Johnny Nicholai speaks at rally Thursday, March 19, 2026, on the state Capitol steps in Juneau, alongside other members of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and state lawmakers. (Mari Kanagy / ADN)
JUNEAU — Advocates are pushing for Alaska lawmakers to support a bill that would increase funding for suicide prevention services, including the national 988 suicide and crisis hotline.
The legislation would establish a $0.98 monthly surcharge on all Alaska telephone numbers that would go toward a dedicated Behavioral Health Crisis Services Fund, generating an estimated $6 million to $8 million annually. That money would go toward funding the 988 hotline, as well as state services and programs including crisis response and outreach teams.
A group of lawmakers, students and members of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention gathered on the Capitol steps Thursday to share stories and speak in support of the legislation.
The legislation was introduced last session by Rep. Genevieve Mina, an Anchorage Democrat, followed by Fairbanks Democratic Sen. Scott Kawasaki’s companion bill.
The 988 hotline rolled out in 2022 in response to a federal law that replaced the previous 10-digit line with the 988 number. It provides free and confidential support to people experiencing a mental health crisis.
Alaska has among the highest rates of suicide in the nation, including the highest rates among youths.
Funding the 988 line and other behavioral health crisis services, state legislators say, has become increasingly difficult due to unreliable grants, declines in Medicaid reimbursements and “dwindling general fund dollars,” said a sponsor statement for the bill from Mina’s office.
Telecom industry members have pushed back against the bill’s funding structure.
The Alaska Telecom Association wrote in a March 17 letter that among other concerns, a flat per-line fee is regressive, and “places the cost of behavioral health services on telecommunications subscribers regardless of income or ability to pay.”
The Alaska Telecom Association also said in its letter that although it believes access to mental health services is important, services outside of the narrow scope of crisis communications should not be paid for with surcharge revenues.
State law allows for municipalities to collect a surcharge to support 911 systems. Anchorage collects $2 per month per wireline and wireless phone number, while Fairbanks charges $1 per month.
Outside the Capitol building Thursday, students from rural Alaska, suicide prevention advocates and lawmakers shared stories of loss and the need for more services.
Bethel Democratic Rep. Nellie Jimmie said at the rally that access to mental health care is particularly difficult in rural Alaska.
Jacob Nicholai, a 20-year-old from Toksook Bay, said he has worked with his local chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention for the past several years. Nicholai said the 988 hotline is personally important to him.
“I’ve traveled hundreds of miles to be here today because I want to be a voice for those I have lost to suicide, to make sure their stories are heard and that they are remembered, that their lives mattered,” Nicholai said.
Mina spoke to the small crowd gathered before the Capitol building. Mina, who shared at the rally that her father died by suicide, said that learning to talk about the loss is important to processing grief.
“Talk saves lives. 988 saves lives, and supporting our crisis system saves lives,” Mina said. “The way that we are currently funding that crisis system has been a patchwork. It’s been unreliable.”
She said that “defending the status quo of funding” in each year’s budget process does not address the state’s rising need for services.
“We are not doing enough, and every single year we are not doing enough, sustainable funding is the smart thing to do,” Mina said.
Lobbyist Jim Lottsfeldt, working for mental health advocacy organization Inseparable, said after the rally that legislators see the need for more mental health services, but that the funding for services is a constant barrier. He said that legislators seem more amenable to passing revenue-raising legislation this year, compared to when he lobbied for the bill last year.
If you or someone you know are dealing with a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts, you can call or text 988 at any time, or text TALK to 741741.