9–8–8 and 9–1–1 Integration Act

This bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, working with the Attorney General, to form a panel that recommends training requirements and protocols for 9-1-1 dispatchers handling calls from people in a behavioral health crisis. The panel would include psychiatrists, paramedics, law enforcement officers, dispatchers, 9-8-8 representatives, Tribal representatives, members of underserved communities, and others, serving staggered 5-year terms. The panel would consider connecting callers to crisis care instead of police, integrating or transferring calls between the 9-1-1 and 9-8-8 systems, and training dispatchers. It would also set data collection standards on caller outcomes and police involvement, update its recommendations at least every 5 years, and report to Congress.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Becca Balint Democrat sponsor
• 6 cosponsors