Oregon House Approves Funding for 9-8-8 Suicide Prevention & Behavioral Health Crisis Line

For Immediate Release
June 22, 2023

Press contact:
Hannah Kurowski
[email protected]

House Bill 2757 expands and provides stable funding for critical infrastructure that will help Oregonians experiencing a mental health crisis

SALEM, Ore. – Today, the Oregon House passed critical legislation (House Bill 2757) that will fund the 9-8-8 Suicide Prevention & Behavioral Health Crisis Line.

Oregonians experiencing a mental health crisis can call the line and receive immediate care through compassionate one-on-one conversations and the emotional support they need in their toughest moment. In Oregon, 9-8-8 resolves or de-escalates nearly 97% of calls over the phone.

“This is going to save lives,” said Representative Tawna Sanchez (D-Portland), chief sponsor of the bill. “Answering the phone and talking someone down before they end up in an emergency room or jail is going to be the most effective approach to solving the crisis we’re in before it gets worse.”

House Bill 2757 provides the infrastructure for a comprehensive 9-8-8 system in Oregon, including:
• Establishing the 9-8-8 Trust Fund. There are various streams of one-time and ongoing federal and state funding that need to be conjoined to create a functioning system.
• A fee on telecom at 40-cents per line per month ($4.80 per year) that functions just like Oregon’s fee for 911.
• Restricting the 9-8-8 fee to funding Oregon’s two call centers and some reliable baseline funding for mobile crisis support.
• Creating a multi-stakeholder advisory group to guide implementation and provide oversight as the 9-8-8 system develops.

The legislation will require that low-income households participating in the Oregon Lifeline subsidized telecom program be exempted from the monthly fee.

In 2020, Congress designated 9-8-8 as the new three-digit crisis line for nationwide use, replacing the 10-digit toll-free number that connected callers to the National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline Network.

In 2021, the Oregon Legislature partially enacted 9-8-8 legislation, creating two 9-8-8 call centers based in Oregon and with partially expanding mobile crisis response teams across the state. Today’s bill moves Oregon forward, completing the line’s implementation.

The bill passed 36-17 and now heads to the Senate for consideration.