Lawmakers unsure how to fund Oklahoma’s 988 mental health lines as federal funding expected to end

OKLAHOMA CITY — With federal funding that covers the cost of a critical mental health crisis line set to expire next year, Oklahoma lawmakers are divided on how to generate the millions of dollars needed to keep the program operational.

Despite pressure from mental health advocates to find a replacement for federal dollars to fund Oklahoma’s 988 emergency line, Republicans earlier this week rebuffed an effort to pay for it by creating a new monthly surcharge of less than $1 on Oklahomans’ phone lines.

Launched in July 2022, the 988 hotline connects callers with mental health resources, and enables dispatchers to send mobile crisis teams to callers. In 2024, Oklahomans utilized the hotline more than 39,500 times, said Kelsey Davis, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has invested nearly $1.5 billion into 988 services with funding from Congress through the American Rescue Plan Act, but state leaders are expecting federal assistance to end in 2026.

Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City, said House Bill 1911, which proposed adding a monthly 5 cent fee onto Oklahomans’ phone lines, was designed to be proactive in addressing the pending funding crisis. He said creating the new surcharge this session would allow revenue to build up so services are not interrupted.

Alonso-Sandoval said incorporating the fee totaling 60 cents per year on each phone line would generate about $2.8 million annually. He said this covers the cost to operate the call center. The program’s total operating cost, including the mobile crisis units, was unclear Wednesday.

“We have to find the funds somewhere given that we want flat budgets, and we’re not wanting to appropriate more from the Department of Mental Health,” Alonso-Sandoval said. “I think, at least for me, making sure that I’m putting in a nickel a month to make sure that someone can call 988 and receive the mental health services that they deserve and that they need, that’s something worth investing in.”

The bill failed to advance out of the House Public Health Committee with a 3-5 vote as some Republican lawmakers voiced concerns about adding another fee to their constituents’ phone bills and said that it is premature to consider the issue.

House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, voted against the legislation and suggested that since federal funds for 988 haven’t run out yet, this could be an issue to discuss next year as it “sounds like we have funding to get us through the next fiscal year.”

“I think you see from the questions, (lawmakers) support 988, specifically,” he said. “Most of the questions just circle around the funding mechanism. So I just think that’s room for further conversation beyond this committee.”

Other lawmakers said their constituents don’t want additional phone fees.

“I mean our phone bills are taxed to death right now,” said Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, who voted against the bill. “And I’ve had people reach out to me not wanting any additional taxes period, but on their phone bill that they’re already griping about. So I guess that’s where my heart burns.”

‘Critical program’

The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 allows states to enact new telecommunication fees to help support 988 operations, similarly to how 911 is funded.

Ahead of the expected loss in federal funding, 10 states have already incorporated new fees to pay for 988 services, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. While implementation varies, states like Colorado, Delaware, Nevada and Virginia have created fees ranging from 12 cents to 60 cents per month as an extra cost on a monthly phone bill.

Allie Friesen, commissioner of Oklahoma’s mental health department, said in a statement Tuesday that she appreciates Alonso-Sandoval for “highlighting the ongoing need for future funding to support 988,” but added that funding for the program remains in place through the end of budget year 2026, giving her agency another year to secure the necessary resources to “sustain this critical program.”

Oklahoma was a pilot state that received some of the first funding to launch 988, but it needs a new revenue stream soon, said Carrie Blumert, chief executive of Mental Health Association Oklahoma.

“Having 988 has not only given Oklahomans a place to turn when they’re in crisis, it also sets the precedent that mental health issues are equivalent to physical health issues, the way folks call 911 if they’re in a physical health crisis,” she said. “… We’ve never had a universal number like this. We’ve never had a resource where we can point everyone to the same resource to get help when they need it.”

Her organization promotes mental health through advocacy, education, services and housing.

In 2022, Oklahoma was in the Top 10 states for rate of death by suicide, at more than 21 deaths per 100,00 people, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That year, more than 850 Oklahomans died by suicide.

Following the implementation of the 988 call line, Oklahoma City saw a 57% drop in mental health-related 911 calls dispatched to the city’s police officers, according to a December news release from the mental health department.

Blumert said the decrease is a result of the increased use of 988, which has allowed trained mental health professionals to respond while freeing up police to respond to calls they are more equipped to handle.

Blumert said she was proud that Alonso-Sandoval started this conversation, but is disappointed that lawmakers rejected a plan to create a new funding mechanism. She said this comes as federal funding is “shaky” following the Trump administration’s “upheaval” of the federal workforce and funds.

“I’m disappointed that the bill failed in committee, but I’m hopeful that Rep. Alonso-Sandoval will run it next year or find a different way to get funding passed. Because … the federal money does have a timeline.”

Rep. Marilyn Stark, R-Bethany, who voted against Alonso-Sandoval’s measure, said while she’s concerned about adding another surcharge to every phone line, the 988 program has been very beneficial for Oklahomans.

“I agree, 988 is very good, and it’s been transformational. There’s no debate on that,” she said. “My question is the funding mechanism for it.”

Other resources for Oklahomans dealing with mental health crises include the Mental Health Assistance Center, run by Mental Health Association Oklahoma, which is another assistance line to help connect Oklahomans to mental health resources.

Oklahoma Voice (oklahomavoice.com) is an affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations. Oklahoma Voice provides nonpartisan reporting, and retains full editorial independence.