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During Mental Health Awareness Month, Reps. Pettersen, Yakym Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Youth Suicide Prevention Programs

Pettersen Spoke Publicly Today For The First Time About Her Brother, Who She Lost to Suicide; Legislation Builds off Pettersen’s Work in CO State Legislature In Coordination with the Bipartisan What Works Caucus, Which Rep. Pettersen Founded & Promotes Results-Driven Legislation in Congress

Washington, May 21, 2026

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representatives Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) and Rudy Yakym (IN-02), introduced the Evidence-Based Youth Suicide Prevention Act of 2026, bipartisan legislation to help schools, communities, and public health organizations develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based strategies to prevent suicide among children and adolescents. The legislation comes as youth mental health challenges rise nationwide with suicide becoming the second-leading cause of death for American kids. 

 

In 2008, Rep. Pettersen lost her own brother, Justin, to suicide after he slipped through the cracks. She opened up publicly about this experience on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives today. This shaped her commitment to improving mental health access, reducing the stigma, and ensuring schools and families have access to support before it’s too late. Having experienced the effects of lack of access to mental health in her own family, Rep. Pettersen is prioritizing catching and addressing mental health needs in children as early as possible to save lives.

 

“I lost my brother, Justin, to suicide over 15 years ago – there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of him and wish he was still here with us,” said Pettersen. “Unfortunately, he slipped through the cracks because he did not have access to the support he needed while struggling. And I know so many families and kids are in the same boat, which is why our communities need investments in programs that work. This bill does just that by investing in strategies that we can know can actually make a difference and save the lives of people like my brother, Justin, before it’s too late.”

 

“As a father of three, I know there is nothing more important than protecting our children,” said Yakym. “I’m proud to join Rep. Pettersen in co-leading this important bill, which will take meaningful, evidence-based steps to educate the public and prevent youth suicide. We cannot accept that suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people. We can do more to save lives and give families hope.” 

 

"The bipartisan Evidence-Based Youth Suicide Prevention Act is rooted in the urgent reality that suicide is the second-leading cause of death among children and adolescents. Congress has an opportunity — and a responsibility — to find, fund and implement proven solutions to address the mental health crisis among youth,” said Michele Jolin, CEO and Co-Founder of Results for America. “We applaud Rep. Pettersen and Rep. Yakym for their leadership in focusing on what works to save young lives."

The Evidence-Based Youth Suicide Prevention Act would:

  • Support demonstration programs focused on evidence-based youth suicide prevention strategies in schools and youth-serving settings;

  • Require rigorous evaluation and public reporting on program effectiveness and outcomes;

  • Prioritize funding for interventions backed by strong or moderate evidence while also supporting promising innovative approaches paired with evaluation plans;

  • Provide technical assistance to grant recipients on data collection, implementation, and evaluation; and

  • Help communities identify and scale strategies proven to improve student mental health and reduce suicide risk.

Bill text is available HERE.

  • This legislation is endorsed by Results for America (RFA) and StriveTogether. 

Introduced during Mental Health Awareness Month, the Evidence-Based Youth Suicide Prevention Act builds on legislation Representative Pettersen supported in the Colorado State Legislature and was developed with the bipartisan What Works Caucus and Results for America (RFA) to bridge political divides and promote evidence-based policymaking by ensuring taxpayer dollars go towards effective policy.

 

Representatives Pettersen and Yakym are both founders of the What Works Caucus, which is a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers dedicated to advancing evidence-based policymaking and ensuring taxpayer dollars are invested in programs that deliver measurable results. The caucus works to bridge political divides by evaluating the effectiveness of federal programs and promoting data-driven solutions that improve outcomes for communities across the country.

 

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To access downloadable, high-quality photos, click here. To stay up-to-date on what Pettersen is doing in Congress, follow her on Twitter here, Facebook here, or Instagram here. Residents can also sign-up for her e-newsletter subscription here.