Utah House advances bill to require 24/7 statewide mental‑health crisis line

The Utah House of Representatives on Jan. 25, 2018 took up House Bill 41, legislation the sponsor said would strengthen the state’s crisis‑response system by ensuring a single statewide mental‑health crisis line is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and staffed by trained clinicians.

Representative Lisonbee, the bill’s sponsor, told colleagues that a commission review found “approximately 20 crisis numbers” across the state and that “there was only 1 line that was answered 24/7/365 by licensed clinical social workers.” He said Utah receives more than 10,000 crisis calls annually and that the bill would require the division of mental health and substance abuse, in consultation with the commission, to ensure qualified staff are available to answer calls and provide rollover capability so unanswered calls can be routed to a center that is available.

“Crisis lines are proven effective mechanisms to help people who find themselves in a mental health crisis,” Lisonbee said. He also announced that Reagan Outdoor Advertising had agreed to donate billboards to publicize the statewide crisis number, and that the bill has endorsements from groups including the Utah chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Utah PTA, the Utah Hospital Association and NAMI Utah.

Members from both parties offered floor testimony in support. Representative Hollins, a licensed clinical social worker, said she has been called to intervene in emergencies and urged passage. Representative King, Representative Duckworth and others recounted personal or constituent encounters and emphasized urgency to expand access. Representative Briscoe described intervening twice to stop a young man’s suicide attempt and said the spending authorized by the bill “is going to save lives.” Representative Sagers called the measure “perhaps the most significant bill I’ve had the opportunity to vote for.”

Sponsor Lisonbee noted the bill’s informal name, “Hannah’s bill,” in recognition of Laura Warburton’s advocacy; Warburton and her nonprofit, Living Hannah’s Hope, were honored on the floor earlier in the day. The sponsor said the measure came through interim work on a unanimous vote and closed by saying the bill aims to make crisis services more widely available and better publicized.

The Speaker announced that voting would be opened on House Bill 41. The provided transcript segment records that voting was opened but does not include a roll‑call tally or the final recorded outcome.