An Act to create 46.533 of the statutes; Relating to: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline grants. (FE)
Summary
SB307 would create a new statutory section requiring the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to award grants to organizations that provide crisis intervention services and crisis care coordination for people who contact the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline from anywhere in the state. The bill defines the “national crisis hotline” as the 988 telephone or text access number, or its successor, operating under the federally administered program.
The measure is aimed at strengthening the state’s 988 response system by directing state grant funding to organizations that can help callers in crisis and coordinate follow-up care. The bill notes that DHS already partners with Wisconsin Lifeline to provide statewide 988 crisis hotline services, but SB307 would add a grant program to support additional or expanded services.
Impact
If enacted, SB307 would add s. 46.533 to the Wisconsin statutes and require DHS to administer a grant program for crisis intervention and crisis care coordination related to 988 contacts. The bill would affect DHS, crisis service providers, and organizations serving people experiencing mental health or suicide-related crises, while potentially expanding the network of entities involved in the state’s 988 system. It would not change the 988 number itself, but it would create a new state funding mechanism tied to the federally established lifeline.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill was generally supportive of crisis response and mental health services, with no recorded committee transcript debate or roll-call votes in the provided materials. Its introduction by bipartisan cosponsors indicates some cross-party interest in supporting 988-related services. However, the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, so it did not advance into law.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote history. Based on the bill’s structure, likely areas of discussion would have included the scope of DHS grant authority, which organizations would qualify for funding, and whether the state should expand support beyond the existing Wisconsin Lifeline partnership. The absence of recorded debate makes it unclear whether objections centered on cost, program design, or duplication of existing services.