Delaware House passes bill to fund Suicide Hotline

DOVER, Del. – The Delaware House has passed a bill that would enhance the funding source for the state’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to improve its continuum of care and allow more residents to receive necessary and behavioral health care.

House Bill 160(S) would implement a 60-cent monthly surcharge on each residential or business phone line, wireless phone line, establish a fund for the surcharge, and create a board composed of state agencies and stakeholders to report on the state’s crisis intervention services. It would also institute a one-time, 60-cent fee on prepaid services.

Under the bill, the funds collected through the surcharge would be specifically earmarked for operating the 988 system, which provides support for Delawareans experiencing behavioral health crises. This surcharge is modeled after Delaware’s existing E-911 surcharge on wireless and prepaid wireless. Unspent monies would revert to the fund each year and could not be used for general state purposes.

Currently, we’re told Delaware’s crisis lines handle about 25,000 contacts, though state officials expect those numbers to increase due to a greater need for behavioral health services, with growth of more than 60% possible. In addition, the board would develop and recommend a comprehensive statewide crisis intervention services plan that would be updated annually.

HB(S) would allow funds collected to be used to improve the operation of the 988 system, including staffing, establishing, operating, or contacting for crisis teams for adults and children, providing specialized training, raising public awareness, and data collection and analysis.

The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.