Mental Health and Public Safety Partnership Act of 2018

Mental Health and Public Safety Partnership Act of 2018

This bill establishes a pilot program to promote coordination between community mental health centers and law enforcement agencies.

Specifically, it directs the Department of Justice to award grants for community mental health centers to place social workers with law enforcement agencies. The purpose of the placement is to facilitate coordination on cases with an underlying mental health component.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6604 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6604

 To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to provide grants 
to community mental health centers for the placement of social workers 
         with law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2018

 Mr. MacArthur (for himself and Mrs. Dingell) introduced the following 
       bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to provide grants 
to community mental health centers for the placement of social workers 
         with law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mental Health and Public Safety 
Partnership Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.

    Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Attorney General shall establish a pilot program to provide grants 
to community mental health centers for the placement of social workers 
with law enforcement agencies to facilitate closer coordination on law 
enforcement issues with an underlying connection to mental health.

SEC. 3. NUMBER AND AMOUNT OF GRANTS.

    The Attorney General shall award not more than 2 grants each fiscal 
year to community mental health centers (as such term is defined in 
section 1861 of the Social Security Act) in each of the 4 census 
regions. Each such grant shall be in an amount not to exceed $300,000. 
The term of such a grant shall be 3 years. Each such mental health 
center shall partner with a law enforcement agency that employs not 
more than 100 officers in order to carry out the purposes of the grant.

SEC. 4. ELIGIBILITY FOR PLACEMENT WITH A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

    To be eligible for placement with a law enforcement agency under 
this Act, a social worker shall be--
            (1) licensed under the applicable State law; and
            (2) employed by a community mental health center.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$2,400,000 for fiscal years 2019, 2020, and 2021.

SEC. 6. TERMINATION OF PROGRAM; REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    This Act is repealed on the date that is 3 years after a grant is 
first made under this Act. The Attorney General shall report to 
Congress not later than six months thereafter on the outcomes of any 
cases where the social worker became involved and the total number of 
such cases, and any other information deemed relevant.
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