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Committee hears bill to codify 911-to-988 call transfers for behavioral-health crises
Summary
A House bill would amend enhanced 911 definitions to expressly allow warm transfers from 911 public safety answering points to New Hampshire's 988 rapid response access point; supporters said the change would codify current practice and reduce unnecessary law-enforcement dispatches.
State lawmakers heard testimony supporting House Bill 597 on technical changes to New Hampshire’s enhanced 911 law that would explicitly allow transfers from 911 call centers to the statewide 988 crisis lifeline. Representative Bill Boyd, the bill’s sponsor, said the changes would "codify what 911 is already doing" and align statutory language with current protocols.
Supporters told the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee that 911 centers and the Department of Health and Human Services have worked together since 988 launched to create a warm-handoff protocol for nonemergent behavioral-health calls. Holly Stevens, director of public policy at NAMI New Hampshire, said transferring appropriate calls to 988 helps ensure callers get a mental-health response while freeing 911 to handle…
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