Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4704)

On January 27, 2020, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4704, the Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act, on a 385-8 roll call vote. It has since been read twice in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. This bipartisan bill was introduced by Congressional Future Caucus (CFC) member Rep. Ben McAdams (D-UT-4) and was cosponsored by CFC co-chairs Reps. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH-16) and Haley Stevens (D-MI-11), among others. The bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to research key fields that impact suicide rates including social behavior, cognition, development, and alcohol and drug abuse, in addition to many others.

In the hearing convened on the bill by the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Rep. Gonzalez testified as to his personal connections to suicide and the relevance that it had to his district and communities around the United States. In speaking in favor of the bill, Congressman Gonzalez discussed the broad impact that suicide has on society, from military veterans to students to professional athletes. He also said, “the more we know about the fundamental causes [of suicide], the better equipped we will be as a country to tackle the problem head on.” The bill was unanimously reported out of committee on November 14, 2019 with an amendment from Representative Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) that directs that the NSF look additionally at how drug and alcohol abuse are relevant to research around suicide.

Congressman McAdams spoke on the floor of the House about this bill just prior to the vote, telling stories of those in his district who have been personally impacted by suicide, as well as thanking other Members of Congress and outside associations involved in supporting the bill. In advocating for passage of H.R. 4704, he said, “this legislation will contribute to the foundational research that we need to give our mental health professionals the tools to save lives.” One major point that was touched on in the hearing and additionally in Rep. McAdams’ speech on the floor was the ongoing movement to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

Suicide is now the tenth-leading cause of death for people in the United States, and the second-leading cause for young people aged 15-34, according to the findings of Congress in this bill. This outsized impact of suicide on younger people is part of what inspired Congressman McAdams to introduce the bill. Additionally, Congress found that knowledge gaps still exist surrounding the various factors that impact suicide. This bill hopes to address these gaps by incentivizing more research by the NSF and other organizations. The legislation has been endorsed by such relevant third parties as the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the American Psychological Association. In a press release for the introduction of the bill, Congressman McAdams said, “Encouraging more fundamental research on the biological, social and cultural, and environmental factors related to why suicide occurs is an important step toward saving lives.”