Public Transit Mental Health Awareness Act

Key Points

• This bill requires any public transit agency that receives federal money to post information about the national suicide prevention hotline. The signs must be placed where passengers can easily see them, such as on buses, trains, or inside transit stations.
• The displays must clearly state that the hotline is free, private, and available 24 hours a day. This effort aims to provide immediate help to people who may be experiencing a mental health crisis while using public transportation.
• Transit agencies would have one year after the bill becomes law to put these signs in place. They can meet the requirement by putting the information on all their vehicles or in all their stations.
• The bill protects the money transit agencies make from ads by ensuring these new signs do not take up paid advertising space. It also says agencies will not be in trouble if signs are damaged or stolen, as long as they make a fair effort to replace them.

Impact Analysis

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