HR 10722: 9–8–8 Crisis Response Workforce Act

HR 10722 in plain English: This bill would fund efforts to grow the mental health crisis response workforce, particularly for the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It authorizes $25,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2023–2027 for general program activities, $10,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2027–2031 for fellowships, and $50,000,000 in grants for workforce development, training, and related purposes.

Stated purpose

This bill aims to expand training programs for behavioral health workers, specifically to grow the workforce that staffs and supports the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — including crisis call centers, mobile crisis teams, and crisis stabilization facilities.

Key points

• Authorizes $25,000,000 per year (FY2023–2027) to support 9-8-8 crisis response workforce programs
• Authorizes $10,000,000 per year (FY2027–2031) for behavioral health fellowships
• Allocates $50,000,000 in grants: $15M each for two grant categories, $10M each for two others
• Provides an additional $10,000,000 specifically for crisis workforce development

Arguments supporters make

• The 988 crisis line launched nationwide but many areas still lack enough trained workers to staff it properly — this bill directly addresses that gap.
• Expanding minority fellowships into crisis services helps build a workforce that reflects the communities it serves, which can improve trust and outcomes.
• Requiring the government to track and publish data on crisis service shortages creates accountability and helps direct future resources where they are most needed.

Arguments opponents make

• The bill authorizes funding but does not guarantee it will actually be appropriated, so the workforce shortage may not be meaningfully reduced in practice.
• Adding crisis management as a funded training track spreads existing behavioral health workforce program dollars across more priorities, potentially diluting support for traditional treatment training.
• Federal training grants take years to produce working professionals, meaning the bill may do little to address the current, immediate shortage of crisis responders.

Tradeoffs

The bill invests in building a long-term crisis response workforce, but that future benefit comes at the cost of near-term spending with no guarantee funds will be appropriated; broadening who qualifies for training grants may also spread limited dollars more thinly across competing mental health workforce needs.

Current status in Congress: In committee.

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