Sponsors (3)
The bill strengthens crisis support for first responders through access, training, and targeted program development but requires public funding and raises modest privacy and resource‑allocation risks that must be managed.
First responders (police, firefighters, EMS) will have increased awareness of and access to 9‑8‑8 and receive trauma‑informed, evidence‑based counselor support, improving the quality of crisis care they get when suicidal or in distress.
Grants and cooperative agreements will fund integration of 9‑8‑8 into existing trainings and workplace wellness resources, helping agencies institutionalize crisis supports for first responders.
Aggregated, de‑identified data on first responder hotline use will let HHS and partner agencies target outreach and improve services without exposing individuals' identities, enabling better program planning.
Taxpayers may face additional costs to fund grants, pilots, and administration for the program, with no specific appropriation amount provided.
Collecting and sharing de‑identified usage trends risks re‑identification or mishandling of data, raising privacy concerns for first responders whose usage patterns could be exposed.
Implementation and outreach activities may divert SAMHSA and local behavioral‑health resources to this effort, potentially shifting focus away from other mental‑health and substance‑use services if funding is limited.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs HHS to run outreach, fund awareness and training, collect de‑identified data, and create trauma‑informed counselor training and a pilot to boost first responder use of 9‑8‑8.
Directs HHS to reduce barriers that keep first responders from using the national 9‑8‑8 suicide and crisis hotline. The bill requires HHS to run outreach in coordination with first responder organizations, fund public‑awareness activities integrated into training and workplace wellness programs, collect de‑identified usage data on first responder callers, and develop specialized counselor training and resources. It also creates a multiagency pilot led by SAMHSA and the U.S. Fire Administration to tailor outreach and requires a report to Congress within three years on pilot results.
Official title: To amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance outreach to first responders in the implementation of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 20, 2026 by Kat Cammack · Last progress April 20, 2026