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.

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

I rise today in support of S. 1543, the Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act, or STANDUP Act.

The House version of this bill, H.R. 586, was led by Representative Scott Peters along with Energy and Commerce Committee colleagues Bilirakis, Blunt Rochester, Upton, and Tonko. It passed this Chamber unanimously last May.

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.

Initiatives that empower students with knowledge of the warning signs and resources for prevention can help in preventing suicide, which this legislation will help to accomplish.

The pandemic has greatly impacted the mental health of Americans across the country. It is critical that we continue addressing these growing challenges and work to prevent youth suicide while promoting the mental wellness of all.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 127, S. 1543.

I ask that the committee-reported substitute be agreed to; and that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

I know of no further debate.

I ask that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.