[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1925 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1925
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve the
detection, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues among
public safety officers, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 12, 2023
Ms. Rosen (for herself and Mrs. Fischer) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve the
detection, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues among
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 ``Helping Emergency Responders
Overcome Act'' or the ``HERO Act''.
SEC. 2. DATA SYSTEM TO CAPTURE NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER SUICIDE
INCIDENCE.
The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section
317V of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-24) the following:
``SEC. 317W. DATA SYSTEM TO CAPTURE NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER
SUICIDE INCIDENCE.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in coordination with other
agencies as the Secretary determines appropriate, may--
``(1) develop and maintain a data system, to be known as
the Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System, for the
purposes of--
``(A) collecting data on the suicide incidence
among public safety officers; and
``(B) facilitating the study of successful
interventions to reduce suicide among public safety
officers; and
``(2) integrate such system into the National Violent Death
Reporting System, so long as the Secretary determines such
integration to be consistent with the purposes described in
paragraph (1).
``(b) Data Collection.--In collecting data for the Public Safety
Officer Suicide Reporting System, the Secretary shall, at a minimum,
collect the following information:
``(1) The total number of suicides in the United States
among all public safety officers in a given calendar year.
``(2) Suicide rates for public safety officers in a given
calendar year, disaggregated by--
``(A) age and gender of the public safety officer;
``(B) State;
``(C) occupation; including both the individual's
role in their public safety agency and their primary
occupation in the case of volunteer public safety
officers;
``(D) where available, the status of the public
safety officer as volunteer, paid-on-call, or career;
and
``(E) where available, the status of the public
safety officer as active or retired.
``(c) Data Privacy and Security.--In developing and maintaining the
Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System, the Secretary shall
ensure that all applicable Federal privacy and security protections are
followed to ensure that--
``(1) the confidentiality and anonymity of suicide victims
and their families are protected, including so as to ensure
that data cannot be used to deny benefits; and
``(2) data is sufficiently secure to prevent unauthorized
access.
``(d) Reporting.--
``(1) Annual report.--Not later than 2 years after the date
of enactment of the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act,
and biannually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report
to the Congress on the suicide incidence among public safety
officers. Each such report shall--
``(A) include the number and rate of such suicide
incidence, disaggregated by age, gender, and State of
employment;
``(B) identify characteristics and contributing
circumstances for suicide among public safety officers;
``(C) disaggregate rates of suicide by--
``(i) occupation;
``(ii) status as volunteer, paid-on-call,
or career, where available; and
``(iii) status as active or retired, where
available;
``(D) include recommendations for further study
regarding the suicide incidence among public safety
officers;
``(E) specify in detail any obstacles in collecting
suicide rates for volunteers and include recommended
improvements to overcome such obstacles;
``(F) identify options for interventions to reduce
suicide among public safety officers; and
``(G) describe procedures to ensure the
confidentiality and anonymity of suicide victims and
their families, as described in subsection (c)(1).
``(2) Public availability.--Upon the submission of each
report to the Congress under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall
make the full report publicly available on the website of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
``(e) Definition.--In this section, the term `public safety
officer' means--
``(1) a public safety officer as defined in section 1204 of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968; or
``(2) a public safety telecommunicator as described in
detailed occupation 43-5031 in the Standard Occupational
Classification Manual of the Office of Management and Budget
(2018).
``(f) Prohibited Use of Information.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, if an individual is identified as deceased based on
information contained in the Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting
System, such information may not be used to deny or rescind life
insurance payments or other benefits to a survivor of the deceased
individual.''.
SEC. 3. PEER-SUPPORT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS WITHIN
FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE AGENCIES.
(a) In General.--Part B of title III of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 243 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 320C. PEER-SUPPORT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS
WITHIN FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE
AGENCIES.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary may award grants to eligible
entities for the purpose of establishing or enhancing peer-support
behavioral health and wellness programs within fire departments and
emergency medical services agencies.
``(b) Program Description.--A peer-support behavioral health and
wellness program funded under this section shall--
``(1) use career and volunteer members of fire departments
or emergency medical services agencies to serve as peer
counselors;
``(2) provide training to members of career, volunteer, and
combination fire departments or emergency medical service
agencies to serve as such peer counselors;
``(3) purchase materials to be used exclusively to provide
such training; or
``(4) disseminate such information and materials as are
necessary to conduct the program.
``(c) Definition.--In this section:
``(1) The term `eligible entity' means a nonprofit
organization with expertise and experience with respect to the
health and life safety of members of fire and emergency medical
services agencies.
``(2) The term `member'--
``(A) with respect to an emergency medical services
agency, means an employee who is a member of a rescue
squad or ambulance crew (as defined in section 1204 of
title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets
Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284)), regardless of rank or
whether the employee receives compensation; and
``(B) with respect to a fire department, means any
employee, regardless of rank or whether the employee
receives compensation, of a Federal, State, Tribal, or
local fire department who is responsible for responding
to calls for emergency service.''.
(b) Technical Correction.--Effective as if included in the
enactment of the Children's Health Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-310),
the amendment instruction in section 1603 of such Act is amended by
striking ``Part B of the Public Health Service Act'' and inserting
``Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act''.
SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES FOR EDUCATING MENTAL HEALTH
PROFESSIONALS ABOUT TREATING FIRE FIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY
MEDICAL SERVICES PERSONNEL.
(a) In General.--The Administrator, in consultation with the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall develop and make publicly
available resources that may be used by the Federal Government and
other entities to educate mental health professionals about--
(1) the culture of Federal, State, Tribal, and local
career, volunteer, and combination fire departments and
emergency medical services agencies;
(2) the different stressors experienced by firefighters and
emergency medical services personnel, supervisory firefighters
and emergency medical services personnel, and chief officers of
fire departments and emergency medical services agencies;
(3) challenges encountered by retired firefighters and
emergency medical services personnel; and
(4) evidence-based therapies for mental health issues
common to firefighters and emergency medical services personnel
within such departments and agencies.
(b) Consultation.--In developing resources under subsection (a),
the Administrator, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, shall consult with national fire and emergency medical
services organizations.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the United States Fire Administration.
(2) Chief officer.--The term ``chief officer'' means any
individual who is responsible for the overall operation of a
fire department or an emergency medical services agency,
irrespective of whether such individual also serves as a
firefighter or emergency medical services personnel.
(3) Emergency medical services personnel.--The term
``emergency medical services personnel'' means an employee who
is a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew (as defined in
section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284)), regardless of rank or
whether the employee receives compensation.
(4) Firefighter.--The term ``firefighter'' means any
employee, regardless of rank or whether the employee receives
compensation, of a Federal, State, Tribal, or local fire
department who is responsible for responding to calls for
emergency service.
SEC. 5. BEST PRACTICES AND OTHER RESOURCES FOR ADDRESSING POSTTRAUMATIC
STRESS DISORDER IN PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS.
(a) Development; Updates.--The Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall--
(1) develop and assemble evidence-based best practices and
other resources to identify, prevent, and treat posttraumatic
stress disorder and co-occurring disorders in public safety
officers; and
(2) reassess and update, as the Secretary determines
necessary, such best practices and resources, including based
upon the options for interventions to reduce suicide among
public safety officers identified in the annual reports
required by section 317W(d)(1)(F) of the Public Health Service
Act, as added by section 2 of this Act.
(b) Consultation.--In developing, assembling, and updating the best
practices and resources under subsection (a), the Secretary of Health
and Human Services shall consult with, at a minimum, the following:
(1) Public health experts.
(2) Mental health experts with experience in studying
suicide and other profession-related traumatic stress.
(3) Clinicians with experience in diagnosing and treating
mental health issues.
(4) Relevant national police, fire, and emergency medical
services organizations.
(c) Availability.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
make the best practices and resources under subsection (a) available to
Federal, State, and local fire, law enforcement, and emergency medical
services agencies.
(d) Federal Training and Development Programs.--The Secretary of
Health and Human Services shall work with Federal departments and
agencies, including the United States Fire Administration, to
incorporate education and training on the best practices and resources
under subsection (a) into Federal training and development programs for
public safety officers.
(e) Definition.--In this section, the term ``public safety
officer'' means--
(1) a public safety officer, as defined in section 1204 of
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34
U.S.C. 10284); or
(2) a public safety telecommunicator, as described in
detailed occupation 43-5031 in the Standard Occupational
Classification Manual of the Office of Management and Budget
(2018).
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