Sponsors (7)
The bill pushes toward location-enabled 988 crisis response and better accessibility while using federal studies and regulatory references to guide implementation — improving potential emergency outcomes but creating near-term delays, privacy risks, cost burdens, and equity concerns unless strengthened safeguards and funding are provided.
Callers in crisis (people with mental health or substance-use emergencies, including veterans) could get faster and more accurate emergency response because dispatchable geolocation can be routed to 911 centers from 988 contacts.
Local governments and 911/911-adjacent service providers get clearer statutory definitions by referencing existing FCC rules, reducing legal ambiguity and keeping the law aligned with evolving technical standards.
Local crisis centers, the Veterans Crisis Line, and telecom providers could benefit from identified funding and cost-recovery options that reduce unfunded burdens for implementing location-capable 988 services.
People contacting 988 (including those in crisis and veterans) could face serious privacy risks if geolocation or dispatchable location is transmitted without strong, enforceable safeguards.
Local governments, telecom providers, and crisis centers may incur significant upgrade costs to transmit dispatchable location; those costs could be passed to taxpayers, ratepayers, or divert funds from services if funding gaps persist.
Rural and small communities could face higher per-capita implementation costs and technical barriers, risking wider disparities in emergency response capability if funding and support are insufficient.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Directs the FCC to study geolocation transmission to 988 and requires a GAO report on legal, technical, privacy, and cost issues for implementing location sharing between 988 and 911.
Official title: To instruct the Federal Communications Commission to initiate a notice of inquiry and instruct the Government Accountability Office to complete a study and report providing detailed recommendations to address challenges to transmitting geolocation information with calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 21, 2026 by Joseph Neguse · Last progress July 21, 2026
Requires the FCC to open a formal inquiry into technical, legal, privacy, and cost issues for transmitting geolocation (including dispatchable location) with calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and directs the Government Accountability Office to study implementation opportunities, challenges, and costs and report to Congress. The FCC inquiry must address feasibility, standards, privacy protections, funding/recovery options, and access for American Sign Language users; the GAO report must consult a wide set of stakeholders and examine legal authority, technical standards, and funding needs for 988, Veterans Crisis Line, and related local crisis and 911 partners.