Published: May 31, 2023
By: Allison Allsop, LSU Manship School News Service
BATON ROUGE—A House committee passed a bill Tuesday that would require printing the number for a crisis hotline on the back of driver’s licenses.
Senate Bill 34, authored by Sen. Louie Bernard, R-Natchitoches, passed its first hurdle in the House without any objection. This bill would require that “Crisis Lifeline dial 988” be printed on all state-issued driver’s licenses as well as personal identification cards.
Bernard said a few college students had approached him about their friends committing suicide. They wanted to print the crisis number on student ID cards. From the conversation, it was seemed like it would be useful on all licenses, according to Bernard.
“When you’re in a moment of emotional crisis, there should be a place where you automatically know that number I need is on there,” Bernard said.
Karen Stubbs from the Louisiana Department of Health said that the 988 hotline is confidential, toll-free and open 24/7. It is a national number with connections to more than 200 crisis centers. The lifeline routes calls by the caller’s area code to the nearest crisis center.
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LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 