Sponsors (2)
The bill improves access, coordination, and infrastructure for suicide and mental‑health crisis response—especially by expanding 9‑8‑8 reach and supporting crisis centers—but requires new federal spending and imposes compliance and capacity risks that could strain local centers or be shifted onto providers and consumers if funding and implementation support are insufficient.
People experiencing suicidal crises or mental-health emergencies (broad public with mobile phones) will have more reliable access to 9‑8‑8 from all mobile handsets, including non‑service‑initialized devices, improving immediate access to emergency support.
Individuals at risk of suicide will receive proactive follow‑up check‑ins and referrals after crisis contacts, increasing continuity of care and reducing likelihood of repeated crises.
Crisis centers—especially in underserved areas—can expand capacity and improve quality through targeted grants and HHS technical assistance, increasing local access and consistency of follow‑up services.
Routing more traffic to 9‑8‑8 without matching, sustained increases in funding and staffing risks overwhelming local crisis centers, reducing service quality and timeliness for callers.
Grants may be time‑limited or insufficient to cover long‑term follow‑up needs, leaving gaps in ongoing care once initial funds are spent.
Limiting eligibility to centers already in the existing network could exclude effective local providers that are not yet members, reducing reach into some communities.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Funds HHS grants for follow-up after 9‑8‑8 crisis contacts and requires FCC rules forcing mobile carriers to deliver all calls/texts to 9‑8‑8, including NSI handsets.
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Jamie Ben Raskin · Last progress March 26, 2026
Provides federal grants to crisis centers for follow-up services after people contact suicide-prevention or crisis intervention services, and directs the FCC to require commercial mobile providers to deliver all calls and texts to the 9‑8‑8 crisis line, including those from non-service-initialized handsets. The legislation sets timelines for agency rules and provider compliance, defines eligibility for grants, authorizes $30 million for FY2027 for follow-up services, and stages changes to the Communications Act with a delayed effective date for certain phone-system requirements.