[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10245 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10245
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a panel
to issue recommendations relating to the training requirements and
protocols for 9-1-1 dispatchers, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 3, 2026
Ms. Balint (for herself, Ms. Matsui, Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Smith of
Washington, Ms. McClellan, Ms. Barragan, and Ms. Norton) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a panel
to issue recommendations relating to the training requirements and
protocols for 9-1-1 dispatchers, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``9-8-8 and 9-1-1 Integration Act''.
SEC. 2. INCIDENT REPORTING.
(a) Establishment of Panel.--The Secretary of Health and Human
Services (referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), in
consultation with the Attorney General, shall convene a panel (referred
to in this section as the ``panel'') to issue recommendations relating
to the training requirements and protocols for 9-1-1 dispatchers.
(b) Purpose of Recommendations.--The purpose of the recommendations
to be issued under subsection (a) shall be to ensure that 9-1-1
dispatchers respond appropriately to individuals experiencing a
behavioral health crisis based on the characteristics of the incident
and the needs of the caller.
(c) Membership.--
(1) Appointment.--The panel shall be composed of members to
be appointed by the Secretary and shall include--
(A) psychiatrists;
(B) paramedics and other emergency medical services
personnel;
(C) law enforcement officers and 9-1-1 dispatchers;
(D) representatives from each segment of the crisis
response continuum, including 9-8-8 dispatchers;
(E) members of underserved communities;
(F) representatives of Tribes or Tribal
organizations;
(G) individuals with experience treating
individuals with serious mental illness or post-
traumatic stress disorder, including veterans and
servicemembers; and
(H) such other individuals as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(2) Terms.--The Secretary shall appoint the members of the
panel to serve staggered 5-year terms.
(d) Recommendations.--
(1) Considerations.--In making recommendations under
subsection (a), the panel shall consider--
(A) connecting 9-1-1 callers to crisis care
services instead of responding with law enforcement
officers;
(B) integrating the 9-8-8 system into the 9-1-1
system, or transferring calls from the 9-1-1 system to
the 9-8-8 system as appropriate;
(C) a process for--
(i) identifying 9-1-1 callers who may be
experiencing psychiatric symptoms or a mental
health crisis, substance use crisis, or co-
occurring crisis; and
(ii) evaluating the level of need of such
callers, as defined by relevant, standardized
assessment tools such as the Level of Care
Utilization System (LOCUS), the Child and
Adolescent Level of Care Utilization System
(CALOCUS), and the American Society of
Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Criteria; and
(D) establishing training, staffing, and protocol
requirements, including the measures described in
paragraph (2), to ensure that 9-1-1 and 9-8-8 dispatch
personnel are equipped to respond appropriately to the
individuals referred to in subparagraphs (E) through
(H) of subsection (c)(1).
(2) Measures to meet the needs of certain 9-1-1 callers.--
The measures referred to in paragraph (1)(D) include--
(A) training of dispatch personnel on cultural
competency, implicit bias, and evidence-based best
practices for individuals experiencing a behavioral or
mental health crisis; and
(B) procedures designed to recruit, retain, or
designate as dispatch personnel those individuals that
have specialized training or demonstrated experience
in--
(i) serving rural or medically underserved
communities; or
(ii) serving individuals with serious
mental illness or post-traumatic stress
disorder.
(3) Coordination with samhsa.--In developing
recommendations under paragraph (1), the panel shall coordinate
with the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance
Use for the purpose of ensuring consistency across Federal
behavioral health crisis response systems, including alignment
of--
(A) the training and protocol requirements for 9-1-
1 dispatchers; and
(B) the development of guidance, training
standards, and best practices issued by the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for the
9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
(4) Updates.--The panel shall update recommendations issued
under subsection (a) not less frequently than once every 5
years.
(e) Data Collection and Reporting Standards.--
(1) In general.--The panel shall develop data collection
and reporting standards for use by the Secretary in collecting
and assessing outcomes for individuals who contact 9-1-1 or 9-
8-8 systems, including--
(A) the extent to which callers are successfully
connected to crisis care services;
(B) the frequency of law enforcement involvement in
such responses; and
(C) any disparities in response times, referrals,
or outcomes compared to the general population or
between different types of populations.
(2) Privacy.--In developing the standards under paragraph
(1), the panel shall ensure that data is collected in a manner
that protects caller privacy and confidentiality.
(3) Coordination.--In developing the standards under
paragraph (1), the panel shall coordinate with entities
participating in the National 911 Program, including--
(A) the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration;
(B) the Federal Communications Commission;
(C) the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security
Agency;
(D) the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration; and
(E) State and local agencies operating 9-1-1 call
centers.
(f) Reports to Congress.--On the date of issuance of
recommendations under subsection (a), and on the date of issuance of
each update of such recommendations, the panel shall submit to Congress
a report containing the finding and recommendations of the panel.
(g) Nonapplicability of Termination Provision.--Section 1013(a)(2)
of title 5, United States Code (relating to the termination of advisory
committees), shall not apply to the Commission.
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