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HB 5520

FINANCE-988 TRUST FUND

104th Regular Session Introduced by Kelly Cassidy and 1 co-sponsor

Creates a Statewide 9-8-8 Trust Fund to fund Illinois crisis services and, if federal changes disrupt LGBTQ+ youth crisis care, allows use of funds to sustain those services.

Added Co-Sponsor Rep. Kevin John Olickal
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 5520

Overview

HB5520, introduced in the 104th Illinois General Assembly by Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy (with co-sponsor Rep. Kevin Olickal), would amend the State Finance Act to address continuity of specialized crisis services for LGBTQ+ youth and other sexual and gender minority individuals in the event of federal changes to the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Main purpose and intent

  • Ensure ongoing funding and flexibility to restore or sustain specialized crisis services for sexual and gender minority youth and young adults if the federal government discontinues, suspends, or limits these services through the 9-8-8 Lifeline.
  • Specifically, allow the Statewide 9-8-8 Trust Fund to be used to provide for those discontinued or limited services for the duration of the disruption.

Key provisions and changes

  • Establishes and defines the Statewide 9-8-8 Trust Fund as a separate special fund within the Illinois State treasury, administered by the Department of Human Services (DHS).
  • Authorized uses of the Fund:
    • To establish and maintain Illinois’ statewide 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis system (per federal and national guidelines, including the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 and related FCC rules).
  • Fund sources and structure:
    • Fund receives:
    • General Assembly appropriations
    • Grants and gifts
    • Interest, premiums, gains, or other earnings
    • Proceeds from the statewide 9-8-8 surcharge under the Telecommunication Excise Tax Act (Sections 3 and 4)
    • Moneys from other sources deposited or transferred into the Fund
  • Financial and governance rules:
    • Funds do not revert at the end of the fiscal year and remain available for future use.
    • Funds are not transferable to other funds or for uses outside of the specified 9-8-8 crisis system purposes.
    • DHS must use Fund moneys to pay expenses in line with 47 U.S.C. 251a (federal designations and rules).
    • An annual report on Fund deposits and expenditures must be submitted to the General Assembly and the FCC.
  • Contingent provision (new § d-5):
    • If federal government discontinues, suspends, or limits specialized crisis services for LGBTQ+ and other sexual/gender minority youth and young adults via the 9-8-8 Lifeline (including call-routing or specialized-line options), DHS may use Fund moneys to provide those discontinued/limited services for the duration of the disruption.
  • Scope of “statewide 9-8-8 crisis system”:
    • Includes Lifeline contact centers, community crisis response services (e.g., mobile crisis teams), crisis receiving and stabilization facilities, and Living Room programs, aligned with SAMHSA’s core elements and national guidelines.

Who would be affected

  • Department of Human Services (DHS): Responsible for administering the Fund, implementing crisis services, and reporting.
  • Illinois residents, particularly:
    • Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority youth and young adults who rely on 9-8-8 crisis services.
    • States’ 9-8-8 Lifeline infrastructure and associated crisis care providers (e.g., Lifeline centers, mobile crisis teams, stabilization facilities).
  • General Assembly and FCC: Entities to receive annual reporting on Fund activity; alignment with federal guidelines.

Procedural and timeline considerations

  • Effective date: Immediate upon enactment.
  • Annual reporting: DHS must provide reports to the General Assembly and the FCC detailing deposits and expenditures.
  • Funding stream: The Fund is supported by multiple sources, including an existing 9-8-8 surcharge, making the availability of funds contingent on ongoing appropriations and revenues as defined in the act.
  • Contingency trigger: The new d-5 provision activates only if the federal government discontinues, suspends, or limits the specified crisis services; it authorizes interim state-funded continuation of those services.

Summary

HB5520 creates and funds a dedicated Statewide 9-8-8 Trust Fund to support Illinois’ crisis and suicide-prevention system, ensuring federal-aligned crisis infrastructure is sustained through state resources. Critically, it adds a targeted contingency to preserve specialized crisis services for LGBTQ+ and other gender/sexual minority youth and young adults if federal changes disrupt those services, using the Fund for the duration of the disruption. The measure emphasizes financial stability, federal compliance, and transparent reporting while integrating with existing 9-8-8 governance and crisis care components.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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