20250AB__154096AMD INTRODUCED 2026-01-05 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-02-17 AMENDED_ASSEMBLY 2026-03-19 AMENDED_SENATE 2026-06-15 2025 AB AMD Introduced by Assembly Member Mark González (Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Lee and Ward) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Addis, Bonta, Elhawary, Haney, Harabedian, Jackson, Pellerin, Schiavo, Solache, Wallis, Zbur, Aguiar-Curry, Boerner, and Stefani) (Coauthors: Senators Gonzalez, Menjivar, Padilla, Pérez, Wiener, and Becker) LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Mark González PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Lee PRINCIPAL_COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Ward COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Addis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Bonta COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Elhawary COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Haney COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Harabedian COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Jackson COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Pellerin COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Schiavo COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Solache COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Wallis COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Zbur COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Aguiar-Curry COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Boerner COAUTHOR ASSEMBLY Stefani COAUTHOR SENATE Gonzalez COAUTHOR SENATE Menjivar COAUTHOR SENATE Padilla COAUTHOR SENATE Pérez COAUTHOR SENATE Wiener COAUTHOR SENATE Becker

An act to add

Section 53123.7 to the Government Code, relating to mental health, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately. mental health, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: LGBTQ+ youth. Existing federal law, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, designates the 3-digit telephone number “988” as the universal number within the United States for the purpose of the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system operating through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Existing law, the Miles Hall Lifeline and Suicide Prevention Act, requires, among other things, the Office of Emergency Services (OES) to verify that technology that allows for transfers between centers, as well as between centers and public safety answering points, is available to centers and public safety answering points throughout the state, to appoint a system director, and to verify interoperability between and across and 988.

Existing law establishes the State Suicide and Behavioral Health Crisis Services Fund and provides that surcharge revenue in the fund is available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of the act. This bill would require the California Health and Human Services Agency (agency) to annually determine whether an adequate specialized LGBTQ+ suicide prevention hotline is activated by the federal government under and would make implementation of this bill contingent on the agency’s determination, as specified.

The bill would require OES to, no later than months after the agency’s determination, request the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to enable a press function for calls originating in the State of California to allow callers to dial and press “3” to be automatically routed to a specialized call center. The bill would require OES to, no later than months following the approval by SAMHSA, ensure that the specified technologies are available.

This bill would require, no later than months following approval by SAMHSA, the agency to identify and contract with a qualified entity or entities that specialize in LGBTQ+ suicide prevention services. The bill would require the agency to determine the eligibility criteria, establish an application process, and administer funds to the qualified entity, as specified. The bill would require a qualified entity to comply with various requirements, including having a primary objective of reducing suicide rates or addressing mental health crises.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute. TWO_THIRDS NO YES NO YES YES NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (

a) All children, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, deserve to live a full and happy life without suffering from bullying and mental health crises. (

b) Attacks on the rights, safety, and dignity of LGBTQ+ youth continue to grow across the country, including in California. These efforts have a measurable impact on the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth and have led to a rise in bullying, harassment, and discrimination. (

c) LGBTQ+ youth have increased reported instances of bullying, hate crimes, and harassment than compared to their heterosexual or cisgender peers. (

d) The latest national survey on the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth in California found that percent of LGBTQ+ youth in California experienced discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past year. (e)

(1) A longitudinal study published in reported that mental health distress among LGBTQ+ youth has been increasing amid a surge of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, but strong support networks and access to health care were shown to ease symptoms for some.

(2) That study found mental health distress increased substantially throughout the study’s first year. LGBTQ+ youth reporting recent anxiety symptoms rose from percent to percent. Those reporting depressive symptoms climbed from percent to percent. Suicidal ideation among LGBTQ+ youth grew from percent to percent. (

f) Another study found that most LGBTQ+ people, and especially transgender and nonbinary respondents, reported anti-LGBTQ+ laws and rhetoric has negatively impacted their mental health and well-being. Additionally, a majority of LGBTQ+ people and more than in transgender and nonbinary individuals reported they or their families have faced harassment or discrimination since November 2024. (

g) A study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual students were more than three times more likely to have attempted suicide than their heterosexual peers: that number jumps to almost four times as likely for transgender high school students. In other words, 20 percent of surveyed students who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual reported having attempted suicide compared to percent of their heterosexual peers. This figure jumps to nearly percent for transgender high school students. (

h) Research by The Trevor Project also indicates that LGBTQ+ students often struggle to access competent mental health services tailored to their unique experiences. (

i) The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported that schools were the third most commonly known location for hate crimes against LGBTQ+ youth and community members, and that hate crimes more than doubled at elementary and secondary schools and universities from to 2022, inclusive. The FBI also noted that participation in the collection of the aforementioned data regarding hate crime reports in schools is voluntary for most agencies and is only mandatory for federal agencies; therefore, the figures provided in the FBI’s report are likely incomplete and underreported. (

j) Since 2022, 988, the nation’s official hotline for suicide prevention and crisis counseling, has collaborated with several nonprofit organizations that offer specialized services designed to prevent LGBTQ+ youth suicide. The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program allowed youth who called “988” to press “3” and automatically be routed to a subnetwork of providers. (

k) Since 2022, 1,500,000 contacts were routed to the LGBTQ+ service provider subnetwork. (

l) By order of President Donald Trump on June 17, 2025, all funding for LGBTQ+ youth services Press option was halted. This service officially ended on July 17, 2025.

SEC.

Section 53123.7 is added to the Government Code , to read: 53123.7. (

a) It is the intent of the State of California to continue its long history of advancing policies that support suicide prevention efforts and further the initiative to address our youth mental health crisis. Young LGBTQ+ Californians have benefited from the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program since 2022. It is the intent of the Legislature to reinstate this program in California. (

b) The California Health and Human Services Agency shall annually determine whether an adequate specialized LGBTQ+ suicide prevention hotline is activated by the federal government under 988. The Office of Emergency Services and the California Health and Human Services Agency shall implement the requirements of this

section only after the agency has made a determination that an adequate specialized LGBTQ+ suicide prevention hotline has not been activated by the federal government under 988. (b)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>The</xhtml:p>"?> (

c) Subject to subdivision (b), the Office of Emergency Services shall do both of the following:

(1) No later than months after the California Health and Human Services Agency determines that an adequate specialized LGBTQ+ suicide prevention hotline has not been activated by the federal government under 988, request the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to enable a press function for calls originating in the State of California. A press function shall allow callers to dial and press “3” to be automatically routed to a specialized call center, as set forth in subdivision (e).

The office shall also request authorization to enable text or chat features between a caller and a specialized call center by texting “PRIDE” to 988. The specialized call center shall be a qualified entity that meets the requirements described in subdivision (e).

(2) No later than months following the approval by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or its contracted Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Administrator, ensure that technologies described in paragraph (1) are available. (c)</xhtml:p>"?> (

d) No later than months following approval of the request submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), the California Health and Human Services Agency shall identify and contract with a qualified entity or entities, as set forth in subdivision (e), that specialize in LGBTQ+ suicide prevention services. The agency shall determine the eligibility criteria, establish an application process, and administer funds to the qualified entity pursuant to this article. The agency shall also take into consideration whether the applicant is or was previously a part of the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline network.

The agency shall prioritize applicants that primarily service LGBTQ+ populations. (d)</xhtml:p>"?> (

e) A qualified entity shall comply with all of the following:

(1) Become a “988 center” as defined in

Section 53123.1.5. As a center, the qualified entity shall be eligible for funding and subject to the requirements under this article.

(2) Maintain policies that comply with the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) (Part 2.6 (commencing with

Section 56) of Division of the Civil Code), the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) (Public Law 104-191), and all other applicable state laws governing the protection of sensitive personal and medical information. (A)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>No requirement for a caller to provide name, age or date of birth, gender, race or ethnicity, citizenship status, or any other identifying information to receive crisis intervention services.</xhtml:p><xhtml:p>(B)<xhtml:span class="EnSpace"/>A prohibition against sharing identifying information outside of the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, including with private donors and the federal government, except as required by law.</xhtml:p>"?>

(3) Have a primary objective of reducing suicide rates or addressing mental health crises.

(4) Demonstrate that its mission includes serving the LGBTQ+ population or that it employs staff or volunteers who have completed extensive training in responding to LGBTQ+ crisis contacts in a culturally competent manner. The qualified entity shall ensure that trained staff or volunteers are available to respond to those contacts through an established routing system.

SEC. 3. This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of

Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are: In order to address the urgent LGBTQ+ youth suicide crisis we face in California, it is necessary for this act to take effect immediately.