[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8914 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8914
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the
Secretary of Education to make awards to increase or improve access to
comprehensive mental and behavioral health services for individuals
exposed to violent encounters involving law enforcement personnel, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 20, 2022
Ms. Bush introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on
Education and Labor, and 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 authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the
Secretary of Education to make awards to increase or improve access to
comprehensive mental and behavioral health services for individuals
exposed to violent encounters involving law enforcement personnel, 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 ``Helping Families Heal Act of
2022''.
SEC. 2. HELPING FAMILIES HEAL PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in
this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), acting through the
Director of the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, shall carry out a
program, to be known as the Helping Families Heal Program, consisting
of awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible
entities to--
(1) hire, train, and dispatch mental health professionals
to provide services to individuals who have experienced or
witnessed law enforcement personnel violence and--
(A) are in a mental health crisis; or
(B) may have a mental illness;
(2) provide comprehensive mental and behavioral health
services and supports to assist individuals who have suffered
traumatic experiences or are in grief, in bereavement, or at
risk of suicide or violence, as a result of--
(A) the death of a family member due to law
enforcement personnel violence;
(B) the death of a colleague or neighbor due to law
enforcement personnel violence; or
(C) experiencing threats, violence, harm, or
brutality during an interaction with law enforcement
personnel;
(3) implement community-based mental health programs that--
(A) build awareness of individual, community, and
intergenerational trauma as a result of witnessing or
experience law enforcement personnel violence;
(B) train staff and volunteers to identify, and
screen for, signs of trauma exposure, mental health
disorders, and risk of suicide in the wake of law
enforcement personnel violence;
(C) incorporate community interventions, family
engagement, and intergenerational counseling that
encourage the development of positive mental health,
prevent mental health disorders, and diminish the
impact of trauma resulting from law enforcement
personnel violence;
(D) facilitate partnerships among families, mental
health and substance use disorder providers, family-
based mental health and substance use disorder
providers, child welfare providers, trauma networks,
and health care providers (including mental health
professionals who specialize in pediatric services);
and
(E) establish mechanisms for individuals, families,
and children who have witnessed or experienced law
enforcement personnel violence to report incidents of
violence or plans to commit violence; or
(4) provide technical assistance to community-based
organizations regarding the activities described in paragraphs
(1), (2), and (3).
(b) Additional Awards.--Subject to the availability of funds, the
Secretary shall make an additional award of funds under subsection (a)
each fiscal year through fiscal year 2026 to each recipient of an award
under subsection (a) that demonstrates that its program under such
award resulted in a notable increase in the number of individuals
provided with mental health services who have experienced, or been
witness to, law enforcement personnel violence.
(c) Priority.--In awarding grants, contracts, and cooperative
agreements under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to
eligible entities in communities that--
(1) have high rates of interaction with law enforcement
personnel for people of color or Black residents;
(2) have high rates of arrest and incarceration of persons
with mental illness, intellectual disability, or developmental
disability; or
(3) commit to providing in-kind contributions from non-
Federal sources, or volunteer hours, for individuals served by
recipients of awards under this section.
(d) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall be--
(1) a community-based mental health care provider,
including a public or private mental health entity, health care
entity, family-based mental health entity, or trauma network;
or
(2) a community-based organization or nonprofit
organization as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to limit the applicability of the regulations under section
264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of
1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d-2 note) to any patient records developed by
covered entities through activities funded through an award under this
section.
(f) Geographical Distribution.--The Secretary shall ensure that
recipients of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under
subsection (a) are distributed equitably among the regions of the
country and among urban and rural areas.
(g) Duration of Awards.--A grant, contract, or cooperative
agreement under subsection (a) shall be for a period of 1 year.
(h) Evaluation and Measures of Outcomes.--
(1) Development of process.--The Secretary shall develop a
fiscally appropriate process for evaluating activities carried
out pursuant to an award under this section. Such a process
shall include--
(A) the development of guidelines for the
submission of program data by grant, contract, and
cooperative agreement recipients;
(B) the application by such recipients of measures
of outcomes developed under paragraph (2) to the
programs funded through such awards; and
(C) the submission of annual reports by such
recipients concerning the effectiveness of programs
funded through such awards.
(2) Measures of outcomes.--The Secretary shall develop
measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients of awards
under this section to evaluate the effectiveness of activities
funded through such awards.
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2023 through 2027.
SEC. 3. HEALING FOR STUDENTS PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Education (in this section
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall carry out a program, to be
known as the Healing for Students Program, consisting of awarding
grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to--
(1) hire and dispatch mental health professionals to
provide services to students and school personnel who have
experienced or witnessed law enforcement personnel violence
and--
(A) are in a mental health crisis; or
(B) may have a mental illness;
(2) provide comprehensive mental and behavioral health
services and supports to assist students and school personnel
who have suffered traumatic experiences or are in grief, in
bereavement, or at risk of suicide or violence, as a result
of--
(A) the death of a family member due to law
enforcement personnel violence;
(B) the death of a classmate due to law enforcement
personnel violence;
(C) the death of a colleague or neighbor due to law
enforcement personnel violence; or
(D) experiencing threats, violence, harm, or
brutality during an interaction with law enforcement
personnel;
(3) implement school-based mental health programs that--
(A) build awareness of individual, community, and
intergenerational trauma as a result of witnessing or
experience law enforcement personnel violence;
(B) train school personnel to identify, and screen
for, signs of trauma exposure, mental health disorders,
and risk of suicide in the wake of law enforcement
personnel violence;
(C) incorporate family engagement, student
supports, and intergenerational counseling that
encourage the development of positive mental health,
prevent mental health disorders, and diminish the
impact of trauma resulting from law enforcement
personnel violence;
(D) educate students on the stigma surrounding
mental health;
(E) facilitate partnerships among families,
students, mental health and substance use disorder
providers, family-based mental health and substance use
disorder providers, child welfare providers, trauma
networks, and health care providers (including mental
health professionals who specialize in pediatric
services); and
(F) establish mechanisms for students and school
personnel who have witnessed or experienced law
enforcement personnel violence to report incidents of
violence or plans to commit violence; or
(4) in the case of a grantee that is a local educational
agency or a consortium of local educational agencies, provide
technical assistance to schools regarding the activities
described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3).
(b) Additional Awards.--Subject to the availability of funds, the
Secretary shall make an additional award of funds under subsection (a)
each fiscal year through fiscal year 2026 to each recipient of an award
under subsection (a) that demonstrates that its program under such
award resulted in a notable increase in the number of individuals
provided with mental health services who have experienced, or been
witness to, law enforcement personnel violence.
(c) Priority.--In awarding grants, contracts, and cooperative
agreements under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to
eligible entities serving communities that--
(1) have high rates of interaction with law enforcement
personnel for people of color or Black residents;
(2) have high rates of arrest and incarceration of persons
with mental illness, intellectual disability, or developmental
disability; or
(3) commit to providing in-kind contributions from non-
Federal sources, or volunteer hours, for students and school
personnel served by recipients of awards under this section.
(d) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall be--
(1) a local educational agency serving elementary schools
and secondary schools;
(2) a consortium of such local educational agencies; or
(3) an elementary school or secondary school.
(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to limit the applicability of the regulations under section
264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of
1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d-2 note) to any patient records developed by
covered entities through activities funded through an award under this
section.
(f) Geographical Distribution.--The Secretary shall ensure that
recipients of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under
subsection (a) are distributed equitably among the regions of the
country and among urban and rural areas.
(g) Duration of Awards.--A grant, contract, or cooperative
agreement under subsection (a) shall be for a period of 1 year.
(h) Evaluation and Measures of Outcomes.--
(1) Development of process.--The Secretary shall develop a
fiscally appropriate process for evaluating activities carried
out pursuant to an award under this section. Such a process
shall include--
(A) the development of guidelines for the
submission of program data by grant, contract, and
cooperative agreement recipients;
(B) the application by such recipients of measures
of outcomes developed under paragraph (2) to the
programs funded through such awards; and
(C) the submission of annual reports by such
recipients concerning the effectiveness of programs
funded through such awards.
(2) Measures of outcomes.--The Secretary shall develop
measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients of awards
under this section to evaluate the effectiveness of activities
funded through such awards.
(i) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``elementary school'',
``local educational agency'', and ``secondary school'' have the
meanings given to such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2023 through 2027.
SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Education, the Secretary of
Health and Human Services, and the Attorney General, acting jointly,
shall establish a permanent interagency task force (referred to in this
section as the ``Task Force'') to coordinate and promote holistic,
qualified responses to adolescent victims of law enforcement personnel
violence.
(b) Members.--The Task Force shall be composed of the following
members:
(1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services (or the
Secretary's designee).
(2) The Secretary of Education (or the Secretary's
designee).
(3) The Attorney General of the United States (or the
Attorney General's designee).
(4) The heads of other Federal departments and agencies (or
their designees), as determined necessary by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services.
(c) Duties.--The Task Force shall--
(1) recommend criteria to be used by the Department of
Health and Human Services and the Department of Education in
allocating funds under sections 2 and 3 among eligible
entities;
(2) recommend mechanisms for the Department of Health and
Human Services, the Department of Education, and the Department
of Justice to collect and review statistical data surrounding
interactions with law enforcement in an area;
(3) use such data to facilitate the prioritization of
awards under sections 2(c) and 3(c); and
(4) facilitate ongoing efforts to streamline the
application, monitoring, and reporting processes to make
Federal funds provided pursuant to awards under this Act
maximally accessible to small, grassroots organizations that
house adolescents in areas acutely impacted by high rates of
law enforcement personnel violence.
(d) Meetings.--For the purpose of carrying out this section, the
Task Force may hold such meetings, and sit and act at such times and
places, as the Task Force considers appropriate.
(e) Information.--The Task Force may secure directly from any
Federal agency such information as may be necessary to enable the Task
Force to carry out this section. Upon request of the Chairperson of the
Task Force, the head of such agency shall furnish such information to
the Task Force.
(f) Reports.--For the purpose of enabling the Task Force to carry
out this section, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health
and Human Services, and the Attorney General shall submit to the
Congress a report that contains with respect to each recipient of an
award under this Act--
(1) a profile of such recipient; and
(2) in the case of any such recipient that is a State or
unit of local government, the needs of school mental health
providers in the relevant jurisdiction.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) The term ``interaction with law enforcement personnel''
means an interaction in which--
(A) a law enforcement agent uses force or threatens
to use force;
(B) an individual is stopped by a law enforcement
agent while such individual is--
(i) driving a motor vehicle; or
(ii) otherwise in public;
(C) an individual is a passenger in a motor vehicle
that is stopped by a law enforcement agent;
(D) an individual is arrested; or
(E) an individual is otherwise stopped or
approached by a law enforcement agent.
(2) The terms ``use force'' and ``uses force'' include
pushing, grabbing, handcuffing, hitting, kicking, using
chemical or pepper spray, using an electroshock weapon, and
pointing or shooting a gun.
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