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.

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