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<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="7.5-5A-02" future_version_removed="true" title_number="7.5" title_name="Behavioral Health Administration" subtitle_number="5A" subtitle_name="9–8–8 Trust Fund">
  <level label="a">
    <text>There is a 9–8–8 Trust Fund.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The purpose of the Fund is to provide reimbursement for costs associated with:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Designating and maintaining 9–8–8 as the universal telephone number for a national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline in accordance with the federal National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Developing and implementing a statewide initiative for the coordination and delivery of the continuum of behavioral health crisis response services in the State, including:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Crisis call centers;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Mobile crisis team services;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Crisis stabilization centers; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Other acute behavioral health care services.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The Department shall administer the Fund.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of the State Finance and Procurement Article.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separately, and the Comptroller shall account for the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>The Fund consists of:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Money from the 9–8–8 fee collected and remitted to the Comptroller under § 7.5–5A–03.1 of this subtitle;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Interest earnings of the Fund; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Any other money from any other source accepted for the benefit of the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>The Fund may be used only for:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Carrying out the purpose of the Fund; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Any related administrative expenses of the Comptroller.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The State Treasurer shall invest the money of the Fund in the same manner as other State money may be invested.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Any interest earnings of the Fund shall be credited to the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <text>Expenditures from the Fund may be made only in accordance with the State budget.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <text>Money expended from the Fund for carrying out the purpose of the Fund is supplemental to and is not intended to take the place of funding that otherwise would be appropriated for carrying out the purpose of the Fund.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="j">
    <text>No part of the Fund may revert or be credited to:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The General Fund of the State; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Any other special fund of the State.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="k">
    <text>The Fund is subject to audit by the Office of Legislative Audits as provided in § 2–1220 of the State Government Article.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="l">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Comptroller shall distribute to an administrative cost account the amount necessary to administer the fees and to cover the expenses of conducting audits under this section from the 9–8–8 fee revenue collected and remitted to the Comptroller under § 7.5–5A–03.1 of this subtitle.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The amount distributed to the administrative cost account may not exceed:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>For each of fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027, 6% of the fees collected by the Comptroller; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>For fiscal year 2028 and each fiscal year thereafter, 3% of the fees collected by the Comptroller.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="m">
    <text>After making the distribution required by subsection (l) of this section, the Comptroller shall deposit the 9–8–8 fee revenue in the Fund.</text>
  </level>
</section>
