Survivor-led effort reaches major national milestone as Senators Alex Padilla and Thom Tillis introduce legislation to help make high-risk public infrastructure safer

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — SAVE – Suicide Awareness Voices of Education today applauded the historic introduction of the bipartisan Barriers to Suicide Act in the United States Senate by Senators Alex Padilla and Thom Tillis.

The legislation would help states, local governments and Tribal governments install evidence-based suicide deterrents, including barriers and nets, at high-risk public infrastructure. The Senate action builds on bipartisan legislation previously introduced in the U.S. House.

“Barriers work. When we know a public place presents a high risk for suicide, we have an obligation to do something about it,” said Erich Mische, CEO of SAVE. “The introduction of the Barriers to Suicide Act in the United States Senate is a historic moment for suicide prevention and for the families who have fought relentlessly to get us here. SAVE has been proud to be a vocal and relentless advocate for this legislation alongside suicide loss survivors who turned unimaginable loss into action. We are grateful to Senators Alex Padilla and Thom Tillis for their bipartisan leadership.”

Much of the momentum behind the legislation has come from families who lost loved ones at public structures and then became advocates for making those locations safer.

M.J. Weiss Blair, a Minnesota suicide loss survivor and co-founder of the Coalition for Suicide Prevention in Public Infrastructure (CSPPI), began advocating for barriers after her daughter, Kayla, died by suicide at a structure in Minnesota.

“After Kayla died, I knew I could not change what happened to our family, but I could fight to make sure another family did not experience the same loss,” Weiss Blair said. “We have seen in Minnesota what can happen when families, advocates and public officials decide these deaths are preventable. Seeing that work move to the national level gives me tremendous hope.”

Following advocacy by Weiss Blair, SAVE and others, Minnesota passed legislation in June 2025 appropriating $8 million for permanent suicide prevention barriers to be installed on a local structure in Minnesota. The following year in May 2026, the Kayla’s HOPE Act was signed into law. This legislation requires the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), working with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), to identify bridges with a history of suicide-related deaths, collect and maintain relevant data, develop suicide prevention best practices, and establish design criteria for suicide-reduction railings.

Trish Merelo, co-founder of CSPPI, began her advocacy work in Tennessee after she lost her son John to suicide at a local structure. She now lives in Missouri and continues to advocate nationally for suicide prevention measures on public infrastructure.

“When someone is in a suicidal crisis, time matters,” Merelo said. “A barrier can create that time. It can interrupt the moment and give someone another chance to live. Families across this country have shown that we can make these places safer and save lives. This legislation gives more communities the opportunity to do that.”

The Barriers to Suicide Act is not simply about barriers. It reflects a broader principle: when communities know that lives are being lost repeatedly at a public structure, they should have the tools and resources to make that location safer.

“This did not begin in Washington,” Mische said. “It began with families who experienced unimaginable loss and made the decision to turn that loss into action so another family might be spared the same pain. That is why this legislation matters, and that is why SAVE will continue pushing until it becomes law.”

ABOUT SAVE

SAVE – Suicide Awareness Voices of Education is one of the nation’s longest-standing nonprofit organizations dedicated to suicide prevention. SAVE fulfills its mission through education and training, advocacy and public policy, lethal means safety, and support for suicide loss survivors.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

ABOUT CSPPI

The Coalition for Suicide Prevention in Public Infrastructure (CSPPI) is a national coalition led by suicide loss survivors and family members who have experienced the pain of losing a loved one to suicide from a tall public structure. Founded in Fall 2025 by M.J. Weiss Blair and Trish Merelo—who each lost a child to suicide from a tall public structure— this coalition began with their efforts to require suicide prevention barriers in their own communities. Their grief became a catalyst for action, and their advocacy has now fueled a national movement. Interested in joining the movement? Visit csppi.org.