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119-hr-8122119th CongressWALLET

9–8–8 Connect Act

Sponsored By: Representative Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8]

Introduced

Summary

Modernize and expand access to the 9-8-8 suicide and mental health crisis hotline. This bill would fund follow-up care by crisis centers and require carriers and regulators to make calls and texts to 9-8-8 reliably reachable and routable.

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  • Families and people in crisis would get more post-contact support such as check-ins, outreach to ensure engagement with services, coordination with mobile crisis teams, and referrals to appropriate care.
  • Crisis centers would become eligible for follow-up grants only if they are members of the coordinated crisis center network, and grants would include technical assistance and funds targeted by need and service gaps.
  • Mobile crisis teams and short-term crisis sites like urgent behavioral clinics and emergency departments are explicitly included as points that can trigger follow-up services for people at risk.
  • Commercial mobile service providers would have to transmit all 9-8-8 calls and texts, including some non-service-initialized handsets on compliant radio protocols, and the bill adds 9-8-8 into dialing and routing rules with a delayed applicability window for infrastructure upgrades.

*Would authorize $30 million for fiscal year 2027 for the follow-up grant program, increasing federal spending.*

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Rules to make 9-8-8 work on phones

If enacted, the bill would require the FCC to write rules within 270 days to make sure all commercial mobile providers send calls and texts to 9-8-8. The rules would include texts and calls from phones without active service when they use a provider's radio protocol. Providers would have one year after the rules are issued to comply. The bill also adds definitions of 9-8-8 and related terms to guide the rules.

Direct 9-8-8 dialing on business phones

If enacted, the bill would require multi-line telephone systems to support direct dialing of 9-8-8 starting two years after enactment. Systems installed before that two-year date would be exempt from one requirement if they cannot be reconfigured without hardware or software upgrades. This would help people reach crisis services more easily but could require some businesses to pay for phone system upgrades.

Grants for crisis center follow-up

If enacted, the bill would create a grant program to pay crisis centers for follow-up care after suicide-prevention or crisis contacts. Only crisis centers in the national crisis center network would be eligible. The Department of Health would pick centers based on need, capacity, and service gaps and provide technical help. The bill would authorize $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2027, available until spent.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8]

MD • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]

    PA • R

    Sponsored 3/26/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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