118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 645 

AN ACT 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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†S 645 ES

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fighting Post-Trau3 matic Stress Disorder Act of 2023’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Public safety officers serve their commu7 nities with bravery and distinction in order to keep 

8 their communities safe. 

9 (2) Public safety officers, including police offi10 cers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, 

11 and 911 dispatchers, are on the front lines of deal12 ing with situations that are stressful, graphic, 

13 harrowing, and life-threatening. 

14 (3) The work of public safety officers puts them 

15 at risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder 

16 and acute stress disorder. 

17 (4) It is estimated that 30 percent of public 

18 safety officers develop behavioral health conditions 

19 at some point in their lifetimes, including depression 

20 and post-traumatic stress disorder, in comparison to 

21 20 percent of the general population that develops 

22 such conditions. 

23 (5) Victims of post-traumatic stress disorder 

24 and acute stress disorder are at a higher risk of 

25 dying by suicide. 
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1 (6) Firefighters have been reported to have 

2 higher suicide attempt and ideation rates than the 

3 general population. 

4 (7) It is estimated that between 125 and 300 

5 police officers die by suicide every year. 

6 (8) In 2019, pursuant to section 2(b) of the 

7 Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act 

8 of 2017 (Public Law 115–113; 131 Stat. 2276), the 

9 Director of the Office of Community Oriented Polic10 ing Services of the Department of Justice developed 

11 a report (referred to in this section as the 

12 ‘‘LEMHWA report’’) that expressed that many law 

13 enforcement agencies do not have the capacity or 

14 local access to the mental health professionals nec15 essary for treating their law enforcement officers. 

16 (9) The LEMHWA report recommended meth17 ods for establishing remote access or regional mental 

18 health check programs at the State or Federal level. 

19 (10) Individual police and fire departments gen20 erally do not have the resources to employ full-time 

21 mental health experts who are able to treat public 

22 safety officers with state-of-the-art techniques for 

23 the purpose of treating job-related post-traumatic 

24 stress disorder and acute stress disorder. 
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1 SEC. 3. PROGRAMMING FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DIS2 ORDER. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER.—The term ‘‘pub5 lic safety officer’’— 

6 (A) has the meaning given the term in sec7 tion 1204 of the Omnibus Crime Control and 

8 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284); 

9 and 

10 (B) includes Tribal public safety officers. 

11 (2) PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATOR.— 

12 The term ‘‘public safety telecommunicator’’ means 

13 an individual who— 

14 (A) operates telephone, radio, or other 

15 communication systems to receive and commu16 nicate requests for emergency assistance at 911 

17 public safety answering points and emergency 

18 operations centers; 

19 (B) takes information from the public and 

20 other sources relating to crimes, threats, dis21 turbances, acts of terrorism, fires, medical 

22 emergencies, and other public safety matters; 

23 and 

24 (C) coordinates and provides information 

25 to law enforcement and emergency response 

26 personnel. 
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1 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 150 days after the date 

2 of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, acting 

3 through the Director of the Office of Community Oriented 

4 Policing Services of the Department of Justice, shall sub5 mit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and 

6 the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Rep7 resentatives a report on— 

8 (1) not fewer than 1 proposed program, if the 

9 Attorney General determines it appropriate and fea10 sible to do so, to be administered by the Department 

11 of Justice for making state-of-the-art treatments or 

12 preventative care available to public safety officers 

13 and public safety telecommunicators with regard to 

14 job-related post-traumatic stress disorder or acute 

15 stress disorder by providing public safety officers 

16 and public safety telecommunicators access to evi17 dence-based trauma-informed care, peer support, 

18 counselor services, and family supports for the pur19 pose of treating or preventing post-traumatic stress 

20 disorder or acute stress disorder; 

21 (2) a draft of any necessary grant conditions 

22 required to ensure that confidentiality is afforded to 

23 public safety officers on account of seeking the care 

24 or services described in paragraph (1) under the pro25 posed program; 
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1 (3) how each proposed program described in 

2 paragraph (1) could be most efficiently administered 

3 throughout the United States at the State, Tribal, 

4 territorial, and local levels, taking into account in5 person and telehealth capabilities; 

6 (4) a draft of legislative language necessary to 

7 authorize each proposed program described in para8 graph (1); and 

9 (5) an estimate of the amount of annual appro10 priations necessary for administering each proposed 

11 program described in paragraph (1). 

12 (c) DEVELOPMENT.—In developing the report re13 quired under subsection (b), the Attorney General shall 

14 consult relevant stakeholders, including— 

15 (1) Federal, State, Tribal, territorial, and local 

16 agencies employing public safety officers and public 

17 safety telecommunicators; and 

18 (2) non-governmental organizations, inter19 national organizations, academies, or other entities, 

20 including organizations that support the interests of 

21 public safety officers and public safety 
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1 telecommunicators and the interests of family mem2 bers of public safety officers and public safety tele3 communicators. 

Passed the Senate March 2, 2023. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 
118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 645 

AN ACT 

To require the Attorney General to propose a proto public safety officers, and for other purposes. stress disorder and acute stress disorder available gram for making treatment for post-traumatic