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Alaska2026Passed Legislature

SB196

Alaska SB 196: Behavioral Health Crisis Surcharge and Fund

Last scannedSep 14, 2026, 12:32 AM

In one sentence

This bill adds a monthly fee to phone bills in Alaska to create a fund for behavioral health crisis services.

What it does

  • Imposes a $0.98 monthly surcharge on each wireless telephone number and local exchange access line for wireline telephones.
  • Requires local exchange and wireless companies to collect this fee from customers and list it separately on bills.
  • Creates the Behavioral Health Crisis Services Fund within the general fund to hold these collected fees, donations, interest, and appropriations.
  • Allows phone companies to keep up to 1% of collections or $150 per payment as an administrative cost for collecting the surcharge.
  • Directs money in the fund toward operating the 988 crisis number, providing services during crises, recruiting staff, training personnel, prevention services, public education, data collection, and administration.

Who it affects

  • Customers with wireless phone numbers who have a billing address in Alaska.
  • Customers with wireline telephone lines provided by local exchange companies in Alaska.
  • Local exchange and wireless telephone companies that must collect and send the fees to the state.

Limits and unknowns

  • Customers with more than 100 landlines only pay the surcharge on the first 100 lines.
  • Phone companies are not required to take legal action if customers do not pay this specific fee, though they must attempt collection if pursuing other unpaid debts.
  • The bill states that no dedicated fund is created, meaning money can be moved by future legislative decisions.

Plain language

Terms to know

Surcharge
A small extra fee added to a bill for a specific purpose, in this case $0.98 per month.
Wireline telephone
A traditional landline phone connected by physical wires rather than wireless signals.
Local exchange access line
The specific connection point for a wireline telephone service provided to a customer, as defined in state law.

Official record

Sources

Validated
Official bill pageIntroduced textCurrent bill text

Official summary

BEH. HEALTH CRISIS SURCHARGE & FUND An Act establishing a behavioral health crisis services surcharge; establishing the behavioral health crisis services fund; and providing for an effective date.

Official activity

Bill history

  1. (S) Heard & HeldText
  2. (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532Text
  3. (S) Heard & HeldText
  4. (S) FINANCE at 09:00 AM SENATE FINANCE 532Text
  5. (S) REFERRED TO FINANCE2026
  6. (S) FN3: (REV)2026
  7. (S) FN2: INDETERMINATE(DOH)2026
  8. (S) FN1: ZERO(ADM)2026
  9. (S) DP: DUNBAR, GRAY-JACKSON2026
  10. (S) AM: BJORKMAN, YUNDT2026
  11. (S) L&C RPT 2AM 2DP2026
  12. (S) Moved SB 196 Out of CommitteeText
  13. (S) LABOR & COMMERCE at 01:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  14. (S) Minutes (SL&C)Min
  15. (S) Heard & HeldText
  16. (S) LABOR & COMMERCE at 01:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)Text
  17. (S) L&C, FIN1344
  18. (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS1344