,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bdbe  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #ba1     
#bjba,mr4 ,reed 7for himself and ,mr4   
,moran7 introduced the following bill2  
which was read twice and referred to the
 ,committee on ,health1 ,education1     
,labor1 and ,pensions  ,a ,,bill  ,to   
amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act 
to ensure the provision of high-quality 
service through the ,suicide ,prevention
 ,lifeline1 and for other purposes4  #a4
 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as
 the ,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline     
,improvement ,act of #bjba4  #b4        
,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline  7a7     
,plan ,section #ebj;,e-#c of the ,public
 ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#bij;bb-#cf;c7 is amended-- 7#a7 by     
redesignating subsection 7c7 as         
subsection 7e72 and  7#b7 by inserting  
after subsection 7b7 the following3  7c7
 ,plan  7#a7 ,in general ,for purposes  
of maintaining the suicide prevention   
hotline under subsection 7b77#b71 the   

,secretary shall develop and implement a
 plan to ensure the provision of        
high-quality service4  7#b7 ,contents   
,the plan required by paragraph 7#a7    
shall include the following3 7,a7       
,quality assurance provisions1          
including-- 7i7 clearly defined and     
measurable performance indicators and   
objectives to improve the responsiveness
 and performance of the hotline1        
including at backup call centers2 and   
7ii7 quantifiable timeframes to track   
the progress of the hotline in meeting  
such performance indicators and         
objectives4  7,b7 ,standards that crisis
 centers and backup centers must meet-- 
7i7 to participate in the network under 
subsection 7b77#a72 and  7ii7 to ensure 
that each telephone call1 online chat   
message1 and other communication        
received by the hotline1 including at   
backup call centers1 is answered in a   
timely manner by a person1 consistent   
with the guidance established by the    
,american ,association of ,suicidology  

or other guidance determined by the     
,secretary to be appropriate4  7,c7     
,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        
resources4  7,d7 ,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 is4  
7,e7 ,guidelines to carry out periodic  
testing of the hotline1 including at    
crisis centers and backup centers1      
during each fiscal year to identify and 
correct any problems in a timely manner4
  7,f7 ,guidelines to operate in        
consultation with the ,state department 
of health1 local governments1 ,indian   
tribes1 and tribal organizations4  7#c7 
,initial plan2 updates ,the ,secretary  
shall-- 7,a7 not later than #f months   
after the date of enactment of the      
,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline          

,improvement ,act of #bjba1 complete    
development of the initial version of   
the plan required by paragraph 7#a71    
begin implementation of such plan1 and  
make such plan publicly available2 and  
7,b7 periodically thereafter1 update    
such plan and make the updated plan     
publicly available4  4  7b7             
,transmission of data to ,,cdc ,section 
#ebj;,e-#c of the ,public ,health       
,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4            
#bij;bb-#cf;c7 is amended by inserting  
after subsection 7c7 of such section1 as
 added by subsection 7a7 of this        
section1 the following3  7d7            
,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 ,prevention1 including     
local call center data1 to assist the   

,centers in suicide prevention efforts4 
4  7c7 ,authorization of appropriations 
,subsection 7e7 of section #ebj;,e-#c of
 the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db 
,u4,s4,c4 #bij;bb-#cf;c7 is amended to  
read as follows3  7e7 ,authorization of 
appropriations  7#a7 ,in general ,to    
carry out this section1 there are       
authorized to be appropriated           
#aac1fjj1jjj for each of fiscal years   
#bjbb through #bjbd4  7#b7 ,allocation  
,of the amount authorized to be         
appropriated by paragraph 7#a7 for each 
of fiscal years #bjbb through #bjbd1 at 
least #hj percent shall be made         
available to crisis centers4  4  #c4    
,pilot program on innovative            
technologies  7a7 ,pilot program  7#a7  
,in general ,the ,secretary of ,health  
and ,human ,services1 acting through the
 ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental      
,health and ,substance ,use1 shall carry
 out a pilot program to research1       
analyze1 and employ various technologies
 and platforms of communication         

7including social media platforms1      
texting platforms1 and email platforms7 
for suicide prevention in addition to   
the telephone and online chat service   
provided by the ,suicide ,prevention    
,lifeline4  7#b7 ,authorization of      
appropriations ,to carry out paragraph  
7#a71 there is authorized to be         
appropriated #e1jjj1jjj for the period  
of fiscal years #bjbb and #bjbc4  7b7   
,report ,not later than #b years after  
the date on which the pilot program     
under subsection 7a7 commences1 the     
,secretary of ,health and ,human        
,services1 acting through the ,assistant
 ,secretary for ,mental ,health and     
,substance ,use1 shall submit to        
,congress a report on the pilot program4
 ,with respect to each platform of      
communication employed pursuant to the  
pilot program1 the report shall         
include-- 7#a7 a full description of the
 program2  7#b7 the number of           
individuals served by the program2  7#c7
 the average wait time for each         

individual to receive a response2  7#d7 
the cost of the program1 including the  
cost per individual served2 and  7#e7   
any other information the ,secretary    
determines appropriate4  #d4 ,,hhs study
 and report ,not later than #b years    
after the ,secretary of ,health and     
,human ,services begins implementation  
of the plan required by section         
#ebj;,e-#c7;c7 of the ,public ,health   
,service ,act1 as added by section      
#b7;a77#b7 of this ,act1 the ,secretary 
shall-- 7#a7 complete a study on-- 7,a7 
the implementation of such plan1        
including the progress towards meeting  
the objectives identified pursuant to   
paragraph 7#b77;,a77i7 of such section  
#ebj;,e-#c7;c7 by the timeframes        
identified pursuant to paragraph        
7#b77;,a77ii7 of such section           
#ebj;,e-#c7;c72 and  7,b7 in            
consultation with the ,director of the  
,centers for ,disease ,control and      
,prevention1 options to expand data     
gathering from calls to the ,suicide    

,prevention ,lifeline in order to better
 track aspects of usage such as repeat  
calls1 consistent with applicable       
,federal and ,state privacy laws2 and   
7#b7 submit a report to ,congress on the
 results of such study1 including       
recommendations on whether additional   
legislation or appropriations are       
needed4  #e4 ,,gao study and report  7a7
 ,in general ,not later than #b years   
after the ,secretary of ,health and     
,human ,services begins implementation  
of the plan required by section         
#ebj;,e-#c7;c7 of the ,public ,health   
,service ,act1 as added by section      
#b7;a77#b7 of this ,act1 the            
,comptroller ,general of the ,united    
,states shall-- 7#a7 complete a study on
 the ,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline2 and
  7#b7 submit a report to ,congress on  
the results of such study4  7b7 ,issues 
,to be studied ,the study required by   
subsection 7a7 shall address-- 7#a7 the 
feasibility of geolocating callers to   
direct calls to the nearest crisis      

center2  7#b7 operation shortcomings of 
the ,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline2     
7#c7 geographic coverage of each crisis 
call center2  7#d7 the call answer rate 
of each crisis call center2  7#e7 the   
call wait time of each crisis call      
center2  7#f7 the hours of operation of 
each crisis call center2  7#g7 funding  
avenues of each crisis call center2     
7#h7 the implementation of the plan     
under section #ebj;,e-#c7;c7 of the     
,public ,health ,service ,act1 as added 
by section #b7;a7 of this ,act1         
including the progress towards meeting  
the objectives identified pursuant to   
paragraph 7#b77;,a77i7 of such section  
#ebj;,e-#c7;c7 by the timeframes        
identified pursuant to paragraph        
7#b77;,a77ii7 of such section           
#ebj;,e-#c7;c72 and  7#i7 service to    
individuals requesting a foreign        
language speaker1 including-- 7,a7 the  
number of calls or chats the ,lifeline  
receives from individuals speaking a    
foreign language2  7,b7 the capacity of 

the ,lifeline to handle these calls or  
chats2 and  7,c7 the number of crisis   
centers with the capacity to serve      
foreign language speakers1 in house4    
7c7 ,recommendations ,the report        
required by subsection 7a7 shall include
 recommendations for improving the      
,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline1         
including recommendations for           
legislative and administrative actions4 
#f4 ,definition ,in this ,act1 the term 
,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline means the
 suicide prevention hotline maintained  
pursuant to section #ebj;,e-#c of the   
,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #bij;bb-#cf;c74