119-S-3199 Journalist Public Summary

Public Summary — Document 119-S-3199

Headline Summary: A bipartisan bill creates an expert committee to figure out how to share a 988 caller’s location—only when appropriate—to connect people to help faster while protecting privacy.

What It Does: The 988 Lifeline Location Improvement Act of 2025 directs the FCC, with HHS, to form a 15‑member advisory committee representing phone companies, handset makers, 911/PSAPs, state and local governments (including rural areas), the 988 and Veterans Crisis Lines, SAMHSA, mental‑health providers, community groups, and accessibility advocates. The panel must study privacy and legal authority, technical standards for adding location to 988 calls, and potential costs/funding needs, then send Congress recommendations within one year. The committee must be created within 180 days of enactment and sunsets 30 days after delivering its report. No new funding is authorized. (congress.gov)

• Who’s For It: Lead sponsors Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), with a bipartisan slate of cosponsors spanning both parties (e.g., Blackburn, Capito, Crapo, Daines, Fischer, Gillibrand, Hassan, Klobuchar, Risch, Warnock; later joined by Ossoff). (congress.gov)
• Who’s For It: Sen. Luján’s office frames the bill as building on FCC actions to improve georouting and to study how added location data could speed dispatch when needed. (lujan.senate.gov)
• Who’s For It (context): Mental‑health advocates like NAMI have supported FCC rules requiring georouting for 988, emphasizing local connection while protecting privacy. (nami.org)

• Who’s Against It: Privacy and civil‑liberties groups caution against collecting precise geolocation for 988, warning it could deter people from seeking help and urging strict limits on any data gathered. (epic.org)
• Additional Concern: Federal guidance notes 988 does not currently receive exact location; only in rare, imminent‑risk cases can 911 seek it—so any move toward automatic location for 988 raises legal, privacy, and consent questions that the bill’s study aims to address. (samhsa.gov)

What’s Next: As of February 13, 2026, Congress.gov still lists S.3199 as “Introduced.” The Senate Commerce Committee scheduled an executive session on February 12, 2026 that included this bill; after any committee vote to report, the next step would be consideration by the full Senate. Official trackers sometimes lag in posting markup outcomes. (congress.gov)