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Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act

Floor Speech

Date: March 5, 2024
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky, my friend and colleague, for the opportunity to present my bill, H.R. 498, the 9-8-8 Lifeline Cybersecurity Responsibility Act.

Mr. Speaker, according to the CDC, in 2022, nearly 50,000 Americans took their own lives. This is a shocking and, frankly, shameful commentary on the state of mental health in this country. Mr. Speaker, that amounts to over 100 suicides a day.

In response to this growing crisis, in 2005, Congress authorized the 988 lifeline. 988 is a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week hotline that anyone with suicidal thoughts can call to be connected to counseling and resources.

In the first year of operation, the 988 lifeline received nearly 50,000 calls, and it has continued to grow in the years since then. It has undoubtedly saved thousands of American lives.

Unfortunately, 14 months ago, the 988 lifeline was taken down by a cyberattack on its systems operator.

Mr. Speaker, every minute that lifeline is offline is the potential for the loss of American lives because those resources are not available to them. This bill is an attempt to solve that problem.

H.R. 498 would require 988 systems operators to report cybersecurity vulnerabilities and would require the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate in addressing those vulnerabilities.

The bill would also require the Comptroller General to create a study of the cybersecurity vulnerabilities on the hotline and the ways that those vulnerabilities can be addressed.

Mr. Speaker, the 988 lifeline is a vital resource for Americans who might be having suicidal thoughts or contemplating the irrevocable act of taking their own lives. This bill is a small step in making sure that that lifeline remains available to the Americans who are depending on it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for bringing this bill forward to the floor, and I respectfully urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and pass this bill to the Senate.

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