May 22, 2023 Group Watch: Alabama’s Suicide Hotline Bill Stalls
As suicide rates rise nationwide, a bill to fund the Alabama 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline hit a snag in a House committee. The hotline is not the topic of debate; the issue is the means by which the hotline would be funded. The House bill proposes a 98 cent tax on cellphone lines, and telecommunications companies balked, saying the amount was too high. A similar bill passed the Senate Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development Committee, and now that version of the legislation may be the one to move forward. Read more here.
