H.R. 5434 directs the federal government to dedicate resources specifically to support LGBTQ+ youth using the 988 Suicide Prevention and Crisis Lifeline. The bill addresses research showing that LGBTQ+ youth attempt suicide at four times the rate of their peers and that nearly half of high school students who considered suicide identified as LGBTQ+. The legislation requires the Health and Human Services Secretary to maintain and expand specialized services—accessed through the "Press 3" option on the hotline—that provide trained counselors equipped to address LGBTQ+-specific challenges and needs. The bill mandates that at least 9 percent of annual appropriations to the 988 hotline be reserved specifically for these LGBTQ+ youth services. Since launching specialized LGBTQ+ services, the 988 hotline has received over 1.5 million calls, texts, and chats from this population, averaging 2,200 daily contacts as of May 2025.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.