What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Attorney General to create a report proposing at least one program that would provide mental health treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder to public safety officers. The report must include details about how to run the program, protect confidentiality, and how much it would cost.
Who It Affects
Public safety officers (police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and Tribal public safety officers) and public safety telecommunicators (people who work at 911 call centers and emergency operations centers).
Key Provisions
• The Attorney General must submit a report within 150 days after the law passes that proposes at least one program to provide trauma treatments, preventative care, peer support, counseling, and family support services to public safety officers and public safety telecommunicators dealing with job-related stress disorders (Sec. 3(b)).
• The report must include a draft of grant conditions to protect the confidentiality of officers seeking mental health care (Sec. 3(b)(2)).
• The report must explain how the proposed program could be run most efficiently across the country at the state, tribal, territorial, and local levels, including both in-person and telehealth options (Sec. 3(b)(3)).
• The report must include proposed legislation needed to authorize the program and estimate the annual cost to run it (Sec. 3(b)(4) and (5)).
• The Attorney General must consult with federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local agencies that employ public safety officers, as well as nonprofit organizations that support these officers and their families (Sec. 3(c)).
What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the Attorney General will be required to develop and propose a mental health treatment program for public safety officers and submit this proposal to Congress within 150 days.
Important Definitions
Public safety officer: Has the meaning given in section 1204 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, and includes Tribal public safety officers (Sec. 3(a)(1)).
Public safety telecommunicator: An individual who operates phone, radio, or other communication systems to receive emergency requests at 911 centers and emergency operations centers, takes information about crimes and emergencies, and provides information to law enforcement and emergency personnel (Sec. 3(a)(2)).
I
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 Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fighting Post-Trau-
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matic Stress Disorder Act of 2023’’.
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
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Congress finds the following:
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•HR 472 IH
(1) Public safety officers serve their commu-
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nities with bravery and distinction in order to keep
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their communities safe.
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(2) Public safety officers, including police offi-
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cers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians,
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and 911 dispatchers, are on the front lines of deal-
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ing with situations that are stressful, graphic,
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harrowing, and life threatening.
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(3) The work of public safety officers puts them
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at risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder
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and acute stress disorder.
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(4) It is estimated that 30 percent of public
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safety officers develop behavioral health conditions
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at some point in their lifetimes, including depression
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and post-traumatic stress disorder, in comparison to
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20 percent of the general population that develops
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such conditions.
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(5) Victims of post-traumatic stress disorder
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and acute stress disorder are at a higher risk of
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dying by suicide.
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(6) Firefighters have been reported to have
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higher suicide attempt and ideation rates than the
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general population.
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(7) It is estimated that between 125 and 300
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police officers die by suicide every year.
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•HR 472 IH
(8) In 2019, pursuant to section 2(b) of the
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Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act
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of 2017 (Public Law 115–113; 131 Stat. 2276), the
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Director of the Office of Community Oriented Polic-
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ing Services of the Department of Justice developed
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a report (referred to in this section as the
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‘‘LEMHWA report’’) that expressed that many law
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enforcement agencies do not have the capacity or
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local access to the mental health professionals nec-
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essary for treating their law enforcement officers.
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(9) The LEMHWA report recommended meth-
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ods for establishing remote access or regional mental
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health check programs at the State or Federal level.
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(10) Individual police and fire departments gen-
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erally do not have the resources to employ full-time
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mental health experts who are able to treat public
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safety officers with state-of-the-art techniques for
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the purpose of treating job-related post-traumatic
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stress disorder and acute stress disorder.
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SEC. 3. PROGRAMMING FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DIS-
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ORDER.
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(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
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(1) PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER.—The term ‘‘pub-
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lic safety officer’’—
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•HR 472 IH
(A) has the meaning given the term in sec-
1
tion 1204 of the Omnibus Crime Control and
2
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284);
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and
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(B) includes Tribal public safety officers.
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(2) PUBLIC
SAFETY
TELECOMMUNICATOR.—
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The term ‘‘public safety telecommunicator’’ means
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an individual who—
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(A) operates telephone, radio, or other
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communication systems to receive and commu-
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nicate requests for emergency assistance at 911
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public safety answering points and emergency
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operations centers;
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(B) takes information from the public and
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other sources relating to crimes, threats, dis-
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turbances, acts of terrorism, fires, medical
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emergencies, and other public safety matters;
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and
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(C) coordinates and provides information
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to law enforcement and emergency response
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personnel.
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(b) REPORT.—Not later than 150 days after the date
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of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, acting
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through the Director of the Office of Community Oriented
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Policing Services of the Department of Justice, shall sub-
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•HR 472 IH
mit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and
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the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Rep-
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resentatives a report on—
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(1) not fewer than 1 proposed program, if the
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Attorney General determines it appropriate and fea-
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sible to do so, to be administered by the Department
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of Justice for making state-of-the-art treatments or
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preventative care available to public safety officers
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and public safety telecommunicators with regard to
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job-related post-traumatic stress disorder or acute
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stress disorder by providing public safety officers
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and public safety telecommunicators access to evi-
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dence-based trauma-informed care, peer support,
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counselor services, and family supports for the pur-
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pose of treating or preventing post-traumatic stress
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disorder or acute stress disorder;
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(2) a draft of any necessary grant conditions
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required to ensure that confidentiality is afforded to
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public safety officers on account of seeking the care
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or services described in paragraph (1) under the pro-
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posed program;
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(3) how each proposed program described in
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paragraph (1) could be most efficiently administered
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throughout the United States at the State, Tribal,
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•HR 472 IH
territorial, and local levels, taking into account in-
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person and telehealth capabilities;
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(4) a draft of legislative language necessary to
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authorize each proposed program described in para-
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graph (1); and
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(5) an estimate of the amount of annual appro-
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priations necessary for administering each proposed
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program described in paragraph (1).
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(c) DEVELOPMENT.—In developing the report re-
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quired under subsection (b), the Attorney General shall
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consult relevant stakeholders, including—
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(1) Federal, State, Tribal, territorial, and local
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agencies employing public safety officers and public
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safety telecommunicators; and
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(2)
non-governmental
organizations,
inter-
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national organizations, academies, or other entities,
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including organizations that support the interests of
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public safety officers and public safety telecommu-
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nicators and the interests of family members of pub-
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lic safety officers and public safety telecommunica-
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tors.
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Æ
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