Stewart, Moulton File Bill Backing FCC Choice of 988 for Suicide Prevention Code
Democratic 2020 presidential hopeful Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, said Tuesday they filed the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (HR-4194), endorsing the FCC's recommendation that 988 be designated as the national three-digit suicide hotline (see…
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1908150008). The bill would officially designate 988 as the hotline code and gives the FCC a one-year deadline to finish the nationwide upgrade of the legacy switches to support the new code. It aso “empowers states to collect a small fee, similar to what is already in place for 911, to enhance and support local crisis call centers affiliated within the 988 national network,” the lawmakers said in a Washington Post opinion piece. “Last year, only 79 percent of all lifeline calls were answered in the state in which they were placed. In most cases, unanswered calls are rolled over to a neighboring state. But with an ever-rising call volume, this patchwork system is not sustainable.” Stewart had previously pushed for the FCC to recommend 611 as the suicide hotline code (1812110033). Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, both R, endorsed HR-4194 in a letter to Stewart.