9–8–8 Connect Act

The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, shall award grants to eligible crisis centers to provide follow-up services to individuals receiving suicide prevention and crisis intervention services.

To be eligible to seek a grant under this section, a crisis center shall be a member of the network of crisis centers coordinated under section 520E–3(b)(1).

The Secretary shall select recipients of grants under this section based on the relative needs, including capacity and service gaps, of the eligible crisis centers applying for such grants.

The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to recipients of grants under this section regarding best practices for the implementation of services through such grants.

A crisis center receiving a grant under this section shall use the grant to provide follow-up services to individuals receiving suicide prevention and crisis intervention services such as—

(A) individuals who were callers at risk of, or on behalf of someone at risk of, suicide or a mental health or suicidal crisis; and

(B) to the extent possible, individuals who—

(i) received a response from a mobile crisis team; or

(ii) made a visit to an urgent behavioral health clinic, a crisis receiving and stabilization facility, an emergency department, an inpatient unit, or another short-term crisis care site.

Follow-up services referred to in paragraph (1) may include—

(A) check-ins to assess well-being and level of risk;

(B) outreach to ensure engagement in services and supports, in coordination with mobile crisis service providers if involved;

(C) collaboration with family, caregivers, and natural social supports; and

(D) referrals based on the needed level of care.

To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2027, to remain available until expended.

In this section:

The term 9–8–8 means 9–8–8, as designated as the universal telephone number within the United States for the purpose of the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system under section 251(e)(4) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 251(e)(4)).

The term commercial mobile service has the meaning given the term in section 332(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(d)).

The term non-service-initialized handset has the meaning given the term in section 9.10(o)(3)(i) of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regulation.

Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal Communications Commission shall promulgate regulations to ensure that each provider of commercial mobile service transmits all calls and text messages made or sent to 9–8–8, including a call or text message that originates from a non-service-initialized handset (if the call or text message originates on a phone using a compliant radio frequency protocol of the provider).

A provider of commercial mobile service shall comply with the regulations promulgated under paragraph (1) not later than 1 year after the date on which the regulations are promulgated.

Section 721 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 623) is amended—

(A) in the section heading, by inserting and 9–8–8 after 9–1–1;

(B) in subsection (a), by inserting or 9–8–8 after 9–1–1; and

(C) in subsection (b), by inserting or 9–8–8 after 9–1–1.

The amendments made by paragraph (1) shall apply to actions occurring on and after the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act.

The amendment made by paragraph (1)(C) shall not apply to the management or operation of a multi-line telephone system installed before the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, if the system is not able to be configured to satisfy the requirements of the amendment, without an improvement to the hardware or software of the system.