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A1007
ASSEMBLY, No. 1007
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblywoman� KATIE BRENNAN
District 32 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes telecommunication fee to support
Statewide behavioral health crisis system of care.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act
concerning the Statewide behavioral health crisis
system of care and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.� a. �Consistent with the
provisions of the �National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020,�
Pub.L.116-172, there shall be imposed on each resident of New Jersey who is a
subscriber of commercial mobile services or IP-enabled voice services, a
monthly Statewide 9-8-8 fee on any periodic bill received by the customer for
the commercial mobile service or IP-enabled voice service. The amount of
the fee shall be $0.40 per line per month. The fee established pursuant
to this subsection shall not be applied to mobile service users who receive
benefits under the federal Lifeline program as defined in 47 CFR 54.401.
���� b.� The fee imposed under
subsection a. of this section shall be collected by the mobile
telecommunications company or the telecommunications company providing the
applicable service to its customers upon payment of any periodic bill for such
service. This section shall not be deemed as extending to a mobile
telecommunications company or a telecommunications company that provides
IP-enabled services any obligation or authority otherwise not provided pursuant
to law, to take legal action to enforce the collection of the fee imposed upon
the customer. Any such action shall be brought by the State against the
customer with any cooperation requested by the State of the mobile
telecommunications company or the telecommunications company that provides
IP-enabled services as the State deems necessary.
���� c.� (1) The fees collected
pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall be collected monthly and
reported and paid to the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department
of the Treasury on a quarterly basis in a manner prescribed by the director,
which, notwithstanding the provisions of subsection b. of section 1 of
P.L.1992, c.140 (C.54:48-4.1) if any, to the contrary, shall be subject to the
provisions of section 1 of P.L.1992, c.140 (C.54:48-4.1) as the director shall
prescribe, and the State Treasurer shall credit the fee revenue to the
"9-8-8 Suicide Prevention and Behavioral Health Crisis Hotline Trust Fund
Account" established pursuant to section 2 of this act.
���� (2) Each mobile
telecommunications company and telecommunications company that provides
IP-enabled services shall be liable for the fee imposed, collected, or required
to be paid, collected, or remitted under the provisions of subsection a. of
this section.� Any such company shall have the same right in respect to
collecting the fee from that company's customer or in respect to non-payment of
the fee by the customer as if the fee were a part of the purchase price of the
applicable telecommunications service and payable at the same time; provided
however, that the director shall be joined as a party in any action or
proceeding brought to collect the fee.
����
���� 2.� a.� There is established
in the Department of the Treasury within the General Fund a special account to
be known as the"9-8-8 Suicide Prevention and Behavioral Health Crisis
Hotline Trust Fund Account."
���� b.� Funds credited to the
"9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Trust Fund Account" shall be
annually appropriated to pay expenses, including enhancements as needed based
upon increased demand that the State is expected to incur that are reasonably
attributed to:
���� (1)�� ensuring the efficient
and effective routing and responding to all calls, chats, and texts made to
9-8-8 Lifeline Contact Centers and personnel;
���� (2)�� the provision of acute
mental health, Mobile Crisis Outreach Response Teams and crisis stabilization
services, including those provided at Crisis Stabilization and Receiving
Centers, Crisis Diversion Homes, and Certified Community Behavioral Health
Clinics by directly responding to the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
contacts; and
���� (3)�� public awareness and
advertising campaigns to highlight the availability and accessibly of these
9-8-8 continuum services.�
���� Money in the fund shall be
obligated and expended in accordance with the requirements of section 4 of the
�National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020,� Pub.L.116-172 (47 U.S.C.
s.251a), and rules adopted pursuant thereto.
���� 3. This act shall take effect
immediately.
STATEMENT
���� The bill establishes a monthly
Statewide 9-8-8 fee in the amount of $0.40 per line per month for each resident
of New Jersey who is a subscriber of commercial mobile services or IP-enabled
voice services.� The fee will not be applied to mobile service users who
receive benefits under the federal Lifeline program.�
���� The fee will be collected by
the mobile telecommunications company or the telecommunications company
providing the applicable service to its customers upon payment of any periodic
bill for such service.
���� The fees collected pursuant to
this bill will be collected monthly and reported and paid to the Director of
the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury and the State
Treasurer will credit the fee revenue to the "9-8-8 Suicide Prevention and
Behavioral Health Crisis Hotline Trust Fund Account" established pursuant
to the bill.
���� This bill establishes in the
Department of the Treasury within the General Fund a special account to be
known as the"9-8-8 Suicide Prevention and Behavioral Health Crisis Hotline
Trust Fund Account."� Funds credited to the "9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis
Lifeline Trust Fund Account" will be annually appropriated to pay
expenses, including enhancements as needed based upon increased demand that the
State is expected to incur that are reasonably attributed to:
���� (1)�� ensuring the efficient
and effective routing and responding to all calls, chats, and texts made to
9-8-8 Lifeline Contact Centers and personnel;
���� (2)�� the provision of acute
mental health, Mobile Crisis Outreach Response Teams and crisis stabilization
services, including those provided at Crisis Stabilization and Receiving
Centers, Crisis Diversion Homes, and Certified Community Behavioral Health
Clinics by directly responding to the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
contacts; and
���� (3)�� public awareness and
advertising campaigns to highlight the availability and accessibly of these
9-8-8 continuum services.�
Money in the fund will be obligated
and expended in accordance with the requirements of the �National Suicide
Hotline Designation Act of 2020,� and rules adopted pursuant thereto.