Baldwin’s bill for suicide emergency hotline signed into law by Trump

By Patrick Lynn

President Trump has signed a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) to create a nationwide three-digit emergency phone number for people in a mental health crisis.

Baldwin introduced the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act last year, which was co-authored by Colorado’s Cory Gardner and Jerry Moran of Kansas, both Republicans—and Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island.

The new law designates the three-digit number 988 as a national suicide prevention hotline. It unanimously passed the Senate in May and passed the House of Representatives last month.

The number isn’t in effect yet but those seeking help can call 1-800-273-8255 to be connected to help locally

“In America, we lose about 45,000 people every year to suicide, including more than 6,100 veterans, making it one of the leading causes of death in this country,” Baldwin said in a press release. “We need to do everything we can to prevent suicide and that means improving the tools we have to help people who are suffering from depression or other mental health concerns.”

Suicide has been deemed a public health concern by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. According to the DHS, the state’s suicide rate increased by 40 percent between 2000-2017. In 2019, 850 Wisconsin residents died by suicide, the agency said. 

Baldwin urged the Federal Communications Commission to move quickly to get the hotline up and running.