Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2021
Bill: S.2425 | Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack (D-RI)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2021
This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 and expands the requirements for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Program.
Specifically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) must undertake efforts to raise awareness about the program and improve data collection and analysis of demographic information related to the program. In addition, SAMHSA must develop a plan to ensure the provision of high-quality service.
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,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Suicide Prevention Lifeline 
Improvement Act of 2021''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Plan.--Section 520E-3 of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 290bb-36c) is amended--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 
        (e); and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) by inserting after subsection (b) the 
        following:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) Plan.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(2) Contents.--The plan required by paragraph 
        (1) shall include the following:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) Quality assurance provisions, 
                including--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) clearly defined and 
                        measurable performance indicators and 
                        objectives to improve the responsiveness and 
                        performance of the hotline, including at backup 
                        call centers; and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) quantifiable timeframes to 
                        track the progress of the hotline in meeting 
                        such performance indicators and 
                        objectives.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) Standards that crisis centers and 
                backup centers must meet--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) to participate in the 
                        network under subsection (b)(1); and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(F) Guidelines to operate in 
                consultation with the State department of health, local 
                governments, Indian tribes, and tribal 
                organizations.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) Initial plan; updates.--The Secretary 
        shall--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) periodically thereafter, update such 
                plan and make the updated plan publicly 
                available.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (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:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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 for Disease Control and Prevention, including 
local call center data, to assist the Centers in suicide prevention 
efforts.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (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:</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(1) In general.--To carry out this section, 
        there are authorized to be appropriated $113,600,000 for each 
        of fiscal years 2022 through 2024.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM ON INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Pilot Program.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Report.--Not later than 2 years 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 Congress a report 
on the pilot program. With respect to each platform of communication 
employed pursuant to the pilot program, the report shall include--
</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) a full description of the program;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) the number of individuals served by the 
        program;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) the average wait time for each individual to 
        receive a response;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) the cost of the program, including the cost 
        per individual served; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) any other information the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. HHS STUDY AND REPORT.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Not later than 2 years 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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) complete a study on--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (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</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) submit a report to Congress on the results of 
        such study, including recommendations on whether additional 
        legislation or appropriations are needed.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 5. GAO STUDY AND REPORT.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years 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--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) complete a study on the Suicide Prevention 
        Lifeline; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) submit a report to Congress on the results of 
        such study.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Issues To Be Studied.--The study required by 
subsection (a) shall address--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) the feasibility of geolocating callers to 
        direct calls to the nearest crisis center;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) operation shortcomings of the Suicide 
        Prevention Lifeline;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) geographic coverage of each crisis call 
        center;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) the call answer rate of each crisis call 
        center;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) the call wait time of each crisis call 
        center;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) the hours of operation of each crisis call 
        center;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) funding avenues of each crisis call 
        center;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (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</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (9) service to individuals requesting a foreign 
        language speaker, including--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the number of calls or chats the 
                Lifeline receives from individuals speaking a foreign 
                language;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the capacity of the Lifeline to handle 
                these calls or chats; and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) the number of crisis centers with the 
                capacity to serve foreign language speakers, in 
                house.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Recommendations.--The report required by subsection 
(a) shall include recommendations for improving the Suicide Prevention 
Lifeline, including recommendations for legislative and administrative 
actions.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 6. DEFINITION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    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).</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Suicide Prevention Lifeline 
Improvement Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. SUICIDE PREVENTION LIFELINE.

    (a) Activities.--Section 520E-3(b) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 290bb-36c(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by inserting ``supporting and'' before 
                ``coordinating''; and
                    (B) by striking ``crisis intervention services'' 
                and inserting ``mental health crisis intervention 
                services, including appropriate follow-up services,'';
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
        semicolon;
            (3) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and inserting 
        a semicolon; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) improving awareness of the program for suicide 
        prevention and mental health crisis intervention services, 
        including by conducting an awareness initiative and ongoing 
        outreach to the public; and
            ``(5) improving the collection and analysis of demographic 
        information, in a manner that protects personal privacy, 
        consistent with applicable Federal and State privacy laws, in 
        order to understand disparities in access to the program among 
        individuals who are seeking help.''.
    (b) 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 supporting the crisis 
        centers under subsection (b)(1) and maintaining the suicide 
        prevention hotline under subsection (b)(2), the Secretary shall 
        develop and implement a plan to ensure the provision of high-
        quality services.
            ``(2) Contents.--The plan required by paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    ``(A) Program evaluation, including performance 
                measures to assess progress toward the goals and 
                objectives of the program and to improve the 
                responsiveness and performance of the hotline, 
                including at backup call centers.
                    ``(B) Requirements 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 
                        and applicable other communication received by 
                        the hotline, including at backup call centers, 
                        is answered in a timely manner, consistent with 
                        evidence-based guidance or other guidance or 
                        best practices, as appropriate.
                    ``(C) Specific recommendations and strategies for 
                implementing evidence-based practices, including with 
                respect to follow-up and communicating the availability 
                of resources in the community for individuals in need.
                    ``(D) Criteria for carrying out periodic testing of 
                the hotline during each fiscal year, including at 
                crisis centers and backup centers, to identify and 
                address any problems in a timely manner.
            ``(3) Consultation.--In developing requirements under 
        paragraph (2)(B), the Secretary shall consult with State 
        departments of health, local governments, Indian Tribes, and 
        Tribal organizations.
            ``(4) Initial plan; updates.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) not later than 1 year after the date of 
                enactment of the Suicide Prevention Lifeline 
                Improvement Act of 2021, complete development of the 
                initial plan under paragraph (1) and make such plan 
                publicly available; and
                    ``(B) periodically thereafter, update such plan and 
                make the updated plan publicly available.''.
    (c) Data to Assist State and Local Agencies.--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 (b) of 
this section, the following:
    ``(d) Data to Assist State and Local Suicide Prevention 
Activities.--The Secretary shall ensure that the aggregated information 
collected and any applicable analyses conducted under subsection 
(b)(5), including from local call centers, as applicable, are made 
available in a useable format to State and local agencies in order to 
inform suicide prevention activities.''.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--Subsection (e) of section 
520E-3 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-36c), as 
redesignated by subsection (b)(1), is amended by striking ``$7,198,000 
for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022'' and inserting ``such sums 
as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027''.

SEC. 3. HHS REPORT.

    Not later than 2 years after the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services submits the plan under subsection (c)(1) of section 520E-3 of 
the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 2(b)(2) of this Act, 
the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress on the progress made on 
meeting the objectives identified pursuant to subsection (c)(2)(A)(i) 
of such section 520E-3 and recommendations on improving the program, 
including improvements to enhance data collection and usage.

SEC. 4. GAO STUDY AND REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services begins implementation of the plan required by 
section 520E-3(c)(1) of the Public Health Service Act, as added by 
section 2(b)(2) of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall complete a study on the Suicide Prevention Lifeline and 
submit a report to Congress on the results of such study.
    (b) Content.--The study required by subsection (a) shall include 
what is known about--
            (1) the feasibility of routing calls to the Suicide 
        Prevention Lifeline to the nearest appropriate crisis center 
        based on the physical location of the contact;
            (2) capacity of the Suicide Prevention Lifeline;
            (3) State and regional variation with respect to access to 
        crisis call centers described in section 520E-3(b)(1) of the 
        Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb-36c(b)(1)), 
        including wait times, answer times, hours of operation, and 
        funding sources;
            (4) the implementation of the plan under section 520E-3(c) 
        of the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 2(b)(2) 
        of this Act, including the progress toward meeting the 
        objectives in such plan; and
            (5) capacity of the Suicide Prevention Lifeline to handle 
        calls from individuals with limited English proficiency.

SEC. 5. 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).
                                                       Calendar No. 128

117th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                                S. 2425

_______________________________________________________________________