SB 25-236
Fiscal Note
Legislative Council Staff
Nonpartisan Services for Colorado’s Legislature
SB 25-236: CONSOLIDATION OF CRISIS RESPONSE SERVICES
Prime Sponsors:
Sen. Amabile; Bridges
Rep. Sirota; Taggart
Published for: Senate Appropriations
Drafting number: LLS 25-0987
Fiscal Analyst:
Shukria Maktabi, 303-866-4720
shukria.maktabi@coleg.gov
Version: Initial Fiscal Note
Date: March 31, 2025
Fiscal note status: This fiscal note reflects the introduced bill, which was recommended by the Joint
Budget Committee as part of the FY 2025-26 Long Bill budget package.
Summary Information
Overview. The bill consolidates crisis response services by moving the Colorado Crisis Line under the
988 Crisis Hotline Enterprise.
Types of impacts. The bill is projected to affect the following areas on an ongoing basis:
State Revenue State Expenditures
Appropriations. For FY 2025-26, the bill requires and includes several appropriations to the Behavioral
Health Administration to consolidate hotline services, including a net decrease of $3.7 million General
Fund and net increase of $3.5 million cash funds. See State Appropriations section.
Table 1
State Fiscal Impacts
Type of Impact
1
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
State Revenue $0 $0
State Expenditures -$200,000 -$200,000
Transferred Funds $0 $0
Change in TABOR Refunds $0 $0
Change in State FTE 0.0 FTE 0.0 FTE
1
Fund sources for these impacts are shown in the table below. Page 2
March 31, 2025 SB 25-236
Table 1A
State Expenditures
Fund Source
Budget Year
FY 2025-26
Out Year
FY 2026-27
General Fund -$3,696,622 -$3,696,622
Marijuana Tax Cash Fund -$367,316 -$367,316
988 Crisis Hotline Cash Fund $3,863,938 $3,863,938
Centrally Appropriated $0 $0
Total Expenditures -$200,000 -$200,000
Total FTE 0.0 FTE 0.0 FTE
Summary of Legislation
The bill consolidates the behavioral health crisis response phone line (Colorado Crisis Line) and
the 988 Crisis Hotline, which currently operate as separate services under the Behavioral Health
Administration (BHA). Specifically, the bill moves the Colorado Crisis Line under the 988 Crisis
Hotline Enterprise.
Background
Colorado operates two crisis hotlines that provide free, 24/7 support by trained professionals.
The Colorado Crisis Line (844-493-TALK) was created as a result of Senate Bill 13-266, to
respond to and assist individuals who are in a behavioral health emergency. It is funded through
a $3.9 million appropriation, including $3.5 million in General Fund and $367,316 from the
Marijuana Tax Cash Fund.
The 988 Crisis Hotline is a national network of local crisis contact centers designated by
Congress in 2020. It is funded by the 988 Crisis Hotline Enterprise and 988 Crisis Hotline Cash
Fund created by Senate Bill 21-154, which collects a surcharge on all phone lines. The surcharge
is currently $0.07 in 2025 and is continuously appropriated to the BHA.
State Revenue
According to JBC Staff figure setting documents, the 988 Crisis Hotline Cash Fund currently has
sufficient revenue to cover increased expenditures from the Colorado Crisis Line. Therefore, the
bill is not expected to have a revenue impact in the immediate future. However, by increasing
expenditures in the 988 Crisis Hotline Enterprise, revenue in future years could increase
compared to current law to support the additional expenditures from routing calls to 988 rather
than to the Colorado Crisis Line. 988 is currently funded from a surcharge on phone carriers.
Because the 988 hotline is a state enterprise, any additional revenue is not subject to the state’s
TABOR revenue limit. Page 3
March 31, 2025 SB 25-236
State Expenditures
On net, the bill decreases expenditures in the BHA by $200,000 beginning in FY 2025-26, after
accounting for a net decrease of $3.7 million General Fund and net increase of $3.5 million cash
funds when consolidating the programs. The overall decrease in costs after consolidating the
hotlines is from eliminating public awareness campaigns from the stand alone crisis line, which
can instead be conducted through existing 988 Crisis Hotline resources and campaigns.
As noted above, the bill reduces funding from the General Fund and Marijuana Tax Cash Fund
for the Colorado Crisis Line in BHA, and correspondingly increases funding from the 988 Crisis
Hotline Cash Fund to operate the consolidated hotline. Details on this shift in appropriations is
provided in the State Appropriations section below. The fiscal note assumes the 988 Crisis
Hotline Cash Fund has sufficient revenue to cover these costs, as fee revenue exceeded
expenditures by $8.0 million in FY 2023-24.
Effective Date
The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.
State Appropriations
For FY 2025-26, the bill requires and includes a reduction of $4,063,938 to the Behavioral Health
Administration, of which $3,696,622 is from the General Fund and $367,316 is from the
Marijuana Tax Cash Fund.
Because the 988 Crisis Hotline Cash Fund is continuously appropriated, an appropriation from
the cash fund to the Behavioral Health Administration is not required. However, the bill does
include an increase of $3,863,938 from the 988 Crisis Hotline Cash Fund to the BHA for
informational purposes.
State and Local Government Contacts
Joint Budget Committee Staff
The revenue and expenditure impacts in this fiscal note represent changes from current law under the bill for each
fiscal year. For additional information about fiscal notes, please visit the General Assembly website.