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# Washington to invest more in 988 mental health crisis line
- URL: https://www.cascadepbs.org/politics/2023/04/washington-invest-more-988-mental-health-crisis-line/
- Published: 2023-04-21T17:14:21.000Z
- Updated: 2025-06-19T10:27:11.000Z
- Description: HB 1134 will fund mobile units and increased training for the hotline and response service that launched last summer.
- Author: Cascade PBS Newsroom Staff
- Tags: Politics, Healthcare, Washington Legislature, News, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-04-14 08:10, #Import 2025-05-09 14:33, #article

Washington lawmakers have decided to invest more money in the state’s crisis-response system to meet a growing need fueled in part by the easier-to-remember 988 national crisis hotline number.

[HB 1134](https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=1134&Initiative=false&Year=2023&ref=cascadepbs.org) will fund mobile units and training for crisis teams as well as help increase exposure for the crisis line, which was launched in addition to the still-functional 10-digit suicide prevention hotline. [The proposal also created](https://crosscut.com/politics/2023/03/washington-state-may-boost-988-hotline-funding-demand-grows?ref=cascadepbs.org) a pathway toward better coordination between the 988 and 911 systems.

The measure is awaiting the governor’s signature, as well as a final vote on the state budget, but gained unanimous approval in both houses. A concurrence vote in the House on Senate changes was not unanimous, however. The Senate delayed implementation of some aspects of the proposal as well as a series of other changes [outlined in this legislative document](https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2023-24/Pdf/Bill%20Reports/Senate/1134-S2.E%20SBR%20APS%2023.pdf?q=20230421095600&ref=cascadepbs.org).

Calls to 988 within King County are routed to [Crisis Connections](https://www.crisisconnections.org/?ref=cascadepbs.org), a nonprofit call center based in Seattle that is one of three centers – alongside[ Volunteers of America](https://www.voaww.org/behavioralhealth?ref=cascadepbs.org) and[ Frontier Behavioral Health](https://fbhwa.org/?ref=cascadepbs.org) – that provide mobile behavioral crisis services for people across the state. Crisis Connections reported a 25%-30% increase in calls since the 988 hotline was implemented last July.