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Senate approves 10 increase in 911 fee to fund poison control and E‑911 upgrades
Summary
The Senate approved SB221 to raise the 911 access charge from 50 to 60; the amendment directs 7 to fund the Poison Control Center and 3 to counties for enhanced 911 compliance, with sponsors arguing the increase will save health‑care costs.
The Utah Senate on Feb. 24 amended and advanced SB221 to raise the statewide 911 access charge from 50 to 60 and earmark the additional 10 for poison‑control services and enhanced 911 implementation.
Sponsor Senator Steele framed the change as a public‑health and public‑safety upgrade, telling colleagues that 911 dispatchers frequently triage calls and that routing some calls to the Poison Control Center avoids unnecessary ambulance dispatches. "I'm gonna guarantee you it's going to save lives," Steele said while describing the measure—s split: 7 toward financing the Poison Control Center and 3 to counties to meet the federal enhanced‑911 standard.
Floor amendments adjusting the distribution and technical language were adopted without recorded opposition; the amended bill passed a roll‑call vote and was placed on the third‑reading calendar. Sponsors cited a fiscal reallocation that would remove some general‑fund support and place poison‑control funding on a stable source, and they argued the small per‑call increase could reduce larger medical expenditures by preventing needless ambulance runs and hospitalizations.
The bill now moves to third reading, where final passage could send it to the House for concurrence.
