Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Act of 2023
This bill requires the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to report on one or more proposed programs to make treatment or preventative care available to public safety officers and public safety telecommunicators for job-related post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder.
The report must also include draft legislative language related to each proposed program, as well as the estimated cost for administering each proposed program.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 472 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 472
To require the Attorney General to propose a program for making
treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder
available to public safety officers, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 24, 2023
Mr. Joyce of Ohio (for himself, Ms. Ross, Ms. Brown, and Mr. Turner)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Attorney General to propose a program for making
treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder
available to public safety 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 ``Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Public safety officers serve their communities with
bravery and distinction in order to keep their communities
safe.
(2) Public safety officers, including police officers,
firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and 911
dispatchers, are on the front lines of dealing with situations
that are stressful, graphic, harrowing, and life threatening.
(3) The work of public safety officers puts them at risk
for developing post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress
disorder.
(4) It is estimated that 30 percent of public safety
officers develop behavioral health conditions at some point in
their lifetimes, including depression and post-traumatic stress
disorder, in comparison to 20 percent of the general population
that develops such conditions.
(5) Victims of post-traumatic stress disorder and acute
stress disorder are at a higher risk of dying by suicide.
(6) Firefighters have been reported to have higher suicide
attempt and ideation rates than the general population.
(7) It is estimated that between 125 and 300 police
officers die by suicide every year.
(8) In 2019, pursuant to section 2(b) of the Law
Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 (Public Law
115-113; 131 Stat. 2276), the Director of the Office of
Community Oriented Policing Services of the Department of
Justice developed a report (referred to in this section as the
``LEMHWA report'') that expressed that many law enforcement
agencies do not have the capacity or local access to the mental
health professionals necessary for treating their law
enforcement officers.
(9) The LEMHWA report recommended methods for establishing
remote access or regional mental health check programs at the
State or Federal level.
(10) Individual police and fire departments generally do
not have the resources to employ full-time mental health
experts who are able to treat public safety officers with
state-of-the-art techniques for the purpose of treating job-
related post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress
disorder.
SEC. 3. PROGRAMMING FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Public safety officer.--The term ``public safety
officer''--
(A) has the meaning given the term in section 1204
of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of
1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284); and
(B) includes Tribal public safety officers.
(2) Public safety telecommunicator.--The term ``public
safety telecommunicator'' means an individual who--
(A) operates telephone, radio, or other
communication systems to receive and communicate
requests for emergency assistance at 911 public safety
answering points and emergency operations centers;
(B) takes information from the public and other
sources relating to crimes, threats, disturbances, acts
of terrorism, fires, medical emergencies, and other
public safety matters; and
(C) coordinates and provides information to law
enforcement and emergency response personnel.
(b) Report.--Not later than 150 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services of the Department of
Justice, shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate
and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a
report on--
(1) not fewer than 1 proposed program, if the Attorney
General determines it appropriate and feasible to do so, to be
administered by the Department of Justice for making state-of-
the-art treatments or preventative care available to public
safety officers and public safety telecommunicators with regard
to job-related post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress
disorder by providing public safety officers and public safety
telecommunicators access to evidence-based trauma-informed
care, peer support, counselor services, and family supports for
the purpose of treating or preventing post-traumatic stress
disorder or acute stress disorder;
(2) a draft of any necessary grant conditions required to
ensure that confidentiality is afforded to public safety
officers on account of seeking the care or services described
in paragraph (1) under the proposed program;
(3) how each proposed program described in paragraph (1)
could be most efficiently administered throughout the United
States at the State, Tribal, territorial, and local levels,
taking into account in-person and telehealth capabilities;
(4) a draft of legislative language necessary to authorize
each proposed program described in paragraph (1); and
(5) an estimate of the amount of annual appropriations
necessary for administering each proposed program described in
paragraph (1).
(c) Development.--In developing the report required under
subsection (b), the Attorney General shall consult relevant
stakeholders, including--
(1) Federal, State, Tribal, territorial, and local agencies
employing public safety officers and public safety
telecommunicators; and
(2) non-governmental organizations, international
organizations, academies, or other entities, including
organizations that support the interests of public safety
officers and public safety telecommunicators and the interests
of family members of public safety officers and public safety
telecommunicators.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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