119-hr3505

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3505 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3505

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a grant program 
to facilitate the installation, on certain infrastructure, of evidence-
 based suicide deterrents, including suicide prevention nets and 
 barriers, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 May 20, 2025

 Mr. Beyer (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Moulton, Mrs. Watson 
Coleman, Mr. Thanedar, Mrs. Trahan, Ms. Kaptur, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, 
 Mr. Carson, Mr. Raskin, Ms. Davids of Kansas, and Ms. McCollum) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a grant program 
to facilitate the installation, on certain infrastructure, of evidence-
 based suicide deterrents, including suicide prevention nets and 
 barriers, 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 ``Barriers to Suicide Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall establish 
a program (in this section referred to as the ``Program'') to 
facilitate the installation of evidence-based suicide deterrents, 
including suicide prevention nets and barriers, on or at a covered 
location.

    (b) Grant Authority.--In carrying out the Program, the Secretary 
may make grants on a competitive basis in accordance with this section.
            (c) Eligible Recipients.--The Secretary may make a grant under the 
Program to--

    (1) a State or a political subdivision of a State; and

    (2) any other entity the Secretary determines to be 
 eligible.
            (d) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under the Program, an 
entity described in subsection
            (c) shall submit to the Secretary an 
application in such form, at such time, and containing such information 
as the Secretary determines appropriate.

    (e) Eligible Projects.--The Secretary may make a grant under the 
Program only for a project that facilitates the installation on or at a 
covered location of--

    (1) a suicide prevention net;

    (2) a suicide prevention barrier; or

    (3) any other evidence-based suicide deterrent that is 
 determined by the Secretary to be appropriate.

    (f) Priority.--In making a grant under the Program, the Secretary 
shall give priority to a project located in an area with a high rate of 
suicide, taking into consideration the number of suicides and rate of 
suicides per capita in an area, or other priority characteristics, as 
determined by the Secretary.

    (g) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of a project 
assisted with a grant under the Program may not exceed 80 percent.

    (h) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Covered location.--The term ``covered location'' 
 means--
        (A) a bridge;
        (B) building;
            (C) parking garage;
            (D) a highway-rail grade crossing; and
        (E) a rail station.

    (2) Evidence-based suicide deterrent.--The term ``evidence-
 based suicide deterrent'' means a suicide deterrent that 
 demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research 
 findings or positive evaluation that such deterrent is likely 
 to reduce or prevent suicide, and includes ongoing efforts to 
 examine the effects of such deterrent.

    (3) State.--The term ``State'' means each State of the 
 United States, the District of Columbia, each commonwealth, 
 territory, or possession of the United States, and each 
 federally recognized Indian Tribe.
            (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the Program $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2026 through 2030.

SEC. 3. TITLE 23 AMENDMENT.

 

Section 119
            (d) (2)
            (I) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``Highway System.'' and adding ``Highway System, including 
installation of safety barriers and nets on bridges of the National 
Highway System.''.

SEC. 4. STUDY ON EFFECTIVENESS OF SUICIDE PREVENTION NETS AND BARRIERS 
 FOR STRUCTURES OTHER THAN BRIDGES.

    (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct a study to identify--

    (1) the types of structures, other than bridges, that 
 attract a high number of individuals attempting suicide-by-
 jumping;

    (2) the characteristics that distinguish structures 
 identified under paragraph

    (1) from similar structures that do 
 not attract a high number of individuals attempting suicide-by-
 jumping;

    (3) the types of nets or barriers, including manufactured 
 and natural barriers, that are effective at reducing suicide-
 by-jumping with respect to the structures identified under 
 paragraph

    (1) ;

    (4) methods of reducing suicide-by-jumping with respect to 
 the structures identified under paragraph

    (1) other than nets 
 and barriers;

    (5) quantitative measures of the effectiveness of the nets 
 and barriers identified under paragraph

    (3) ;

    (6) quantitative measures of the effectiveness of the 
 additional methods identified under paragraph

    (4) ;

    (7) the entities that typically install the nets and 
 barriers identified under paragraph

    (3) ; and

    (8) the costs of the nets and barriers identified under 
 paragraph

    (3) .

    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate a report on the results of the study 
conducted under subsection

    (a) .
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