Reps. Obernolte, Dingell reintroduce bipartisan legislation to prevent outages of the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline | Representative Jay Obernolte
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Reps. Obernolte, Dingell reintroduce bipartisan legislation to prevent outages of the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

February 4, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Jay Obernolte [R-CA] and Debbie Dingell [D-MI] reintroduced the 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act, a bipartisan bill that unanimously passed the House in the 118th Congress. The bill aims to strengthen cybersecurity at the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the wake of a December 2022 cyberattack on system operator Intrado, which caused an outage that left veterans, military servicemembers, and Americans without critical access to suicide prevention services. The Federal Communications Commission later confirmed in February 2023 that the cyberattack was responsible for the outage. 

“American lives are at risk when the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline experiences an outage,” said Rep. Obernolte. “It is crucial that we eliminate potential cybersecurity threats and resolve issues that could put the Lifeline at risk. I am proud to reintroduce this bill in the 119th Congress and am committed to seeing it signed into law.” 

“The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has served and saved millions of Americans experiencing mental health crises, and needs our continued support. This bill ensures that the lifeline can coordinate with all necessary entities to eliminate cybersecurity vulnerabilities that put its operations and sensitive data at risk. This bipartisan, commonsense legislation strengthens and protects a critical system that serves our most vulnerable,” said Rep. Dingell.  

The 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was launched as an updated version of the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. The 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act would amend Title V of the Public Health Service Act to protect the Lifeline from future cybersecurity threats and extended outages. 

The need for these protections is critical. In 2023 alone, 49,300 suicides were reported in the U.S., according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Suicide rates among veterans were 57.3% higher than those of non-veteran adults in 2020, and suicide was the second leading cause of death among veterans under age 45. Among youth and young adults aged 10-24, suicide accounted for 15% of all deaths, with rates in this age group increasing by 52.2% between 2000 and 2021. Suicide remains the second leading cause of death for this age group. 

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Issues:Healthcare