Bill · H.R. 8122· House(119-HR-8122)
9–8–8 Connect Act
- Introduced
- 3/26/2026
- Last activity
- 3/26/2026 — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Sponsored by
- Jamie Raskin
- Cosponsors
- - 0 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The ``9-8-8 Connect Act'' aims to amend the Public Health Service Act and the Communications Act of 1934. It establishes a grant program for eligible crisis centers to provide follow-up services to individuals receiving suicide prevention and crisis intervention services. These services include check-ins, outreach, collaboration with social supports, and care referrals. Additionally, the bill directs the FCC to ensure commercial mobile service providers transmit all 9-8-8 calls and texts, including those from non-service-initialized handsets. It also requires multi-line telephone systems to be configured for direct dialing of 9-8-8.
Yes· 3 of 5
Does this make mental health care easier to get?+7
The bill funds follow-up services for suicide prevention and mandates improved 9-8-8 call accessibility for mobile and multi-line phone systems.
Does this make health care easier to get in general?+5
The bill enhances the ability of individuals in crisis to reach mental health support via mobile and multi-line telephone systems.
Would people with disabilities be better off under this?+5
Enhanced accessibility of crisis lines improves support for individuals with mental health disabilities.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Enhanced Support through Follow-Up Services: Eligible crisis centers can receive grants to provide vital follow-up services, such as well-being check-ins, outreach to ensure engagement in supports, and referrals for care (Section 2, subsection e). This provides a safety net for individuals who have experienced a mental health or suicidal crisis (Section 2, subsection e, paragraph 1).
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Improved Accessibility of Emergency Services: By requiring commercial mobile service providers to transmit all calls and text messages sent to 9-8-8, including those from non-service-initialized handsets, the bill improves the reach of the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system (Section 3, subsection b).
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Streamlined Communication via Telephone Systems: The bill amends regulations to allow for the direct dialing of 9-8-8 through multi-line telephone systems, making it easier to access help (Section 3, subsection c).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Implementation Constraints for Older Technology: There is an exception for multi-line telephone systems installed before the two-year deadline if they cannot be configured to satisfy the new requirements without hardware or software improvements (Section 3, subsection c, paragraph 2, subparagraph B).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Healthcare
- Improves Mental Health Access+7Improves Healthcare Access+5Improves Opioid Crisis Response+3
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For People With Disabilities+5Good For Low Income Households+4
- 3/26/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania