Assembly Bill 309 aims to provide legal immunity to 911 call centers and dispatchers who transfer callers to the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Specifically, the bill creates a new statute, 256.35 (7) (c), which states that these public safety answering points and dispatchers will generally not be held civilly liable for any outcomes that arise from such transfers. This immunity is intended to encourage the use of the national crisis hotline without the fear of legal repercussions.

However, the bill includes a provision that this immunity does not apply in cases where the injury resulting from the transfer is due to gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct by the dispatcher or the call center. This ensures that while the intent is to protect those facilitating access to mental health resources, there remains accountability for egregious actions.