the National 
        Suicide Prevention Lifeline to a caller's local crisis center; 
        and
            (2) if a local crisis center transfers such a call to a 
        local emergency, mental health, or social services resource, 
        shall transmit the call accordingly.
    (b) Pre-Paid Phone Plans.--Calls to 988 and the National Suicide 
Prevention Lifeline from phones with pre-paid plans shall not count 
toward used minutes and a telecommunications carrier (as defined in 
subsection (a)) shall not deduct minutes from a caller's pre-paid phone 
plan for such purposes.
    (c) Enforcement.--A violation of this section shall be treated as a 
violation of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et seq.). 
The Federal Communications Commission shall enforce this section in the 
same manner, by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, 
and duties as though all applicable terms and provisions of the 
Communications Act of 1934 were incorporated into and made a part of 
this section.
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