Law Enforcement Training for Mental Health Crisis Response Act of 2021
This bill authorizes the Office of Justice Programs within the Department of Justice to award grants to law enforcement and corrections agencies for behavioral health crisis response training.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3595 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3595
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
authorize a grant program for law enforcement agencies and corrections
agencies to obtain behavioral health crisis response training for law
enforcement officers and corrections officers, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 28, 2021
Ms. Kaptur (for herself, Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio, Mr. Ryan, Mrs. Bice of
Oklahoma, Mrs. Demings, Mr. Taylor, Mrs. Luria, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, and
Mr. Cuellar) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to
authorize a grant program for law enforcement agencies and corrections
agencies to obtain behavioral health crisis response training for law
enforcement officers and corrections officers, 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 ``Law Enforcement Training for Mental
Health Crisis Response Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Law enforcement and corrections officers routinely
respond to emergencies involving individuals suffering from a
mental health crisis.
(2) Recent statistics have shown that as many as--
(A) 1 in every 10 calls for police response involve
a person suffering from a mental illness;
(B) 1 in every 4 people killed by police suffer
from a mental health problem; and
(C) 1 in 3 people transported to a hospital
emergency room for psychiatric reasons are taken by the
police.
(3) Law enforcement response calls to individuals suffering
from substance use disorder have increased during the current
opioid epidemic.
(4) There is a need to ensure that law enforcement officers
have access to proper evidence-based training in responding to
mental health crises.
(5) Proper training for response to individuals suffering
from a mental health crisis can better protect the safety of
the general public and law enforcement officers.
(6) Law enforcement and corrections officers in the United
States can better serve their communities if the officers
receive training to effectively and safely resolve the mental
health crises.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to provide grants to
State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies and corrections
agencies to obtain behavioral health crisis response training for law
enforcement officers and corrections officers to--
(1) better train law enforcement officers and corrections
officers to resolve behavioral health crisis situations;
(2) reduce the number of law enforcement officers and
corrections officers killed or injured while responding to a
behavioral health crisis; and
(3) reduce the number of individuals killed or injured
during a behavioral health crisis in which a law enforcement
officer or corrections officer responds.
SEC. 3. LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING FOR MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS GRANT
PROGRAM.
(a) Reservation of Funds.--Section 506 of the Omnibus Crime Control
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10157) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
``(c) Of the total amount made available to carry out this subpart
for a fiscal year, the Attorney General may reserve not more than
$10,000,000 to carry out the program under section 509.''.
(b) Law Enforcement Training for Mental Health Crisis Grant
Program.--Subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10151 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 509. LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING FOR MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS GRANT
PROGRAM.
``(a) Grants Authorized.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Attorney General is authorized to award grants to
applicants for--
``(1) law enforcement officers or corrections officers to
receive training from a program; and
``(2) the cost of transportation and lodging associated
with law enforcement officers or corrections officers attending
such program.
``(b) Program Standards.--The Attorney General shall establish and
publish qualification standards for organizations that provide
programs.
``(c) Applications.--
``(1) In general.--The head of an applicant shall submit to
the Attorney General an application that--
``(A) shall include--
``(i) a statement describing the program
the law enforcement officers or corrections
officers will complete;
``(ii) the total number of law enforcement
officers or corrections officers in the agency;
``(iii) the number of law enforcement
officers or corrections officers of the agency
that have been killed, or seriously injured
while responding to a behavioral health crisis
during the 5-year-period preceding the date of
the application; and
``(iv) whether the law enforcement officers
or corrections officers employed by the agency
receive any behavioral health crisis response
training, including during basic officer
training; and
``(B) in addition to the information required under
subparagraph (A), may, at the option of the applicant,
include information relating to--
``(i) recent incidents involving officers
of the agency during which behavioral health
crisis response training could have played a
role in protecting the safety of--
``(I) the law enforcement officer
or the public, including the persons or
persons the law enforcement officers
encountered; or
``(II) the corrections officer or
inmates at the correctional facility;
and
``(ii) estimated cost of attendance of a
program per officer.
``(d) Restrictions.--
``(1) Supplemental funds.--Grant funds shall be used to
supplement, and not supplant, State, local, and Tribal funds
made available to any applicant for any of the purposes
described in subsection (a).
``(2) Administrative costs.--Not more than 3 percent of any
grant made under this section may be used for administrative
costs.
``(e) Reports and Records.--
``(1) Reports.--For each year during which grant funds are
used, the recipient shall submit to the Attorney General a
report containing--
``(A) a summary of any activity carried out using
grant funds;
``(B) the number of officers that received training
using grant funds; and
``(C) any other information relevant to the purpose
of this Act that the Attorney General may determine
appropriate.
``(2) Records.--For the purpose of an audit by the Attorney
General of the receipt and use of grant funds, a recipient
shall--
``(A) keep--
``(i) any record relating to the receipt
and use of grant funds; and
``(ii) any other record as the Attorney
General may require; and
``(B) make the records described in subparagraph
(A) available to the Attorney General upon request by
the Attorney General.
``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Applicant.--The term `applicant' means a law
enforcement agency or corrections agency that applies for a
grant under this section.
``(2) Attorney general.--The term `Attorney General' means
the Attorney General, acting through the Assistant Attorney
General for the Office of Justice Programs.
``(3) Grant funds.--The term `grant funds' means funds from
a grant awarded under this section.
``(4) Law enforcement agency.--The term `law enforcement
agency' means an agency of a State or unit of local government
that is authorized by law or by a government agency to engage
in or supervise the prevention, detection, investigation, or
prosecution of any violation of criminal law.
``(5) Program.--The term `program' means a program or class
that--
``(A) provides instructional training to law
enforcement officers or corrections officers for
response to a behavioral health crisis, including
response to people suspected to be under the influence
of a drug or psychoactive substance, and response to
circumstances in which a person is suspected to be
suicidal or suffering from a mental illness;
``(B) includes training on techniques and
strategies designed to protect--
``(i) the health and safety of law
enforcement officers and the public, including
the person or persons a law enforcement officer
encounters during a behavioral health crisis
response; or
``(ii) the health and safety of corrections
officers and inmates at the correctional
facility, including the inmate a corrections
officer encounters during a behavioral health
crisis response, or in the normal course of
business of interactions with the inmate; and
``(C) is developed in conjunction with healthcare
professionals to provide crisis intervention training
focused on understanding mental and behavioral health,
developing empathy, navigating community resources, de-
escalation skills, and practical application training
for officers.
``(6) Recipient.--The term `recipient' means an applicant
that receives a grant under this section.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E590)
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
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