HouseH.R. 8989119th Congress
Evidence-Based Youth Suicide Prevention Act of 2026
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[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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