Sponsors (7)
The bill creates a national hotline that improves access to guidance and could reduce emergency costs for caregivers of people with developmental disabilities, but it requires federal funding and risks uneven service until implementation is complete.
Parents, family caregivers, and people with developmental disabilities gain a dedicated national hotline that provides guidance, referrals, and crisis support, improving timely access to information and assistance.
Caregivers and emergency responders may see reduced unnecessary emergency service use because the hotline can connect callers to alternatives and resources, potentially lowering healthcare and crisis-response costs.
Parents, family caregivers, and people with developmental disabilities may face uneven service quality, limited hours, or gaps in coverage until implementation details (staffing, hours, protocols) are fully defined and funded.
Taxpayers will bear increased federal spending to establish and operate the national hotline, which could require new appropriations or divert funds from other programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds a statutory provision creating a national hotline for caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities to the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act.
Official title: To amend the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to establish a hotline for caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 30, 2026 by Robert Menendez · Last progress April 30, 2026
Creates a national hotline for caregivers of people with developmental disabilities by adding a new provision to the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act. The hotline is intended to provide caregivers with access to resources and emotional support (citation name: CARES Hotline Act). The bill only inserts a statutory provision establishing the hotline and updates the Act's table of contents; no operational details, funding amounts, or implementation timelines are included in the text provided.