Rep. Obernolte’s suicide lifeline cybersecurity bill passes the House

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Jay Obernolte’s (R-CA) 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act passed the House on March 5, 2024. This bill would improve cybersecurity at the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline following a cyberattack on system operator Intrado in December of 2022.Due to the attack, the 9-8-8 Lifeline was down for several hours during a whole-network outage, leaving veterans, military servicemembers, and Americans across the country without the main nationwide touchpoint for suicide prevention.

“Any outage of the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, even for a few hours, can cost American lives,” said Rep. Obernolte. “It’s critical that we mitigate the risk of future disruptions to the service and take steps to resolve cybersecurity vulnerabilities that could put the Lifeline at risk. I’m proud to see this legislation pass the House with unanimous support.” 

The 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was launched as a revamped version of the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. H.R. 498, the 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act, amends the statute authorizing the 9-8-8 program to require better coordination and reporting on potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities within the 9-8-8 Lifeline with the goal of mitigating future cyberattacks and preventing disruption of services.

On average, there are roughly 135 suicides every day in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most recent report from the CDC indicated that there were 49,449 suicide deaths in 2022, or one death every 11 minutes. The suicide rate for veterans was 57.3% higher than that of non-veteran adults in 2020, and suicide represented the second leading cause of death among veterans under age 45. Youth and young adults aged 10-24 account for 15% of all suicides and suicide rates for this age group increased 52.2% between 2000-2021, making suicide the second leading cause of death for this age group.

Read the full bill here.

To watch Rep. Obernolte’s remarks on the House floor in support of the passage of the 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act, click here.

###