Whereas suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States and the second leading cause of death among individuals between 10 and 34 years of age;

Whereas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (referred to in this preamble as the CDC), 1 individual in the United States dies by suicide every 11 minutes, resulting in around 49,000 deaths each year in the United States;

Whereas, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 6,400 veterans die by suicide annually, the equivalent of nearly 18 veteran suicides per day;

Whereas, between 1999 and 2022, the suicide rate in the United States increased by 36 percent from 10.5 suicides for every 100,000 individuals to 14.2 suicides for every 100,000 individuals;

Whereas it is estimated that there are approximately 1,500,000 suicide attempts each year in the United States;

Whereas more than half of individuals who die by suicide did not have a known mental health condition;

Whereas, according to the CDC, many factors contribute to suicide among individuals with and without known mental health conditions, including challenges related to relationships, substance use, physical health, and stress regarding work, money, legal problems, or housing;

Whereas, according to the CDC, suicide results in an estimated $70,000,000,000 each year in combined medical and work-loss costs in the United States; and

Whereas the stigma associated with mental health conditions and suicidality hinders suicide prevention by discouraging at-risk individuals from seeking life-saving help and can further traumatize survivors of suicide loss and individuals with lived experience of suicide: Now, therefore, be it