I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3009 To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program to pre- program suicide prevention resources into certain smart devices issued to members of the Armed Forces. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 28, 2023 Mr. JOYCE of Ohio (for himself, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Ms. NORTON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- mittee on Armed Services A BILL To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program to pre-program suicide prevention resources into certain smart devices issued to members of the Armed Forces. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Military Suicide Pre- 4 vention in the 21st Century Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:50 May 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3009.IH H3009 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 3009 IH (1) Although electronic devices, such as mobile 1 phones, computers, and tables, increasingly are 2 being leveraged as vehicles for health in the civilian 3 world, almost nothing is known about how covered 4 devices may be used among members of the Armed 5 Forces to positively impact the health of such mem- 6 bers. 7 (2) The Defense Health Agency created the 8 Virtual Hope Box application to help members of 9 the Armed Forces build resilience. 10 (3) Users of the Virtual Hope Box application 11 reported significantly greater ability to cope with un- 12 pleasant emotions and thoughts. 13 (4) Members of the Armed Forces who are be- 14 havioral health patients experiencing distress, emo- 15 tional dysregulation, or suicidal ideation are often 16 separated from direct clinical support when they 17 need it. 18 (5) The Virtual Hope Box application offers a 19 highly portable, accessible, and discreet tool for ef- 20 fectively increasing coping self-efficacy. 21 (6) A strongly linked chain of care depends on 22 engaged leaders as well as highly competent first re- 23 sponders, crisis hotline workers, emergency depart- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:50 May 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3009.IH H3009 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 3009 IH ment personnel, chaplains, primary care clinicians, 1 and behavioral health clinicians. 2 SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM ON PRE-PROGRAMMING OF SUI- 3 CIDE PREVENTION RESOURCES INTO SMART 4 DEVICES ISSUED TO MEMBERS OF THE 5 ARMED FORCES. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 8 shall commence the conduct of a pilot program under 9 which the Secretary— 10 (1) pre-downloads the Virtual Hope Box appli- 11 cation of the Defense Health Agency, or such suc- 12 cessor application, on the covered devices of mem- 13 bers of the Armed Forces; 14 (2) pre-programs the National Suicide Hotline 15 number and Veterans Crisis Line number into the 16 contacts for such covered devices; and 17 (3) provides training, as part of the training on 18 suicide awareness and prevention conducted 19 throughout the Department of Defense, on the pre- 20 ventative resources described in paragraphs (1) and 21 (2). 22 (b) DURATION.—The Secretary of Defense shall 23 carry out the pilot program under this section for a two- 24 year period. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:50 May 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3009.IH H3009 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 3009 IH (c) SCOPE.—The Secretary of Defense shall deter- 1 mine the appropriate scope of individuals participating in 2 the pilot program under this section to best represent each 3 Armed Force and to ensure a relevant sample size. 4 (d) IDENTIFICATION OF OTHER RESOURCES.—In 5 carrying out the pilot program under this section, the Sec- 6 retary of Defense shall coordinate with the Director of the 7 Defense Health Agency and the Secretary of Veterans Af- 8 fairs to identify other useful technology-related resources 9 for use in the pilot program. 10 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days after the date 11 on which the pilot program under this section terminates, 12 the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees 13 on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and 14 the Senate a report on the pilot program, including rec- 15 ommendations by the Secretary relating to expanding the 16 scope of future pilot programs to include members of the 17 Armed Forces who do not possess covered devices. 18 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 19 (1) The term ‘‘covered device’’ means a smart 20 device (including a mobile phone) that is issued to 21 an individual by the Secretary of Defense or the Sec- 22 retary of an Armed Force. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:50 May 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3009.IH H3009 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 3009 IH (2) The term ‘‘Veterans Crisis Line’’ means the 1 toll-free hotline for veterans established under sec- 2 tion 1720F(h) of title 38, United States Code. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:50 May 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3009.IH H3009 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB