To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to dedicate sufficient resources for the support of LGBTQ+ youth seeking help from the 9–8–8 suicide prevention hotline, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Baldwin (for herself and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to dedicate at least 9% of all funding for the 988 Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline to specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth. The specialized services, known as the "Press 3 option" or Integrated Voice Response (IVR), provide crisis counseling from counselors specifically trained to address the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ youth.
Who Benefits and How
LGBTQ+ youth crisis counseling organizations and mental health providers with specialized LGBTQ+ training benefit directly through guaranteed funding. These organizations will receive a dedicated revenue stream that ensures the Press 3 option continues operating and potentially expands. LGBTQ+ youth at risk of suicide benefit from improved access to trained crisis counselors who understand their specific challenges, potentially reducing suicide risk.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA face new compliance requirements to track and allocate the 9% funding mandate. General suicide prevention programs not focused on LGBTQ+ youth may receive a relatively smaller share of total available funding, though they still receive 91% of appropriated funds.
Key Provisions
- Amends the Public Health Service Act to require HHS to dedicate sufficient resources to LGBTQ+ youth specialized services within the 988 hotline
- Mandates that at least 9% of all appropriated funds for the 988 hotline be reserved for LGBTQ+ youth services
- Codifies the "Press 3 option" or Integrated Voice Response (IVR) system as the delivery mechanism for specialized services
- Requires establishing, re-establishing, operating, and maintaining these specialized services
- Recognizes that LGBTQ+ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers and need specialized support
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to dedicate at least 9% of suicide prevention hotline funding to specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth (the Press 3 option).
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Mandate dedicated funding for LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention services to ensure these specialized services continue to receive adequate resources"
Likely Beneficiaries
- LGBTQ+ youth at risk of suicide
- Mental health organizations providing LGBTQ+-specialized crisis counseling
- 988 Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline operators with LGBTQ+ training
Likely Burden Bearers
- Department of Health and Human Services (must allocate and track designated funding)
- General suicide prevention programs (may receive relatively smaller share of total funding)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning
Specialized services within the 988 Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline for LGBTQ+ youth support
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology