Mental Health Crisis Response Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5725 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5725

    To direct the Attorney General to establish a grant to support 
   communities transitioning to health-centered responses for mental 
                      health-related emergencies.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 8, 2025

 Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Ms. Ansari, Ms. Clarke of New York, 
  Mr. Goldman of New York, Ms. Norton, Ms. Salinas, Mr. Thanedar, Mr. 
  Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Quigley, and Ms. Garcia of 
    Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
   the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To direct the Attorney General to establish a grant to support 
   communities transitioning to health-centered responses for mental 
                      health-related emergencies.

    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 Crisis Response Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR CRISIS RESPONSE ALTERNATIVES.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 270 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in partnership with the 
Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall 
establish a grant program, to award, on a competitive basis, grants to 
eligible jurisdictions for the purposes of implementing or expanding 
health-centered crisis response strategies for individuals experiencing 
behavioral health emergencies.
    (b) Eligible Jurisdictions.--A jurisdiction shall be eligible for a 
grant under subsection (a) if the State, Tribal, or local government 
manages emergency services in response to any incident, including law 
enforcement and emergency medical services.
    (c) Application.--An eligible jurisdiction seeking a grant under 
this section shall submit an application to the Attorney General at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Attorney General may reasonably require.
    (d) Use of Funds.--A grant awarded under subsection (a) may be used 
by an eligible jurisdiction to:
            (1) Embed mental health professionals into 911 dispatch and 
        call triage systems.
            (2) Develop alternative 911 call routing to 988 or other 
        mental health or substance abuse crisis hotline service.
            (3) Form partnerships between State or local emergency 
        services and State or local 911 dispatch centers to ensure a 
        streamlined handoff without requiring the caller to hangup and 
        dial 988 or other mental health or substance abuse crisis 
        hotline service.
    (e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed 
to--
            (1) require a State, Tribe, or local government to remove 
        law enforcement from an emergency response model; or
            (2) preempt a State law regarding involuntary psychiatric 
        holds, involuntary treatment, or any emergency authority that 
        would hinder public safety.
    (f) Reporting Requirement.--An eligible jurisdiction awarded a 
grant under this section shall submit an annual report on--
            (1) the amount of time it takes for a response to an 
        incident;
            (2) use of force by law enforcement or any other individual 
        responding to an incident where an individual requires 
        assistance;
            (3) diversion rates; and
            (4) any other information requested by the Attorney General 
        or Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to 
carry out this section.
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