“To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish, within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) office overseen by the Chief Medical Officer, the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program to address mental health and wellness of law enforcement officers and agents in specified DHS components (U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration, and any other component with such personnel). The Program requires the Secretary, through the Chief Medical Officer, to (1) establish policies and standard operating procedures; (2) conduct data collection and research on mental health and suicides, compliant with the Privacy Act of 1974, section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791), and other authorities; (3) track trends and leading practices; (4) evaluate existing programs; (5) promote education and training on mental health, resilience, suicide prevention, and stigma reduction; (6) create a Peer-to-Peer Support Program Advisory Council to evaluate programs, share best practices, establish a peer support network, and ensure training and resources; (7) assist components in developing suicide prevention and resiliency support for families and surviving families; (8) collaborate on new policies and programs; and (9) conduct outreach on resources. The Program protects personally identifiable information, is managed by the Workplace Health and Wellness Coordinator with staffing subject to appropriations, and must issue a directive on roles and responsibilities within 180 days of enactment for distribution to components. The Chief Medical Officer must also assign at least one official from each component for ongoing coordination.