[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8620 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8620

 To amend the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights 
 Act of 2000 to establish a hotline for caregivers of individuals with 
          developmental disabilities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2026

   Mr. Menendez (for himself, Ms. Norton, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. 
 Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Correa, and Ms. Lofgren) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights 
 Act of 2000 to establish a hotline for caregivers of individuals with 
          developmental disabilities, 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 ``Caregiver Access to Resources and 
Emotional Support Hotline Act'' or the ``CARES Hotline Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL HOTLINE FOR CAREGIVERS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH 
              DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill 
of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15001 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:

                      ``TITLE V--CAREGIVER SUPPORT

``SEC. 501. NATIONAL HOTLINE FOR CAREGIVERS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH 
              DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall maintain, directly or by 
awarding a grant or entering into a contract with an eligible entity, a 
national hotline to provide emotional support, information, brief 
intervention, and mental health and resources to caregivers of 
individuals with developmental disabilities.
    ``(b) Requirements for Hotline.--The hotline under subsection (a) 
shall--
            ``(1) be toll-free;
            ``(2) be a 24/7 real-time hotline;
            ``(3) provide voice and text support;
            ``(4) be staffed by trained personnel who receive 
        standardized training in caregiver support, crisis response, 
        and culturally and linguistically appropriate services;
            ``(5) include peer-to-peer staff who will work alongside 
        the professionals specified in paragraph (4);
            ``(6) provide referral services to local, State, and 
        Federal resources, including crisis support, adult services, 
        transition programs, and in-home supports to meet the needs of 
        caregivers, including family and household members, of 
        individuals with developmental disabilities.
    ``(c) Additional Requirements.--In maintaining the hotline under 
subsection (a), the Secretary (or eligible entity) shall--
            ``(1) consult with the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, 
        & Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act Advisory Council to 
        ensure that caregivers of individuals with developmental 
        disabilities are connected in real-time to the appropriate 
        specialized hotline service;
            ``(2) develop, maintain, and regularly update a national 
        database of services, supports, and resources for caregivers of 
        individuals with developmental disabilities.
    ``(d) Training Program.--An eligible entity that receives a grant 
or enters into a contract to maintain the hotline under this section 
shall design, implement, and maintain training programs for the 
personnel described in subsection (b)(4).
    ``(e) Priority.--In making a grant or entering into a contract 
under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to entities that 
have in effect a partnership with a community-based organization.
    ``(f) Public Awareness Campaign.--The Secretary (or eligible 
entity) shall conduct national outreach and public awareness activities 
to raise awareness of the hotline through--
            ``(1) maintaining a public-facing website; and
            ``(2) developing and distributing educational and 
        promotional materials.
    ``(g) Report.--Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary 
shall submit a report to Congress on the hotline under subsection (a) 
and implementation of this section, including--
            ``(1) an evaluation of the effectiveness of activities 
        conducted or supported under subsection (a); and
            ``(2) a directory of entities or organizations to which 
        staff maintaining the hotline funded under this section may 
        make referrals.
    ``(h) Eligible Entity Defined.--In this section, the term `eligible 
entity' means a nonprofit organization that has--
            ``(1) demonstrated national reach or capacity to serve all 
        States and territories; and
            ``(2) experience navigating State-by-State service systems.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2027 through 2032.''.
    (b) Table of Contents Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents 
for such Act is amended by adding at the end the following:

                      ``TITLE V--CAREGIVER SUPPORT

``Sec. 501. National Hotline for Caregivers of Individuals with 
                            Developmental Disabilities.''.
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