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<!DOCTYPE bill PUBLIC "-//US Congress//DTDs/bill.dtd//EN" "bill.dtd">
<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-Senate" dms-id="A1" public-private="public">
<metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
<dublinCore>
<dc:title>115 S1015 IS: National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2017</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. Senate</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2017-05-03</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
</dublinCore>
</metadata>
<form>
<distribution-code display="yes">II</distribution-code>
<congress>115th CONGRESS</congress><session>1st Session</session>
<legis-num>S. 1015</legis-num>
<current-chamber>IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES</current-chamber>
<action>
<action-date date="20170503">May 3, 2017</action-date>
<action-desc><sponsor name-id="S118">Mr. Hatch</sponsor> (for himself and <cosponsor name-id="S356">Mr. Donnelly</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the <committee-name committee-id="SSCM00">Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation</committee-name></action-desc>
</action>
<legis-type>A BILL</legis-type>
<official-title>To require the Federal Communications Commission to study the feasibility of designating a simple,
easy-to-remember dialing code to be used for a national suicide prevention
and mental health crisis hotline system.</official-title>
</form>
<legis-body>
<section id="S1" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header>
<text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2017</short-title></quote>.</text>
</section><section id="idD55FB48038CF4E219EE70DB94DD07028"><enum>2.</enum><header>Findings</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Congress finds the following:</text> <paragraph id="id69e5b95dda024dde8b65184732fa6e4f"><enum>(1)</enum><text>According to the National Center for Health Statistics, suicide rates in the United States have surged to their highest levels in nearly 30 years.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="idb1e1291c85ad4f0a95eff3c6baef001d"><enum>(2)</enum><text>The overall suicide rate rose by 24 percent from 1999 to 2014.</text> </paragraph><paragraph id="idb66ce8050dc148f9af4a7c95dbeac102"><enum>(3)</enum><text>The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1–800–273–TALK [8255]), created under the leadership of the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (commonly known as <quote>SAMHSA</quote>), is a network of 161 crisis centers that provide a toll-free hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to anyone experiencing a mental health or suicidal emergency or crisis.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="id799c61175da94fbeb7c62f870259da13"><enum>(4)</enum><text>In 1967, the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended the creation of a single telephone number that could be used nationwide for reporting emergencies.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="idf1f1afb1038a418696e8e45c2ef90fdc"><enum>(5)</enum><text>In 1968, the Federal Communications Commission agreed upon the number 9–1–1, one of eight N11 dialing codes, as a simple, easy-to-remember telephone number to be the dedicated number for reporting emergencies, and 9–1–1 became the national emergency number for individuals in the United States to access police, fire, and ambulance services.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="id7d39689081a743579c36060bec68515c"><enum>(6)</enum><text>Based on the success of the 9–1–1 nationwide emergency number, a study by the Federal Communications Commission regarding the use of a simple, easy-to-remember dedicated 3-digit dialing code for a suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system would be beneficial in the prevention of suicide nationwide.</text>
</paragraph></section><section id="id3629C9BCF37E4434A07ECEDF10780814"><enum>3.</enum><header>Definitions</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">In this Act—</text> <paragraph id="id35BBF44998ED404D800749BDE4042BA2"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the term <term>Assistant Secretary</term> means the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="id053E2E8E039C4B21AC64AE14252E3379"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the term <term>Commission</term> means the Federal Communications Commission;</text> </paragraph><paragraph id="id61285A41B7D04055982001AC40B43D3A"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the term <term>covered dialing code</term> means a simple, easy-to-remember, 3-digit dialing code; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="id1595311EAAF3464886DC47B25B223AFE"><enum>(4)</enum><text>the term <term>N11 dialing code</term> means an abbreviated dialing code consisting of 3 digits, of which—</text> <subparagraph id="id52DFFAC813FA4DA0A89C40E9CCB6ED30"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the first digit may be any digit other than <quote>1</quote> or <quote>0</quote>; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id8BDC20BD5FF646A4B48A91E314D05E75"><enum>(B)</enum><text>each of the last 2 digits is <quote>1</quote>.</text> </subparagraph></paragraph></section><section id="id5485DF8D91A44A63B0B13CD11A9AA652"><enum>4.</enum><header>FCC study and report</header> <subsection id="idF59533FFCAB34C039C2F18A52349374C"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Study</header> <paragraph id="id11F43AB432A74578B5C3E65EC919FE25"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Commission, in coordination with the Assistant Secretary, shall conduct a study that—</text>
<subparagraph id="id8367CA0B890B4982AE87541A4BF7B9D5"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">examines the feasibility of designating an N11 dialing code or other covered dialing code to be used for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="idA031A4BC9E154388A3B2DFF2025DB97F"><enum>(B)</enum><text>analyzes the effectiveness of the current National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, including how well the lifeline is working to address the needs of veterans.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="id83006D2FFAAD44F78B61C98B72C3B64C"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Requirements</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">In conducting the study under paragraph (1), the Commission shall—</text> <subparagraph id="id468B3E6094284A02A30C92071FD8A67D"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">request that the Assistant Secretary study and report to the Commission on the potential impact of the designation of an N11 dialing code, or other covered dialing code, for a suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system on—</text>
<clause id="idB669B3A83DE549BDAABD412CD71D2308"><enum>(i)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">suicide prevention;</text> </clause><clause id="id7FB2EE859CD445599CE25226A989721F"><enum>(ii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">crisis services;</text>
</clause><clause id="id684BCEB1D45C484983AA56A09640C4B3"><enum>(iii)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline; and</text> </clause><clause id="idFDE1CE677E594643BD4089E9DA62C9F3"><enum>(iv)</enum><text>the Veterans Crisis Line;</text>
</clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idE53B14BB588C4056BB9FA5331B67A475"><enum>(B)</enum><text>consider—</text> <clause id="idDE96FC94EFA44790BD37DC1533A92AD5"><enum>(i)</enum><text>each of the N11 dialing codes, including the codes that are used for other purposes; and</text>
</clause><clause id="idAFF4740F144D46F69A1158FF71D6469A"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>other covered dialing codes;</text> </clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="idD4496DF5224A4E20907222DDDA6BA269"><enum>(C)</enum><text>consult with the North American Numbering Council; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="id7B59F96CABBE435F8382CF319BFE76CE"><enum>(D)</enum><text>consult with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with respect to how well the current National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is working to address the needs of veterans.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="idEFE97FD06D31403A88A79A46F113B540"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Report</header><text>Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall submit to Congress a report on the study conducted under subsection (a) that—</text>
<paragraph id="id63DDD9BD9A8C4B358DCFEE0F9AF2D0E3"><enum>(1)</enum><text>recommends a particular N11 dialing code or other covered dialing code to be used for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="id78FBE69096D4406489C3EE83C91D2CBB"><enum>(2)</enum><text>outlines the logistics of designating such a dialing code;</text> </paragraph><paragraph id="id866186A1B4BD4239BB0C4E54732769E4"><enum>(3)</enum><text>estimates the costs associated with designating such a dialing code, including—</text>
<subparagraph id="id07067A35E25C42A5B12412C26C1C88B7"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the costs incurred by service providers, including—</text> <clause id="idA55205BA77A64A41B4D04F072D3A94EF"><enum>(i)</enum><text>translation changes in the network; and</text>
</clause><clause id="id92D0493FDEAC4048B3A9FD46321D3D9A"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>cell site analysis and reprogramming by wireless carriers; and</text> </clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id7900249A1542451D88F1F85F4103007C"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the costs incurred by States and localities;</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="idBFC14EE5E5ED416DB629A1435EFD15F7"><enum>(4)</enum><text>provides legislative recommendations for designating such a dialing code;</text> </paragraph><paragraph id="id64213AB91B824ACD8336060A93971571"><enum>(5)</enum><text>provides a cost-benefit analysis comparing the recommended dialing code with the current National Suicide Prevention Lifeline; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="idAB2153FC95CD4AC88D3E5C3BFC445DF7"><enum>(6)</enum><text>makes other recommendations for improving the national suicide prevention lifeline system generally, which may include—</text>
<subparagraph id="idC2936A986AA54618B74DC15EEC1B75B1"><enum>(A)</enum><text>increased funding;</text> </subparagraph><subparagraph id="idD057D1846DAD49D9859351F6ED7EDD46"><enum>(B)</enum><text>increased public education and awareness; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="idC91BD2D0ED0F48E4A7CEC6931E057998"><enum>(C)</enum><text>improved infrastructure and operations.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection></section></legis-body> </bill>
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