SB328 Alabama 2023 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Garlan GudgerSenator

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2023

Title

Relating to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; to require the Department of Mental Health to develop, administer, and adopt rules relating to Alabama's Crisis System of Care; to create the Alabama 988 Crisis Care Fund; to provide for the collection and use of a statewide surcharge on certain communication service connections; to create the 988 Commission to provide oversight to the fund; and to protect certain communication service providers from certain liability.

Summary

SB328 would create Alabama's 988 Crisis System of Care, fund it with a statewide surcharge on certain phone services, and establish a governing commission and fund to oversee crisis services and the 988 Lifeline.

What This Bill Does

It requires the Department of Mental Health to develop, coordinate, certify, and administer Alabama's Crisis System of Care, including 988 crisis call centers and the 988 Lifeline, and to adopt rules and provide annual reports. It creates the Alabama 988 Crisis Care Fund to finance 988 services and establishes the 988 Commission to oversee the fund and the Crisis System of Care. It imposes a statewide 988 surcharge on active voice and CMRS connections (similar to the 911 charge) with rules for collection, separate billing, and transfer to the fund, allows a 1% administrative allowance for providers, and includes prepaid wireless surcharge provisions, liability protections for providers, and annual/quarterly reporting requirements. It sets implementation dates, including portions of the act taking effect immediately and others on October 1, 2024.

Who It Affects

• The Department of Mental Health and certified crisis service providers (including 988 crisis call centers, mobile crisis teams, and crisis centers) who will develop, certify, and operate the Crisis System of Care and 988 Lifeline, and report on activity and fund use.
• Voice and CMRS service providers and Alabama subscribers who will pay the 988 surcharge, have the charge itemized on bills, remit collected funds to the 911 Board or Revenue, may deduct up to 1% for administrative costs, and benefit from liability protections for providing 988 services.

Key Provisions

• Creates the 988 Crisis System of Care Act, requiring the Department of Mental Health to develop, coordinate, certify, and administer Alabama's Crisis System of Care, including 988 crisis call centers, mobile crisis services, crisis centers, and the operation of 988.
• Establishes the Alabama 988 Crisis Care Fund in the State Treasury to fund 988 services and related enhancements; funds are non-reverting and managed by the department with annual reporting on revenues and expenditures.
• Creates the 988 Commission to oversee the fund and provide advisory rules, including a hardship exemption for the 988 surcharge; specifies composition, meeting cadence (quarterly), and dissolution date (October 1, 2027 unless extended by law).
• Imposes a statewide 988 surcharge on active voice and CMRS connections, set at $0.98 per month starting October 1, 2024; collected by the Alabama 911 Board and transferred to the 988 Crisis Care Fund within 60 days; providers may deduct up to 1% for administrative costs and must keep records.
• Prepaid wireless surcharge provisions apply, with separate handling by sellers and the Department of Revenue; prepaid charges remain the consumer's liability but must be remitted to the fund, and entries must be itemized when charged.
• Surcharges are not taxed as provider revenue; funds are dedicated to crisis services and cannot revert to the General Fund; annual and quarterly reporting to state officials is required.
• Provides immunity for certified crisis providers and their employees/agents to the same extent as state employees.
• Immediate effective date for certain sections (Section 4) with Sections 6 and 7 taking effect on October 1, 2024, and other provisions governed by the act.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.