Bill > SB196

This bill establishes a $0.98 monthly behavioral health crisis services surcharge on each wireless and wireline telephone number in Alaska, which will be collected by telephone companies and remitted to the state. The surcharge will fund the creation and maintenance of the 988 behavioral health crisis hotline and related services, including establishing infrastructure, providing crisis intervention, recruiting mental health personnel, offering specialized training for at-risk communities, developing prevention services, conducting public education, and supporting data collection and quality improvement activities. Telephone companies will be allowed to retain up to 1% of collected funds or $150 as administrative costs, and they are not legally obligated to enforce collection of the surcharge. The funds will be deposited into a behavioral health crisis services fund within the general fund, which can be appropriated by the legislature to the Department of Health for the specified purposes. The surcharge will take effect on July 1, 2025, and while the fund is not technically a dedicated fund, it is designed to support comprehensive behavioral health crisis services across the state.