On August 16th, Delaware Governor John Carney signed House Substitute 2 HB 160, enacting a $0.60 surcharge mirroring the state’s current 911 fee. Passing this bill makes Delaware the 8th state to enact legislation with a 988 fee, with Delaware having the highest fee in the country. The money will go into a Behavioral Health Crisis Intervention Service Fund to support the Lifeline and the crisis continuum.  

The bill also creates a Behavioral Health Crisis Service Board to provide oversight and input on developing an integrated behavioral health crisis care system tasked with creating a comprehensive statewide crisis intervention service plan every three years. This Board would provide recommendations to the Governor and the general assembly.

Find the entire bill here.