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Kayla’s HOPE Act addresses suicide prevention at the structural level

On Thursday, May 7, 2026, Gov. Tim Walz signed Kayla's HOPE Act, or 2971, requiring the Minnesota Department of Transportation and Department of Health to implement suicide-prevention measures in public infrastructure projects.
The bill honors Kayla Gaebel, a 29-year mother who died by suicide in November 2023, whose mother, MJ Weiss Blair, founded Kayla's HOPE to advocate for suicide-prevention railings on the Washington Avenue Bridge.
Katie J.R. Jackson, associate vice president and dean of students at the University of Minnesota, cited a study finding one in four suicide survivors deliberated for less than five minutes, stating, "If we can restrict access to the means, the restriction can make a difference in saving lives."
Erich Mische, CEO of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, praised the law for removing engineer discretion, saying it "becomes a matter of law, which is much more powerful and ensures that we see these kind of barriers put in from the beginning."
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education and the Coalition for Suicide Prevention in Public Infrastructure are working to bring the Barriers to Suicide Act to Washington, expanding suicide-prevention infrastructure efforts nationally.

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