STANDUP Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1543) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide best practices on student suicide awareness and prevention training and condition State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and Tribal educational agencies receiving funds under section 520A of such Act to establish and implement a school-based student suicide awareness and prevention training policy.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 1543.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1543, the Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act, also known as the STANDUP Act.

Americans are facing a growing mental health crisis, and that crisis is hitting our Nation's youth particularly hard right now. While the challenges of COVID-19 amplified this crisis, children and young people in the U.S. have been experiencing rising rates of mental health conditions and suicide for years, particularly among youth of color and LGBTQI+ young people.

Between 2008 and 2018, the suicide rate among adolescents and young people increased by nearly 60 percent. Today, Mr. Speaker, suicide is the second leading cause of death among children and young people between the ages of 10 and 24.

Black youth are nearly twice as likely as White youth to die by suicide, and the rate of suicide amongst American Indian and Alaska Native youth is 2\1/2\ times the overall national average. Meanwhile, the suicide rate among young Hispanic women increased dramatically in the decade leading up to the pandemic.

Additionally, LGBTQI+ youth are at greater risk for depression and suicide. According to a 2020 survey, 50 percent of LGBTQ youth considered attempting suicide in the prior year.

All of these trends are alarming, so much so that pediatric experts have declared the state of children's mental health a national emergency. Last December, Surgeon General Murthy issued an advisory on the youth mental health crisis.

Today, the House is continuing its critical work of considering legislation to address the crisis. The STANDUP Act would require State and Tribal education agencies to establish and implement a suicide awareness and prevention training policy for middle- and high-school students. The policy would be required for any agency receiving funding through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA's Project AWARE funds, and it would need to be evidence based, as well as culturally and linguistically appropriate.

Last May, Mr. Speaker, we passed the House companion of this bill with bipartisan support here on the House floor after it passed out of the Energy and Commerce Committee last Congress. I commend the lead House sponsors of the bill, Representatives Peters and Bilirakis, for their leadership on this issue.

As chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I strongly support legislation that will help bring awareness and promote best practices on suicide prevention among our Nation's youth.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 1543, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill. It is bipartisan, and again, we would be sending it to the President with our action today.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 586) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide best practices on student suicide awareness and prevention training and condition State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and tribal educational agencies receiving funds under section 520A of such Act to establish and implement a school-based student suicide awareness and prevention training policy.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 586.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 586, the Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act of 2021, or the STANDUP Act.

For the last decade, suicide has been the second leading cause of death in the United States for young Americans between the ages of 10 and 24. Since 2007, the number of suicides for this group has nearly tripled.

We are witnessing notable disparities within this youth suicide crisis as well. Data tells us that young Black Americans, ages 5 to 12 years old, are twice as likely to die by suicide as compared to their White peers. Suicide rates for American Indian and Alaska Native teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 are 60 percent higher than the national average for all teenagers. Additionally, among the more than 77,000 youth reporting suicidal ideations, over one-third of them are identified as LGBTQ.

This data makes clear that more must be done to help those struggling. We can and must act now to help equip students and the community around them to identify risk factors, because oftentimes, it is the students who are the true eyes and ears of each campus. We can help provide them with effective tools so they can play an active role in preventing suicide or self-harm.

H.R. 586 would encourage schools to expand evidence-based suicide awareness and prevention training to students. It would also require this training as a condition of receiving funds under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Project AWARE grant program.

The STANDUP Act, Madam Speaker, would also support technical assistance resources for schools and encourage the collection and reporting of data to track implementation of these policies and practices.

Research shows that training students on suicide prevention makes an impact on student suicide rates and improves a student's willingness to seek help or help a peer. Much of this training is already taking place across thousands of schools nationwide, but STANDUP will help ensure that this good work is expanded to more schools across the country.

For these reasons, I stand up in support of the STANDUP Act. I thank the lead sponsors, Representatives Peters and Bilirakis, and the many bipartisan supporters of this legislation for their work on this critical issue.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I hope the Senate will act swiftly to pass it after we have taken action. I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers at this time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge support on a bipartisan basis for this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to section 2 of H. Res. 601, I submit the following materials into the Congressional Record as Explanatory Materials for H.R. 4. Taken together, these materials help explain the reasons why H.R. 4 is necessary as well as the reasons for the particular provisions in the bill. The materials are as follows:

1. A section-by-section analysis of H.R. 4, as perfected by

the Manager's Amendment;

2. A memorandum explaining the inclusion of key provisions

in the bill in light of the records developed in hearings

before the House Judiciary Committee and the Committee on

House Administration;

3. Testimony of Wade Henderson of the Leadership Conference

for Civil and Human Rights, explaining ongoing voting

discrimination in certain states;

4. Testimony of Peyton McCrary of George Washington

University Law School, explaining the data that supports the

coverage formula in H.R. 4;

5. Testimony of Sophia Lin Lakin, Deputy Director of the

Voting Rights Project, American Civil Liberties Union,

explaining the need for a revised preliminary injunction

standard, a Purcell fix, and a burden-shifting test for

section 2 vote denial claims;

6. Testimony of Wendy Weiser, Vice President, Democracy,

the Brennan Center for Justice, explaining the

constitutionality of H.R. 4's geographic coverage formula;

7. Testimony of Jon Greenbaum, Chief Counsel of the

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, explaining the

need for the incorporation of a retrogression standard in

section 2 and the need for a prescriptive approach to

assessing vote denial claims under section 2;

8. Testimony of Bernard Fraga of Emory University regarding

evidence in support of the practice-based coverage formula

and its demographic thresholds;

9. Letter from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human

Rights and other civil rights groups in support of H.R. 4 and

outlining the need for the bill;

10. Statement of Administration Policy in support of H.R. 4

from the Executive Office of the President;

11. Brennan Center--Racial Voter Suppression in 2020

Executive Summary, outlining the contemporary nature of

voting discrimination;

12. Brennan Center--Representation for Some Executive

Summary;

13. Brennan Center--Racial Turnout Gap Grew in

Jurisdictions Previously Covered by the Voting Rights Act,

outlining the reasons why focusing on increases in minority

turnout, alone, masks a continuing racial disparity in voter

turnout;

14. Brennan Center--Large Racial Turnout Gap Persisted in

2020 Election; and

15. A report prepared by the Subcommittee on Elections of

the Committee on House Administration, outlining ongoing

voter suppression efforts in various states.

Madam Speaker, we have all worked together on this very powerful bill. There is no higher priority than keeping our children safe. I think most people know that.

Since 2010, suicide has been the second leading cause of death for young Americans ages 10 through 24. From 2007 to 2015, the number of children and teens visiting the emergency room for suicide-related injuries doubled. In 2017, 517 Americans, aged 10 through 14, and 6,252, aged 15 through 24, committed suicide. Sadly, some communities in my district are among those with the highest suicide rates in Florida. I represent the Tampa Bay area, Madam Speaker.

Research has shown that most of these young Americans tell someone that they are contemplating suicide or school violence, and 68 percent of averted violence was stopped because a student reported concerns about a threat, a plot, or other concerning behavior involving a peer.

H.R. 586, the Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act, or the STANDUP Act, encourages States, Tribes, and schools to create policies for student suicide prevention training utilizing SAMHSA-provided best practices, training, and technical assistance.

By providing high quality screening and prevention training to school staff and peers, threats can be identified before they materialize, and those who are at risk have an opportunity to get the mental health treatment they sorely need.

I have seen firsthand, Madam Speaker, the power of work like this through nonprofits like Sandy Hook Promise, and SAVE Promise Clubs at my children's school actually at Palm Harbor University High School, which is located in Palm Harbor, Florida, in my district. When properly equipped, students can be empowered to prevent violence in their schools.

I appreciate the bipartisan work of my colleagues, and, of course, we actually sponsored this bill with Congressman Peters. I also want to thank the chairman for placing the bill on the agenda and working with us.

I urge my colleagues to join us in passing this critical legislation to help reverse the troubling trend of youth suicide and violence.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 586, the STANDUP Act of 2021, which was introduced by Representative Scott Peters and includes the support of many Members of the House, including Energy and Commerce Committee colleagues Bilirakis, Blunt Rochester, Upton, and Tonko.

This legislation helps promote suicide awareness and facilitates prevention training for students and young Americans. For the last decade, suicide has been the second leading cause of death for Americans ages 10 to 24, and the 10th leading cause of overall deaths in the United States. Tragically, this epidemic has only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suicide is preventable, and initiatives that empower students with knowledge of the warning signs and resources for prevention are critical in addressing these trends.

Through this bill, Project AWARE grantees will be empowered to establish school-based suicide awareness and prevention training programs, which will improve student awareness of mental health issues while connecting at-risk individuals to needed health services.

The pandemic has greatly impacted the mental health of all Americans, which is why it is critical that we continue addressing our Nation's challenges in preventing youth suicide and promoting the wellness of all.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), my good friend.

Madam Speaker, as we were speaking before, this is an important issue. Suicide affects so many people. There are systems, there is the ability to become aware. It can be preventable if people know the right signs to look for. I think the American people absolutely want to work together to make this happen so we can prevent this.

I urge all my colleagues to support this piece of legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.