Congress funds suicide prevention outreach for first responders
H.R. 8367 — Answering the Call Act of 2026 · Filed by Kat Cammack (R-FL) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 20, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill directs the federal government to expand outreach to first responders (police, firefighters, EMTs, 911 dispatchers) about the 988 suicide prevention hotline, addressing barriers like stigma and privacy concerns. It funds awareness campaigns, grants to integrate the hotline into first responder training, data collection on usage trends, and specialized counselor training—plus a pilot program coordinating the federal health agency, fire administration, and first responder organizations to tailor outreach efforts.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is federal funding and coordination for suicide prevention awareness and training targeted at a high-risk occupational group. It is a straightforward public health measure with no hidden commercial or regulatory carve-outs.
What the text implies
- Data collection on first responder 988 usage may reveal occupational mental health trends that could inform broader workplace mental health policy or union negotiations.
- Pilot program coordination between SAMHSA, US Fire Administration, and first responder organizations may establish a model for federal-local mental health collaboration that could be extended to other occupational groups.
- Specialized counselor training for first responder trauma may create demand for mental health professionals with first-responder-specific expertise, potentially affecting workforce development in behavioral health.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
First responders face elevated suicide risk and often underutilize mental health resources due to stigma and privacy fears. This bill removes barriers to a free, confidential national resource (988) and funds evidence-based outreach and training—direct public health benefit with no apparent cost to ordinary citizens or restrictions on their rights.
Who stands to gain
- mental health service providers and counselors (training contracts)
- first responder organizations (grants for awareness campaigns)
- public health agencies (cooperative agreements for outreach)
Named in the bill
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), US Fire Administration, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988), first responder organizations (national, state, local, tribal, nonprofit)
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 2 Republicans.
- Apr 20, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Apr 20, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $110,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 6 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.
Kat Cammack, the sponsor, reported $799,000 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- American Society of Nephrology — $60,000 on 1 filing
- Mental Health Association of New York City, Inc. (dba Vibrant Emotional Health) — $50,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 16, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (3,871 characters) on Aug 17, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 16, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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