California Considering 988 Bill for LGBTQ+ Specialized Services

California lawmakers are proposing to require that calls to 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline centers in the state be automatically routed to a LGBTQ+ suicide prevention specialist when the caller presses "3." Under AB-1540, introduced Monday, the state Office of Emergency Service would have until July 1, 2027, to ensure that technology is available to allow transfers of those calls between 988 centers and a subnetwork of LGBTQ+ specialized youth suicide prevention service providers. The state Health and Human Services Agency would have the same deadline for creating a Protecting Suicide Prevention Resources for LGBTQ+ Youth Fund grant program for entities that specialize in suicide prevention.