NJ 988 Fee Bill Moves Out of State Senate Committee
A New Jersey Senate committee voted Thursday to advance a bill that would create a telecommunications fee to fund call center and mental health services connected with 988 calls. SB-4502 would add a 40-cent 988 fee to monthly customer bills for commercial mobile service and IP-enabled voice calls but wouldn’t apply to Lifeline customers. The money would be used to fund 988 call services, crisis outreach and response services related to 988 calls, and a public awareness campaign.
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In a hearing of the state Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, lawmakers from both parties agreed that those services should be fully funded, but some Republicans objected to what they said was an additional tax on consumers. The bill should have been funded through the state appropriations process, said Sen. Robert Singer (R). “No one is against having the hotline,” but the legislature is “heading down the wrong way” by funding it with a fee. Funding for services with similar fees often eventually gets “raided” by legislatures to pay for other programs, he added.
Sen. Owen Henry (R) said funding the program with a fee indicates that the committee isn't taking the issue seriously. “Why are we not fully funding this? Why do we have to go this route and take 40 cents a month from people using their phone?”
Henry and Singer voted against releasing the bill from committee, while panel Democrats voted in support. Committee Chair Joseph Vitale (D) said the fee mechanism is “more sustainable” for the program and important after federal cuts to mental health services. “Nobody likes to spend another 40 cents on anything, but this is a very important, valuable resource for New Jerseyans suffering a crisis, particularly young people who have nowhere to turn.”