Answering the Call Act of 2026
First Responder Mental Health: 9-8-8 Hotline Outreach
This bill was recently introduced and is currently being reviewed by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. It is in the early stages of the legislative process and is considered active. There are no upcoming votes or hearings scheduled at this time.
Legislative Progress
Mental health support for emergency workers often gets support from both parties, but many bills like this never make it to a final vote.
Key Points
- This bill aims to make the 9-8-8 suicide hotline a better resource for first responders like police, firefighters, and EMTs. It focuses on reducing the fear of asking for help and making sure these workers feel their privacy is protected when they call.
- The government would create special training for hotline counselors so they better understand the unique stress and trauma that emergency workers experience. This helps ensure that when a first responder calls, the person on the other end knows how to help them specifically.
- The plan sets up a pilot program to work with fire and police organizations to spread the word. They will put information about the hotline into training programs and workplace wellness policies so workers know it is available.
- Health officials will track how many first responders use the hotline to see if the program is working. The bill requires that all data be kept private and anonymous so that no one's personal identity is shared.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Answering the Call Act of 2026
Data Sources
Sponsor
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.