H.R. 8989

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8989 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8989

To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services to carry out demonstration programs to 
develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based strategies to prevent 
suicide among children and adolescents, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 21, 2026

Ms. Pettersen (for herself and Mr. Yakym) introduced the following 
bill; 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 
develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based strategies to prevent 
suicide among children and adolescents, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Evidence-Based Youth Suicide 
Prevention Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that--
(1) suicide is the second-leading cause of death among 
children and adolescents, and schools are often the first place 
warning signs emerge;
(2) in 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
found that, of the high school students nationwide--
(A) 40 percent had reported persistent feelings of 
sadness or hopelessness;
(B) 18 percent had experienced major depression; 
and
(C) 10 percent had attempted suicide; and
(3) school districts face an urgent need to actively manage 
mental health crises, yet communities still lack access to 
clear, comparable evidence on which approaches are proven to 
reduce suicide attempts and deaths when implemented at scale.

SEC. 3. YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM.

Title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa et seq.) 
is amended by inserting after section 520C (42 U.S.C. 290bb-34) the 
following new section:

``SEC. 520D. YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM.

``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall, directly or through grants, 
contracts, or cooperative agreements with eligible entities, carry out 
demonstration programs to develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-
based strategies to prevent suicide among children and adolescents.
``(b) Settings.--A demonstration program carried out under this 
section shall--
``(1) prioritize implementation in schools, other 
educational institutions, and other child- and youth-support 
settings; and
``(2) require coordination with State, Tribal, and local 
educational agencies and public health organizations.
``(c) Eligible Entity.--In this section, the term `eligible entity' 
means--
``(1) a State;
``(2) a State educational agency or local educational 
agency (as such terms are defined in section 8101 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965);
``(3) a public organization or private nonprofit 
organization designated by a State or Indian Tribe (as defined 
in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 
Assistance Act); or
``(4) an institution of higher education (as defined in 
section 1010 of the Higher Education Act of 1965).
``(d) Activities.--Activities under this section may include--
``(1) piloting, implementing, and scaling of evidence-based 
suicide prevention programs in elementary and secondary 
schools;
``(2) evaluation of existing suicide prevention protocols, 
practices, and strategies used by schools, health systems, and 
community-based organizations, including assessments of 
effectiveness, implementation, and outcomes; and
``(3) such other activities as the Secretary determines 
appropriate to study the prevention of suicide among children 
and adolescents.
``(e) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary shall provide technical 
assistance to recipients of assistance under this section, including 
assistance related to outcome identification, data collection, 
evaluation design, and reporting.
``(f) Evidence-Based Programs.--
``(1) In general.--In this section, the term `evidence-
based' means, when used with respect to a program, an 
intervention--
``(A) that--
``(i) demonstrates a statistically 
significant and sustained positive impact on 
relevant outcomes in a real-world or community 
setting, based on the totality of available 
evidence; or
``(ii) describes how an intervention is 
implemented in practice and informs its 
replication or scaling; and
``(B) is supported by strong evidence, moderate 
evidence, or promising evidence.
``(2) Strong evidence.--In paragraph (1), the term `strong 
evidence' means an intervention that--
``(A) meets the criteria described in paragraph 
(1)(A) through not fewer than--
``(i) 2 well-designed and well-implemented 
experimental studies;
``(ii) 1 large, multi-site randomized 
controlled trial; or
``(iii) at the discretion of the Secretary, 
1 or more quasi-experimental studies that meet 
rigorous standards for causal inference and are 
widely accepted in peer-reviewed literature; 
and
``(B) has demonstrated effectiveness in a 
population or setting similar to the population or 
setting in which the intervention is proposed to be 
implemented.
``(3) Moderate evidence.--In paragraph (1), the term 
`moderate evidence' means an intervention that--
``(A) meets the criteria described in paragraph 
(1)(A) through--
``(i) not fewer than 1 well-designed and 
well-implemented experimental study; or
``(ii) 1 quasi-experimental study capable 
of establishing a causal relationship between 
the intervention and the relevant outcomes; and
``(B) has demonstrated effectiveness in a 
population or setting similar to the population or 
setting in which the intervention is proposed to be 
implemented, to the extent practicable.
``(4) Promising evidence.--In paragraph (1), the term 
`promising evidence' means an intervention that--
``(A) is informed by relevant theory, prior 
research, or evidence-informed practice; and
``(B) is accompanied by a plan for rigorous 
evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the 
intervention.
``(5) Interpretation.--For purposes of this section, the 
term `evidence-based' shall be interpreted by the Secretary, to 
the extent feasible, 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 programs.
``(g) Prioritization of Evidence.--The Secretary shall--
``(1) allocate funding made available under this section 
based on the strength of evidence supporting a proposed 
intervention, consistent with the definition of the term 
`evidence-based' in subsection (f); and
``(2) prioritize such funding for interventions supported 
by higher levels of evidence, while also reserving a portion of 
funds to support promising and innovative approaches that are 
accompanied by rigorous evaluation plans.
``(h) Identifying and Monitoring Outcomes.--In carrying out this 
section, the Secretary shall identify and monitor outcome measures that 
reflect both mental health outcomes and broader student success, 
including--
``(1) student mental health and safety outcomes, such as 
suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, crisis interventions, and 
help-seeking behaviors;
``(2) academic outcomes, including grades and academic 
achievement;
``(3) social-emotional learning indicators, such as student 
well-being, resilience, and school connectedness;
``(4) student engagement indicators, including attendance 
and enrollment;
``(5) access and reach metrics, including the number and 
characteristics of students served; and
``(6) implementation metrics, including staff participation 
and training completion.
``(i) Community Engagement.--In carrying out this section, the 
Secretary shall meet community engagement requirements, including in 
any notice of funding opportunity issued pursuant to this section, in 
accordance with section 200.202 of title 2, Code of Federal Regulations 
(or any successor regulation), to ensure that demonstration programs 
under this section are developed in consultation with the communities 
benefitting from or impacted by the programs.
``(j) 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-20-12, dated March 10, 2020 (or any successor standards).
``(k) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter during the term 
of the program, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the 
results of the activities carried out under this section, including a 
summary of evaluation findings, implementation lessons, and 
implications for future Federal investments in school-based youth 
suicide prevention.
``(l) 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 2027 through 2032.''.
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