,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hihi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #ba1 #bjbf,ms4 ,pettersen 7for herself and ,mr4 ,yakym7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act to direct the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to carry out demonstration programs to develop1 implement1 and evaluate evidence-based strategies to prevent suicide among children and adolescents1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,evidence-,based ,youth ,suicide ,prevention ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 suicide is the second-leading cause of death among children and adolescents1 and schools are often the first place warning signs emerge2 7#b7 in #bjbc1 the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention found that1 of the high school students nationwide-- 7,a7 #dj percent had reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness2 7,b7 #ah percent had experienced major depression2 and 7,c7 #aj percent had attempted suicide2 and 7#c7 school districts face an urgent need to actively manage mental health crises1 yet communities still lack access to clear1 comparable evidence on which approaches are proven to reduce suicide attempts and deaths when implemented at scale4 #c4 ,youth suicide prevention program ,title ,v of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;aa et seq47 is amended by inserting after section #ebj;,c 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;bb-#cd7 the following new section3 #ebj;,d4 ,youth suicide prevention program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall1 directly or through grants1 contracts1 or cooperative agreements with eligible entities1 carry out demonstration programs to develop1 implement1 and evaluate evidence-based strategies to prevent suicide among children and adolescents4 7b7 ,settings ,a demonstration program carried out under this section shall-- 7#a7 prioritize implementation in schools1 other educational institutions1 and other child- and youth-support settings2 and 7#b7 require coordination with ,state1 ,tribal1 and local educational agencies and public health organizations4 7c7 ,eligible entity ,in this section1 the term eligible entity means-- 7#a7 a ,state2 7#b7 a ,state educational agency or local educational agency 7as such terms are defined in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife72 7#c7 a public organization or private nonprofit organization designated by a ,state or ,indian ,tribe 7as defined in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act72 or 7#d7 an institution of higher education 7as defined in section #ajaj of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife74 7d7 ,activities ,activities under this section may include-- 7#a7 piloting1 implementing1 and scaling of evidence-based suicide prevention programs in elementary and secondary schools2 7#b7 evaluation of existing suicide prevention protocols1 practices1 and strategies used by schools1 health systems1 and community-based organizations1 including assessments of effectiveness1 implementation1 and outcomes2 and 7#c7 such other activities as the ,secretary determines appropriate to study the prevention of suicide among children and adolescents4 7e7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary shall provide technical assistance to recipients of assistance under this section1 including assistance related to outcome identification1 data collection1 evaluation design1 and reporting4 7f7 ,evidence-,based programs 7#a7 ,in general ,in this section1 the term evidence-based means1 when used with respect to a program1 an intervention-- 7,a7 that-- 7i7 demonstrates a statistically significant and sustained positive impact on relevant outcomes in a real-world or community setting1 based on the totality of available evidence2 or 7ii7 describes how an intervention is implemented in practice and informs its replication or scaling2 and 7,b7 is supported by strong evidence1 moderate evidence1 or promising evidence4 7#b7 ,strong evidence ,in paragraph 7#a71 the term strong evidence means an intervention that-- 7,a7 meets the criteria described in paragraph 7#a77;,a7 through not fewer than-- 7i7 #b well-designed and well-implemented experimental studies2 7ii7 #a large1 multi-site randomized controlled trial2 or 7iii7 at the discretion of the ,secretary1 #a or more quasi-experimental studies that meet rigorous standards for causal inference and are widely accepted in peer-reviewed literature2 and 7,b7 has demonstrated effectiveness in a population or setting similar to the population or setting in which the intervention is proposed to be implemented4 7#c7 ,moderate evidence ,in paragraph 7#a71 the term moderate evidence means an intervention that-- 7,a7 meets the criteria described in paragraph 7#a77;,a7 through-- 7i7 not fewer than #a well-designed and well-implemented experimental study2 or 7ii7 #a quasi-experimental study capable of establishing a causal relationship between the intervention and the relevant outcomes2 and 7,b7 has demonstrated effectiveness in a population or setting similar to the population or setting in which the intervention is proposed to be implemented1 to the extent practicable4 7#d7 ,promising evidence ,in paragraph 7#a71 the term promising evidence means an intervention that-- 7,a7 is informed by relevant theory1 prior research1 or evidence-informed practice2 and 7,b7 is accompanied by a plan for rigorous evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the intervention4 7#e7 ,interpretation ,for purposes of this section1 the term evidence-based shall be interpreted by the ,secretary1 to the extent feasible1 to pursue alignment with similar definitions of the term evidence-based issued by the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services and other ,federal definitions governing mental health programs4 7g7 ,prioritization of evidence ,the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 allocate funding made available under this section based on the strength of evidence supporting a proposed intervention1 consistent with the definition of the term evidence-based in subsection 7f72 and 7#b7 prioritize such funding for interventions supported by higher levels of evidence1 while also reserving a portion of funds to support promising and innovative approaches that are accompanied by rigorous evaluation plans4 7h7 ,identifying and monitoring outcomes ,in carrying out this section1 the ,secretary shall identify and monitor outcome measures that reflect both mental health outcomes and broader student success1 including-- 7#a7 student mental health and safety outcomes1 such as suicide attempts1 suicidal ideation1 crisis interventions1 and help-seeking behaviors2 7#b7 academic outcomes1 including grades and academic achievement2 7#c7 social-emotional learning indicators1 such as student well-being1 resilience1 and school connectedness2 7#d7 student engagement indicators1 including attendance and enrollment2 7#e7 access and reach metrics1 including the number and characteristics of students served2 and 7#f7 implementation metrics1 including staff participation and training completion4 7i7 ,community engagement ,in carrying out this section1 the ,secretary shall meet community engagement requirements1 including in any notice of funding opportunity issued pursuant to this section1 in accordance with section #bjj4bjb of title #b1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7or any successor regulation71 to ensure that demonstration programs under this section are developed in consultation with the communities benefitting from or impacted by the programs4 7j7 ,federal program evaluation standards ,the ,secretary shall ensure that evaluations of the program carried out under this section are conducted in accordance with the ,federal program evaluation standards set forth by the ,office of ,management and ,budget in ,,omb ,memorandum ,m-#bj-ab1 dated ,march #aj1 #bjbj 7or any successor standards74 7k7 ,reports to ,congress ,not later than #ij days after the date of enactment of this section1 and annually thereafter during the term of the program1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report on the results of the activities carried out under this section1 including a summary of evaluation findings1 implementation lessons1 and implications for future ,federal investments in school-based youth suicide prevention4 7l7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years #bjbg through #bjcb4 4