Beyer, Gianforte introduce suicide prevention legislation

U.S. Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Greg Gianforte (R-MT) will introduce the Campaign To Prevent Suicide Act on Tuesday.

The bill would set up an educational campaign recommended by suicide prevention advocates and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to raise awareness for a three-digit suicide lifeline phone number, suicide prevention resources, and more effective discourse on how to prevent suicide.

“Our bipartisan legislation is designed to help change the culture around suicide so that all Americans know to engage rather than ignore individuals who might be experiencing suicidal thoughts,” said Beyer. “It would fund campaigns to share information about suicide prevention resources like the suicide prevention lifeline, which has been shown to save lives. It would also create new media tools to help television and social media know how to shape the national conversation we need to reduce suicide.”

“America and Montana face a suicide crisis,” Congressman Gianforte said. “We have to come together to fight this tragic epidemic, which is why I am introducing this bipartisan bill to increase awareness and ensure people know about and have the tools to address it.”

Text of the bill is available here.