HARRISBURG – Two measures to raise fees on phone bills in PA passed in the state House in a bid to bolster funding for 911 emergency communication centers and the state’s 988 suicide hotline. The 911 bill (House Bill 1304) would increase the existing $1.65 monthly fee to $1.97. The funds will support equipment, operations, and new technology. The 988 bill (House Bill 1305) would create a new 6-cent fee beginning Jan. 1 to help fund operations of the 988 call centers, with staffing, routing of calls, and services. Both measures would annually adjust the fees with inflation. The bills now go to the state Senate. The measures come as the state House unanimously passed House Bill 1138 to cut monthly phone bills by exempting cell phones from the 6% sales tax and the 5% gross receipts tax.
