Title: National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2019
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2019
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to designate 9–8–8 as the universal telephone number for a national suicide prevention and mental-health crisis hotline.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4194 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4194

     To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal 
Communications Commission 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 20, 2019

 Mr. Stewart (for himself, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Gianforte, Ms. Johnson of 
  Texas, Mr. Balderson, Mr. Bergman, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mr. Brown of 
    Maryland, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. 
Cisneros, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Cole, Mr. Collins of 
  New York, Mr. Crawford, Mr. Curtis, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. Barragan, Mrs. 
Dingell, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. 
   Hastings, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. Marshall, Mr. 
 McKinley, Mrs. Rodgers of Washington, Mr. Moolenaar, Ms. Norton, Mr. 
 Olson, Mr. Payne, Mr. Raskin, Mr. David P. Roe of Tennessee, Mr. Rose 
of New York, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Serrano, 
Mr. Sires, Mr. Soto, Mr. Steil, Mr. Stivers, Mr. Turner, Ms. Velazquez, 
  Mr. Waltz, and Mrs. Watson Coleman) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal 
Communications Commission 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 2019''.

SEC. 2. 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.--The 
        Commission and any agency or entity to which the Commission has 
        delegated authority under this subsection shall designate 9-8-8 
        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. The designation shall apply to both 
        wireline and wireless telephone service.''.
    (b) Deadline.--The designation required by the amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall be made not later than the date that is 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. 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. 1601-1624; 85 Stat. 688 et 
        seq.) for the support or implementation of 9-8-8 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) Limit on fee or charge.--For each class of subscribers 
        to IP-enabled voice services, the fee or charge may not exceed 
        the amount of any such fee or charge applicable to the same 
        class of subscribers to telecommunications services.
    (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 1 
year 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--
            (1) details the status in each State 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 or political subdivision thereof 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) IP-enabled voice service.--The term ``IP-enabled voice 
        service'' has the meaning given that term by section 9.3 of the 
        Commission's regulations (47 C.F.R. 9.3), as those regulations 
        may be amended by the Commission from time to time.
            (3) 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).
            (4) Telecommunications service.--The term 
        ``telecommunications service'' has the meaning given that term 
        in section 3 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153).

SEC. 4. LOCATION IDENTIFICATION REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the 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) identification or equivalent information features over the 9-8-8 
network.
    (b) Definition.--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.
                                 <all>