New York Assembly Bill A05583

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/18/25
• Refer: 2/18/25
• Refer: 1/7/26

Caption

Develops protocols that designated hotline centers play calming music while callers are on hold, regular "comfort" messages, and if necessary, the hotline center shall provide additional messaging to encourage the caller to stay on the line.

Summary

A05583 would amend the Mental Hygiene Law to create the “Mariah N. Lacey-Reid Law” and direct designated hotline centers serving New York’s suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline system to follow 988 best practices and national standards. The bill focuses on call-handling procedures, requiring centers to develop protocols for ending calls and, when callers are placed on hold, to provide calming music, regular “comfort” messages, and additional messaging when needed to encourage callers to remain on the line. The measure is aimed at improving the caller experience and reducing the chance that people in crisis disconnect before receiving help. It does not create a new hotline, but instead sets operational expectations for existing designated hotline centers that answer crisis calls and connect people to behavioral health support.

Impact

If enacted, the bill would amend section 36.03 of the Mental Hygiene Law by adding a new subdivision governing designated hotline centers. It would impose a statewide operational standard for crisis hotline call management, particularly for 988-related services, and would affect the agencies, contractors, and nonprofit centers designated to answer suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis calls. The bill takes effect immediately and would require those centers to adopt or update internal protocols for hold procedures and caller retention.

Sentiment

The available materials suggest a generally supportive and noncontroversial policy goal: improving crisis hotline responsiveness and keeping callers engaged until help is available. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no direct evidence of opposition or debate in the record supplied. The bill’s framing around 988 best practices and caller comfort indicates an emphasis on service quality and suicide prevention.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of debate, if raised in future discussion, could include the operational burden on hotline centers, implementation costs, staffing and training requirements, and whether the bill’s prescribed hold-message practices are sufficiently flexible for different call-center settings. However, none of these concerns are reflected in the text, votes, or transcripts provided here.