WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) issued the following statement after the Senate passed H.R. 2345, the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act, authored by Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT) and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), by unanimous consent yesterday.
“For individuals in crisis, the voice at the other end of the line could save lives. This critical legislation brings us closer to an easy-to-remember 3-digit national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline," said Chairman Walden and #SubCommTech Chairman Blackburn. “We applaud the Senate’s swift action sending the bill to the president’s desk and look forward to it becoming the law of the land soon."
Background:
H.R. 2345, the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act, would direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in consultation with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to study and report on the feasibility of designating an N11 dialing code to be used for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system.
H.R. 2345 passed the House on July 23, 2018 by a vote of 379-1. It passed the Energy and Commerce Committee on July 12, 2018 by voice vote.
