When U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart said suicide has touched almost everyone’s family or friends, he choked up and paused.
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox brushed away tears. State Sen. Daniel Thatcher sobbed. A tear streaked down the cheek of state Rep. Steve Eliason. And Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes was blinking back tears, too.
While sad, they celebrated at the state Capitol on Tuesday President Donald Trump’s signing into law last week something they all sought for years: ordering work toward creating a national three-digit number for a national suicide hotline, similar to 911.
Thatcher and Eliason had pushed unsuccessfully to create such a three-digit line in Utah for years.