H.R. 10216House119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Public Transit Mental Health Awareness Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated September 3, 2026 at 2:51 AM UTC

The Public Transit Mental Health Awareness Act amends the federal transportation law to require any public‑transit agency that receives federal assistance under chapter 53 to show suicide‑prevention hotline information on its vehicles or stations. The rule is aimed at passengers using those transit services and takes effect one year after the law is enacted.

Key Provisions

Recipients of chapter‑53 assistance must display the 24‑hour, free, confidential suicide‑prevention hotline number in a location visible to passengers on all transit vehicles or in all transit facilities.
If a display is damaged, removed, or vandalized, the agency is not out of compliance as long as it makes a reasonable effort to repair or replace it.
The required display cannot interfere with any advertising space that generates revenue for the transit agency.
The new requirement becomes effective one year after the law’s enactment.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

September 1, 2026

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

September 1, 2026

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

September 1, 2026

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued September 1, 2026

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 10216

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 1, 2026

Ms. Pettersen (for herself, Mr. Lawler, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Norton, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Tlaib, and Ms. Ross) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

A BILL

To amend title 49, United States Code, to require recipients of assistance under chapter 53 of such title to display information regarding the suicide prevention hotline on public transportation owned or operated by the recipient.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Public Transit Mental Health Awareness Act.

Public display of suicide prevention hotline

Section 5323 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

(w)

Public display of suicide prevention hotline

(1)

In general

A recipient (including a subrecipient) of assistance under this chapter shall display on public transportation owned or operated by the recipient, in a location visible to public transportation passengers, information regarding the suicide prevention hotline maintained pursuant to section 520E–3 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb–36c), including that such hotline is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.

(2)

Satisfaction of requirement

A recipient (or subrecipient) may satisfy the requirement under paragraph (1) by displaying the information referred to in such paragraph—

(A)

on all rolling stock vehicles of such recipient; or

(B)

in all transit facilities of such recipient.

(3)

Reasonable compliance

If any public display of information required under paragraph (1) is temporarily damaged, removed, vandalized, or otherwise unavailable, the recipient (or subrecipient) responsible shall not be considered to be out of compliance with this subsection provided that the recipient makes a reasonable effort to replace or restore such display.

(4)

Revenue-generating advertising space

The display of information required under this subsection shall not interfere with revenue-generating advertising space.

(5)

Effective date

The requirement under paragraph (1) shall take effect 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection.