Bill would require teen-dating and anti-bullying hotlines on student ID cards

The Senate Education Committee considered House Bill 256, which would require specific safety hotline numbers to appear on student identification cards for public schools serving grades 7–12 and for public institutions of higher learning.

Senator Lachman, presenting the bill, said the measure makes two previously optional hotlines mandatory: the teen dating violence hotline and the StopBullying Now hotline. She said the bill keeps existing requirements for the national suicide prevention hotline, the national domestic violence hotline and the crisis text line; the national sexual assault hotline would remain optional because card space is limited. The sponsor said schools may use existing ID-card supplies that are not yet compliant so districts do not incur immediate waste or financial burden, and the bill sets an effective date of July 1.

Why it matters: The sponsor framed the bill as a low-cost step to put resources in students' hands daily and to ensure phone numbers are updated if they change. The measure aims to give students quick access to support resources.

Questions: Committee members asked about specific line edits and why some numbered lines were moved from optional to required language; the sponsor explained the editorial placements and why certain language was deleted because it was incorporated into another section.

Public comment: None was offered in-person or virtually during the committee's public-comment periods for this bill.

Next steps: The transcript contains presentation and member questions but does not record a committee vote on HB 256 during this meeting.