AB 988: Miles Hall Lifeline and Suicide Prevention Act: veteran and military data reporting.

Existing federal law, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, designates the 3-digit telephone number 988 as the universal number within the United States for the purpose of the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system operating through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, maintained by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, and the Veterans Crisis Line, which is maintained by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Existing law creates a separate surcharge, beginning January 1, 2023, on each access line for each month, or part thereof, for which a service user subscribes with a service supplier. Existing law sets the 988 surcharge for the 2023 and 2024 calendar years at $0.08 per access line per month and beginning January 1, 2025, at an amount based on a specified formula not to exceed $0.30 per access line per month. Existing law authorizes the 911 and 988 surcharges to be combined into a single-line item, as described. Existing law provides for specified costs to be paid by the fees prior to distribution to the Office of Emergency Services.

Existing law, the Miles Hall Lifeline and Suicide Prevention Act, creates the 988 State Suicide and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Fund and requires the fees to be deposited along with other specified moneys into the fund. Existing law provides that, upon appropriation by the Legislature, the funds be used for specified purposes and in accordance with specified priorities. Existing law requires the Office of Emergency Services to require an entity seeking moneys available through the fund to annually file an expenditure and outcomes report containing specified information, including, among other things, the number of individuals served and the outcomes for individuals served, if known.

This bill would require an entity seeking moneys from the fund to also include the number of individuals who used the service and self-identified as veterans or active military personnel in its annual expenditure and outcomes report.