[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2305 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2305
To provide funding to the Bureau of Prisons, States, and localities to
carry out mental health screenings and provide referrals to mental
health care providers for certain corrections officers.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 24, 2025
Mrs. Miller-Meeks (for herself and Mr. Bacon) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide funding to the Bureau of Prisons, States, and localities to
carry out mental health screenings and provide referrals to mental
health care providers for certain corrections officers.
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 ``Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz
Suicide Prevention Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Attorney General is authorized establish a
grant program to make grants to States and units of local government to
implement and administer mental health screenings to corrections
officers at eligible detention centers and refer such individuals to
mental health care providers, as applicable.
(b) Application.--An eligible entity seeking a grant under this
section shall submit to the Attorney General an application at such
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Attorney
General may reasonably require, including--
(1) a description of and a plan for the project under
subsection (d) that the entity will carry out; and
(2) an assurance that the entity will hire a mental health
liaison staff member to coordinate among eligible detention
centers, mental health providers, the Advisory Board, and the
outreach team.
(c) Eligible Projects.--A grant under this section may only be used
for the following:
(1) To develop and administer a brief mental health
screening survey as required under subsection (d).
(2) To develop any technology necessary for an eligible
detention center to provide the survey under paragraph (1).
(3) To hire any staff necessary for an eligible detention
center to provide the survey under paragraph (1).
(4) To establish an outreach team pursuant to subsection
(e) to refer a correctional officer, if their responses to the
survey indicate severe mental illness, to a local mental health
care provider for further assessment and outreach, admission
(when necessary), and support for that officer in re-
establishing ties with a mental health provider.
(5) To pay the salary or overtime pay of an outreach team
as established pursuant to subsection (e), including providing
direct funding to an eligible detention center to compensate
staff members.
(d) Brief Mental Health Screening Survey.--A mental health
screening survey developed and administered pursuant to a grant under
this section shall--
(1) be composed of 5 to 10 questions;
(2) be based on the questions and content of the Employee
Assistance Program standard mental health screening or the
Bureau of Prisons initial mental health screening standard;
(3) seek to identify severe mental illnesses, including
schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression;
(4) ask individuals about the symptoms of severe mental
illness they may be experiencing or have experienced and any
prior use of mental health-related medications or inpatient
care;
(5) identify the individual's place of residence;
(6) be administered by a trained staff member at the
eligible detention center to all corrections officers; and
(7) be anonymous and confidential.
(e) Outreach Team.--
(1) In general.--A referral to a mental health care
provider made pursuant to subsection (d) shall be made by a
mental health outreach team that is composed of--
(A) mental health care professionals and clinicians
from mental health care centers local to the eligible
detention center;
(B) staff from the eligible detention center, when
applicable; and
(C) a mental health liaison staff member who shall
oversee the outreach team.
(2) Alert.--If an individual has been determined to need a
referral to a mental health care provider, the mental health
outreach team shall be notified immediately by eligible
detention center staff and informed, when applicable.
SEC. 3. BUREAU OF PRISONS.
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
the Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall--
(1) establish a program to develop and administer mental
heath surveys (as described in subsection (d) of section 2) to
corrections officers of the Bureau of Prisons, and establish
and maintain an outreach team (as described in subsection (e)
of section 2) to refer such corrections officer to mental
health care providers, as appropriate; and
(2) submit to the Advisory Board a plan for the
implementation of the program described in paragraph (1).
SEC. 4. ADVISORY BOARD ON PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish an Advisory
Board to manage and administer the grant program under section 2, with
the responsibility for the following:
(1) Evaluating and approving the plans submitted by a State
or locality as required under section 2 and ensuring that grant
funding is used as specified under section 2.
(2) Monitoring plans submitted by the Bureau of Prisons and
advise the Attorney General on compliance to ensure that
funding to the Bureau of Prisons is used as specified under
section 3.
(3) Providing technical assistance to a State or locality
to help with the implementation and administration of mental
health screening and referral programs.
(4) Creating a working group of mental health care
providers, jail and prison administrators, law enforcement
officials, and operators of existing mental health screening
and referral programs to share best practices on how to create
and implement mental health screening and referral programs
that have the largest impact on reducing crime rates and
improving employment and wage rates for individuals released
from prison or jail.
(5) Working in coordination with mental health outreach
teams as established under section 2, to ensure that the grant
program under such section is operating as required.
(6) Determining if a grant awarded by the Program is not
meeting the requirements of the Program and mandate necessary
changes and reducing funding if such changes are not made.
(7) Developing a self-reporting process for mental health
assistance that protects the anonymity and privacy of the
officer and identifies and neutralizes any impediment to self-
reporting, including loss of job and benefits.
(b) Technical Assistance.--The Advisory Board shall provide
technical assistance to the Bureau of Prisons, States, and localities
in setting up and administering the Program and shall identify
evidence-backed models for the administration of mental health
screening and referral programs that the Bureau of Prisons, States, and
localities can look to when designing their own programs.
(c) Membership.--
(1) In general.--The Attorney General shall appoint members
to serve on the Advisory Board established under subsection (a)
who have expertise in--
(A) designing and administering mental health
screenings and providing referrals for corrections
officers;
(B) mental health care within prisons or jails; or
(C) program evaluation using rigorous experimental
and quasi-experimental statistical methods.
(2) Number of members.--The Attorney General shall appoint
as many members to the Advisory Board established under
subsection (a) as the Attorney General determines appropriate.
SEC. 5. FUNDING.
(a) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the
Attorney General to carry out this Act--
(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
(2) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2027;
(3) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2028;
(4) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2029; and
(5) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2030.
(b) Distribution of Funds.--Of the amounts made available under
subsection (a), the Attorney General shall use--
(1) 90 percent of such amount for a grant program under
section 2 and the purposes described under section 3, as
applicable, of which--
(A) 20 percent shall be for the Bureau of Prisons
to carry out the requirements under section 3;
(B) 20 percent shall be for grants to States under
section 2; and
(C) 50 percent shall be for grants to units of
local government under section 2;
(2) 5 percent of such amount for the Advisory Board to
carry out evaluation activities under section 4(a); and
(3) 5 percent of such amount for the Advisory Board to
carry out the activities under section 4(b).
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
(2) Locality.--The term ``locality'' means any city,
county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other
general purpose political subdivision of a State.
(3) Mental health care provider.--The term ``mental health
care provider'' means a fully-licensed professional or group of
professionals who diagnose mental health conditions and provide
mental health treatment, and who operate near to the relevant
jail or prison. Mental health care providers may provide
services at hospitals or at private clinics.
(4) Mental health care center.--The term ``mental health
care center'' means any facility where one or more mental
health care providers offer mental health services, such as a
hospital or private clinic.
(5) Jail or prison administrator.--The term ``jail or
prison administrator'' means any individual who has been
appointed to a supervisory position in a Federal, State, or
local incarceration facility by the Federal Government, a
State, or a locality.
(6) Law enforcement official.--The term ``law enforcement
official'' means any officer of an entity administered by a
locality, State, or the Federal Government that exists
primarily to prevent and detect crime and enforce criminal
laws.
(7) Corrections officers.--The term ``corrections officer''
means any officer or employee of any prison, jail, or other
detention facility, operated by, or under contract to, a
Federal governmental agency, whose job responsibilities include
providing for the custody of incarcerated individuals.
(8) Eligible detention center.--The term ``eligible
detention center'' means any prison or jail administered by the
Bureau of Prisons or a State or any jail administered by a
State or locality.
(9) Severe mental illness.--The term ``severe mental
illness'' means one or more mental, behavioral, or emotional
disorders that results in serious functional impairment and
substantially interferes with or limits major life activities.
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