John Barrasso

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Barrasso, Luján Bill Helps Improve Efficiency of 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) introduced bipartisan legislation to improve geolocation data and increase the efficiency of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took action to require service providers to route phone calls to 988 to the nearest call center based on geographic location. In July of this year, the FCC took steps to require geo-routing for texts. Previously, calls and texts were routed based on the phone’s area code, often resulting in a geographic mismatch.

The 988 Lifeline Location Improvement Act builds on these actions by creating amulti-stakeholder advisory committee tasked with studying policy, legal, technical, and financial challenges associated with expanding geolocation data. The advisory committee will help identify ways local call centers can more efficiently dispatch emergency services to a caller in need.

“The enactment of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has helped save lives in Wyoming and across the country. Our focus should always be on finding ways to provide timely and helpful resources for Americans when they need them the most,” said Senator Barrasso. “We need to build on the good work we’ve already done to modernize this vital lifeline. Our bipartisan bill will allow experts to study how we can expand geolocation data to help connect callers with local emergency services as quickly as possible.”  

“The 988 hotline is a vital resource for New Mexicans facing mental health crises and has saved lives across the country. That’s why I’m introducing bipartisan legislation to make 988 more reliable and responsive for those in need,” said Senator Luján. “This bill is an important step in understanding how to further improve location information for 988 calls, so we can ensure people are connected with local resources and emergency services when necessary.”

The 988 Lifeline Location Improvement Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), James Risch (R-Idaho), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).

This legislation is supported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International (APCO).

“Access to 988 has transformed the way our country supports people in a mental health crisis, but there’s still work to be done to meet everyone’s needs in an emergency. NAMI is grateful to Senators Barrasso and Lujan for their leadership and introduction of the 988 Lifeline Location Improvement Act of 2025. This legislation will start the crucial task of examining the unique privacy and legal challenges associated with transmitting geolocation information from 988 while balancing help seekers’ privacy and how to provide timely access to needed care,” said Hannah Wesolowski, Chief Advocacy Officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

“Accurate caller location continues to be one of the toughest challenges for public safety, and it directly affects how quickly we can help someone in crisis,” said Mel Maier, CEO and executive director of APCO International. “By working together to solve this, and with the leadership of Senators Lujan and Barrasso in introducing this bill, we strengthen every link in the public safety chain. Lives depend on getting it right.”

Background:

The 988 Lifeline Location Improvement Act would:

  • Establish a multi-stakeholder advisory committee tasked with studying policy, legal, technical, and financial challenges associated with transmitting location information of calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
  • Require the committee to submit a report to Congress within one year with a detailed summary of the findings and recommendations for legislation and administrative actions.
  • Direct the committee to examine the policy implications regarding the privacy of the caller with respect to including dispatchable location information with calls to 988.
  • Explore the unique geolocation issues for members of the deaf or hard-of-hearing communities who access the 988 American Sign Language (ASL) line through Direct Video Calling (DVC) and Video Relay Service (VRS).

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

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