Press Releases
Washington, DC—Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the senior Republican in the United States Senate, took to the Senate floor today after President Trump signed Hatch’s National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act into law earlier this week.
“Too many Americans who are struggling with mental illness, or who see their family or friends suffering, don’t know where to turn for help. But by making resources like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline system more accessible and user-friendly, we can truly save thousands of lives. I would like to thank all of those who helped get this bill across the finish line. Most important, though, were the voices of so many Utahns who have felt the tragic effects of the suicide epidemic. I am heartbroken by their loss, but hopeful that this law and their continued advocacy will turn the tide in the campaign against this epidemic.”
Background
The Senator first introduced this legislation last May, and it passed the Senate in November. After intense lobbying from Hatch, a slightly amended version of the bill passed the House last week and President Trump signed it into law earlier this week.
Senator Hatch spoke about the importance of this legislation in Utah earlier this week on KSL,click here for the video.
The improved suicide hotline will connect callers directly to trained call center crisis workers like those Senator Hatch met with last year.
Senator Hatch spoke on the Senate floor in June and urged the House to pass the critical proposal. He also discussed Utah’s suicide epidemic, and its prevalence among teens in the LGBT community, as well as his efforts to curb suicides by developing a three-digit national suicide hotline number. Click here for full text and video.
Senator Hatch called improving the suicide hotline “a first step in helping those contemplating suicide” after meeting with Utah families who noted that the greatest stumbling block in suicide prevention is access to mental health services.
The Senator likewise spoke during Suicide Prevention Week regarding his efforts to pass the legislation. Click here for his remarks.
When Senator Hatch introduced this legislation last May, he noted how dire Utah’s suicide epidemic has become. Click here for that release.
The legislation passed in the House of Representatives earlier this week—click here for the release.
The Senator’s full remarks, as prepared for delivery, can be found below:
Now Mr. President, on another matter, I would like to thank those who have worked with me on the important issue of mental health and suicide prevention. This week President Trump signed into law my National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act, a bill that stands to save thousands of lives.
This legislation becoming law is the high point of an effort that began in December 2016 when I held a roundtable discussion at East High in Salt Lake about the growing issue of teen suicide. A theme from that roundtable, and many other subsequent conversations, was the need for greater access to help—simply finding someone to talk to.
Too many Americans who are struggling with mental illness, or who see their family or friends suffering, don’t know where to turn for help. But by making resources like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline system more accessible and user-friendly, we can truly save thousands of lives.
I would like to thank all of those who helped get this bill across the finish line, including Utah state Senator Daniel Thatcher and Representative Steve Eliason. And of course, Congressman Chris Stewart, who introduced the bill in the House. Most important, though, were the voices of so many Utahns who have felt the tragic effects of the suicide epidemic. I am heartbroken by their loss, but hopeful that this law and their continued advocacy will turn the tide in the campaign against this epidemic.
I yield the floor.
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