The proposed bill establishes a behavioral health crisis services surcharge of $0.98 per month for each wireless telephone number and local exchange access line for wireline telephones in Alaska. Local exchange and wireless telephone companies are required to bill and collect this surcharge from their customers, ensuring that no customer is charged more than once for the same line or number. The bill outlines the responsibilities of these companies regarding the collection and remittance of the surcharge to the Department of Administration, which will deposit the funds into a newly created behavioral health crisis services fund. This fund will be used to support various initiatives related to behavioral health crisis services, including the operation of a three-digit number for reporting crises, recruitment and training of personnel, and public awareness campaigns.

Additionally, the bill specifies that the Regulatory Commission of Alaska will not consider the surcharge as revenue for the telephone companies, and it does not obligate these companies to take legal action for collection. The Department of Administration is tasked with maintaining separate accounts for the surcharge and may conduct audits of the companies' records. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
SB0196A, AM SB 196, introduced 05/19/2025: