Suicide Prevention Act
- Bill Number
- S. 1062
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-03-13: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1747)
- Last Updated
- 2025-04-21T12:24:17Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The Suicide Prevention Act (S. 1062) aims to address self-harm and suicide by enhancing surveillance and prevention efforts. It establishes a pilot program for monitoring self-harm behaviors through partnerships with public health departments and creates a grant program to improve suicide prevention services in hospital emergency departments (EDs). The goal is to track trends, support at-risk populations, and provide timely interventions to reduce suicide attempts and related harms.
Key Provisions
- Syndromic Surveillance of Self-Harm Behaviors Program (Section 2):
- Awards grants to state, local, Tribal, and territorial public health departments to expand surveillance of self-harm incidents.
- Requires grantees to share real-time data on suicides and self-harm with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to track clusters, inform prevention for at-risk groups, and support research.
- Mandates data disaggregation by categories such as nonfatal self-harm (regardless of intent), suicidal ideation (thoughts of suicide), self-harm without suicidal intent, self-harm with suicidal intent, and cases where intent is unclear.
- Prioritizes grants for areas with high rates of nonfatal suicidal behavior, Tribal communities above national averages, or high ED visit coverage.
- Ensures geographic distribution, focusing on rural areas, communities with high mental illness or suicide rates, service shortages, and social factors like income and education.
- Requires a minimum 4-year participation commitment from grantees.
- Provides technical assistance for data collection and sharing.
- Integrates data into existing federal systems like the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (ESSENCE) or National Violent Death Reporting System, including data on special groups like military members and veterans.
- Authorizes $30 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
- Grants for Self-Harm and Suicide Prevention Services in Hospital EDs (Section 3):
- Awards grants to hospital EDs to implement programs preventing suicide attempts post-discharge.
- Supported activities include screening patients for self-harm and suicide risk using established medical standards, providing short-term prevention services based on screening results, and referring patients to long-term care with follow-up as needed.
- Allows funds for hiring and training clinical social workers, mental health professionals, and support staff.
- Grants last 3 years and can be renewed.
- Requires applications from EDs and development of screening standards by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) within 180 days of enactment, in consultation with experts.
- Mandates quarterly reports from grantees on patient screenings, services, referrals, and adherence to standards; HHS must report biennially to Congress on program outcomes.
- Authorizes $30 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
- Additional Requirements:
- Upholds existing federal and state privacy laws for all collected data.
- Requires HHS to submit a report to Congress within 3 years evaluating surveillance systems, including data gaps, recommendations, and public health responses, while protecting individual privacy.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act by adding two new sections:
- Inserts Section 317W into Title III to create the surveillance program, building on existing CDC surveillance frameworks but specifically targeting self-harm data sharing and disaggregation.
- Adds Section 520O to Title V, Subpart 3, to establish ED grants, expanding beyond current mental health block grants by focusing on post-discharge suicide prevention protocols and standardized screenings.
These changes introduce dedicated funding and structured programs not previously specified for self-harm surveillance or ED-specific interventions.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: HHS and CDC will manage grants, data integration, technical assistance, and reporting, potentially increasing workload but improving national data on self-harm for better resource allocation. State and local public health departments gain funding but must commit to long-term data sharing.
- On Citizens: At-risk individuals, especially in high-need areas, may benefit from earlier detection of suicide risks, enhanced ED screenings, and access to prevention services, potentially reducing suicide rates and nonfatal self-harm incidents. Rural and Tribal communities could see targeted improvements in mental health support.
- On International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic public health initiatives.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Public Health Departments: State, local, Tribal, and territorial entities eligible for surveillance grants and responsible for data collection.
- Hospital Emergency Departments: Recipients of prevention grants to enhance patient care and staffing.
- At-Risk Populations: Individuals with mental health issues, suicidal ideation, or self-harm behaviors, including those in rural areas, Tribal communities, military/veterans, and underserved groups.
- Federal Agencies: HHS (overall administration, standards development), CDC (data management), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (input on high-need areas).
- Healthcare Providers and Experts: Clinical staff, social workers, and advocacy organizations involved in training, consultations, and service delivery.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Reinforces privacy protections under laws like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which safeguards health information) by explicitly stating no limits on existing privacy rules, ensuring data use complies with federal regulations while enabling aggregated sharing for public health.
- Constitutional: No apparent conflicts; the bill supports the federal government's role in public health under the Commerce Clause without infringing on individual rights, as privacy and voluntary participation are emphasized.
- Political: Promotes bipartisan focus on mental health (introduced by Senators Reed and Moran), potentially influencing future funding for suicide prevention. It highlights equity by prioritizing underserved areas, which could shape policy debates on social determinants of health and resource distribution, but requires congressional appropriations to take effect.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2025-03-13: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1747)
- 2025-03-13: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Suicide Prevention Act — issued 2025-03-13 — PDF (11 pages)