New Change to Life-Saving Hotline in New York

In December of 2023, U.S. Congressman Marc Molinaro announced the introduction of the 988 Lifeline Location Improvement Act of 2023, designed to get the Federal Communications Commission to implement technology that reroutes calls to the National 988 Crisis Lifeline to local call centers.

U.S. Congressman Molinaro introduced this bill along with U.S. Representative Paul Tonko from New York State. Molinaro's Office noted that a companion bill was introduced in the Senate by John Barrasso of Wyoming and Ben Ray Lujan from New Mexico.

According to Congressman Molinaro's Office, this Month (October 2024) the F.C.C. announced it will vote on the legislation. If passed. the F.C.C. would require all U.S. wireless carriers to implement georouting technology, so those who call the 988 Crisis Lifeline, are directed to local call centers.

Congressman Molinaro's Office notes that while 911 calls are routed to a local call center based on the caller’s current location, currently, anyone who makes a 988 Crisis Lifeline call, will find that it will be routed based on a person’s area code.

In other words, if someone moves or travels, a call to the 988 Crisis Lifeline could be sent to a call center that is nowhere near their location. If the 988 operator is hundreds of miles from the caller, they most likely would not be familiar with the caller’s location. They would not be able to provide accurate, local resources.

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People in crisis need local support from experts who know their communities. This change will make the 988 Crisis Lifeline more effective and accessible for everyone, and I’m proud to have led the effort to get it done. - U.S. Congressman Marc Molinaro

 

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