January 15, 2021 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released the following statement announcing that the Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act is now law. This bipartisan legislation will require the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants to institutes of higher education that support research on suicide treatment and prevention. Rosen co-led the bill with Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) earlier this year.

“We must take action to confront the rising rate of suicide that affects far too many families and communities in Nevada and across our nation,” said Senator Rosen. “I introduced this bipartisan bill to help us better understand how to help those suffering and I will continue working to support the health and well-being of all Nevadans.”

BACKGROUND: This bipartisan legislation would require the National Science Foundation, in consultation with the National Institute of Mental Health, to award grants to institutes of higher education to research multidisciplinary factors like social behavior, human cognition and development, drug and alcohol abuse, and other behaviors involved in the treatment and prevention of suicide. 
 
The bill also supports the work of early career researchers working in fields relevant to understanding and preventing suicide. 

The bipartisan Advancing Research to Prevent Suicide Act is supported by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the American Psychological Association.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal crisis or emotional distress, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides free and confidential emotional support to people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, across the United States.
Source: Senator Jacky Rosen