Committee hears bill to fund 988 crisis hotline as lawmakers weigh phone-fee option

The House Human Services Committee heard testimony on Senate Bill 2200, which would create a 988 crisis hotline program and a 988 crisis stabilization fund, at a committee hearing. Senator Kathy Hogan, sponsor of the bill, told the committee that federal designation of the 988 dialing code in February 2020 brought new standards and requirements but not ongoing funding.

Why it matters: Advocates and the bill sponsor said 988 is a central part of crisis response that connects people in acute behavioral-health emergencies to trained staff and mobile crisis resources. Supporters told the committee that without a stable funding source the answering point and the broader crisis continuum risk understaffing and service gaps that can leave callers without timely help.

Senator Kathy Hogan, who represents District 21, said many states are using a small phone surcharge to pay for 988 services and that North Dakota’s bill began as a similar fee proposal. “With this new federal designation and standards came many new requirements and regretfully no funding,” Hogan said. She told lawmakers the bill’s original phone-fee option was removed in committee, and the current proposal would fund the 988 answering point, First Link,…