I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4319 
To require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
to track and report on suicides and other issues among public safety 
telecommunicators, to require the Federal Emergency Management Agen-
cy to award grants to advance public safety telecommunicator health 
and well-being, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 1, 2021 
Ms. KELLY
of Illinois (for herself, Mrs. TORRES
of California, Mr. 
FITZPATRICK, and Mr. MEIJER) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require the Director of the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention to track and report on suicides and other 
issues among public safety telecommunicators, to require 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency to award 
grants to advance public safety telecommunicator health 
and well-being, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Providing Resources 
and Occupational Training for Emotional Crisis and 
Trauma in 911 Act’’ or the ‘‘PROTECT 911 Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DATA SYSTEM TO CAPTURE PUBLIC SAFETY TELE-
COMMUNICATOR SUICIDE RATES. 
The Public Health Service Act is amended by insert-
ing after section 317 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–23) 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 317V. DATA SYSTEM TO CAPTURE PUBLIC SAFETY 
TELECOMMUNICATOR SUICIDE RATES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in coordination 
with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
and the heads of other Federal agencies as determined ap-
propriate by the Director— 
‘‘(1) shall develop and maintain a data system, 
to be known as the Public Safety Telecommunicator 
Suicide Reporting System, for the purposes of— 
‘‘(A) collecting data on the suicide rate 
among public safety telecommunicators; and 
‘‘(B) facilitating the study of successful 
interventions to reduce suicide among public 
safety telecommunicators; and 
‘‘(2) may integrate such system with the Na-
tional Violent Death Reporting System, if such inte-
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gration is consistent with the purposes specified in 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(b) DATA COLLECTION.—In collecting data for the 
Public Safety Telecommunicator Suicide Reporting Sys-
tem, the Director shall, at a minimum, collect the fol-
lowing information: 
‘‘(1) The total number of suicides in the United 
States among public safety telecommunicators each 
calendar year. 
‘‘(2) Suicide rates for public safety telecommu-
nicators each calendar year, disaggregated by— 
‘‘(A) age and gender of the individual; 
‘‘(B) State; 
‘‘(C) occupation, including both the indi-
vidual’s role and their primary occupation in 
the case of a part-time public safety telecommu-
nicator; 
‘‘(D) the number of public safety tele-
communicators employed at the individual’s pri-
mary work location; 
‘‘(E) the status of the public safety tele-
communicator as hourly, part-time, or full-time; 
‘‘(F) the status of the public safety tele-
communicator as active or retired; and 
‘‘(G) the method of suicide used. 
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‘‘(c) CONSULTATION DURING DEVELOPMENT.—In 
developing the Public Safety Telecommunicator Suicide 
Reporting System, the Director shall consult with Federal 
and non-Federal experts to determine the best means to 
collect data regarding suicide rates in a safe, sensitive, 
anonymous, and effective manner. Such non-Federal ex-
perts shall include the following: 
‘‘(1) Public health experts with experience in 
developing and maintaining suicide registries. 
‘‘(2) Organizations that track suicide among 
public safety telecommunicators or conduct aware-
ness training specialized to public safety telecommu-
nicators. 
‘‘(3) Mental health experts with experience in 
studying suicide and other profession-related trau-
matic stress. 
‘‘(4) Clinicians with experience in diagnosing 
and treating mental health issues. 
‘‘(5) Current and retired public safety tele-
communicators, including those trained to provide 
mental health or peer support. 
‘‘(6) Relevant public safety telecommunicator 
organizations. 
‘‘(d) DATA PRIVACY AND SECURITY.—In developing 
and maintaining the Public Safety Telecommunicator Sui-
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cide Reporting System, the Director shall ensure that all 
applicable Federal and State privacy and security protec-
tions are followed to ensure that— 
‘‘(1) the confidentiality and anonymity of sui-
cide victims and their families are protected, includ-
ing so as to ensure that data cannot be used to deny 
benefits or cause reputational or professional harm; 
and 
‘‘(2) data is sufficiently secure to prevent unau-
thorized access. 
‘‘(e) BEST PRACTICES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall— 
‘‘(A) develop evidence-based best practices 
to identify, prevent, and treat posttraumatic 
stress disorder and co-occurring disorders in 
public safety telecommunicators; and 
‘‘(B) periodically reassess and update, as 
the Director determines necessary, such best 
practices, including based on the options for 
interventions to reduce suicide among public 
safety telecommunicators identified in the an-
nual reports under subsection (f). 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In developing, reas-
sessing, and updating the best practices under para-
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graph (1), the Director shall consult with, at a min-
imum, the following: 
‘‘(A) Public health experts. 
‘‘(B) Mental health experts with experience 
in studying suicide and other profession-related 
traumatic stress. 
‘‘(C) Clinicians with experience in diag-
nosing and treating mental health issues. 
‘‘(D) Relevant national nonprofit associa-
tions of public safety telecommunicators. 
‘‘(f) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 
after the date of enactment of the PROTECT 911 Act, 
and annually thereafter, the Director shall submit a report 
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the suicide 
rate among public safety telecommunicators. Each such 
report shall— 
‘‘(1) include such suicide rate; 
‘‘(2) identify risk factors for suicide among 
public safety telecommunicators; 
‘‘(3) disaggregate such suicide rate by— 
‘‘(A) age and gender; 
‘‘(B) locality and State; 
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‘‘(C) occupation, including both the indi-
vidual’s role and primary occupation in case of 
a part-time public safety telecommunicator; 
‘‘(D) the number of public safety tele-
communicators employed at the individual’s lo-
cation; 
‘‘(E) the status of public safety tele-
communicator as hourly, part-time or full time; 
and 
‘‘(F) the status of public safety telecommu-
nicator as active or retired; 
‘‘(4) specify in detail, if found, any obstacles in 
collecting data; 
‘‘(5) identify options for interventions to reduce 
suicide among public safety telecommunicators; 
‘‘(6) differentiate suicide rates based on the 
adoption of various legacy and new emergency com-
munication technologies; 
‘‘(7) include the best practices developed and 
updated pursuant to subsection (e); and 
‘‘(8) ensure the confidentiality and anonymity 
of suicide victims and their families, as described in 
subsection (d)(1). 
‘‘(g) PROHIBITED USE OF INFORMATION.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, if an individual is 
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identified as deceased based on information contained in 
the Public Safety Telecommunicator Suicide Reporting 
System, such information may not be used to deny, mod-
ify, or rescind life insurance payments or other benefits 
to a survivor of the deceased individual. 
‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention. 
‘‘(2) 
EMERGENCY
COMMUNICATION
TECH-
NOLOGIES.—The term ‘emergency communication 
technologies’ means any publicly available tele-
communications technology used to contact or com-
municate with an emergency communications center. 
‘‘(3) PUBLIC
SAFETY
TELECOMMUNICATOR.— 
The term ‘public safety telecommunicator’ means a 
public safety telecommunicator as designated in de-
tailed occupation 43–5031 in the Standard Occupa-
tional Classification Manual of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget (2018), or any successor des-
ignation.’’. 
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SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS 
PROGRAMS 
WITHIN 
EMERGENCY 
COMMU-
NICATIONS CENTERS. 
(a) HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAMS.—Sec-
tion 2002(a) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 603(a)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary, through 
the Administrator, and in consultation with the heads of 
such other Federal agencies as the Administrator deter-
mines appropriate, may award grants under sections 
2003, 2004, 2009, and 2010 of this title to— 
‘‘(1) State, local, and tribal governments; and 
‘‘(2) other eligible entities (as such term is de-
fined in section 2010) through the State in which 
such other eligible entities are located.’’. 
(b) BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS.—Title 
XX of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 601 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 2009 the 
following: 
‘‘SEC. 2010. GRANTS FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND 
WELLNESS PROGRAMS WITHIN EMERGENCY 
COMMUNICATIONS CENTERS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 
the Administrator, and in consultation with the heads of 
such other Federal agencies as the Administrator deter-
mines appropriate, shall award grants to State, local, and 
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multi-local emergency communications centers and other 
eligible entities, through the State in which such other eli-
gible entities are located, for the purpose of establishing 
or enhancing behavioral health and wellness programs. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM DESCRIPTION.—A behavioral health 
and wellness program funded under this section shall— 
‘‘(1) establish evidence-based behavioral health 
and wellness programs for emergency communica-
tions centers to support public safety telecommu-
nicators, including programs dedicated to raising 
awareness of, preventing, and mitigating job-related 
mental health issues; 
‘‘(2) establish or enhance peer-support behav-
ioral health and wellness programs; 
‘‘(3) purchase materials to provide such train-
ing; and 
‘‘(4) disseminate such information and mate-
rials as are necessary to carry out the program. 
‘‘(c) DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES FOR EDUCATING 
MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ABOUT TREATING 
PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 
develop and make publicly available resources that 
may be used by the Federal Government and other 
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entities to educate mental health professionals 
about— 
‘‘(A) the culture of emergency communica-
tions centers; 
‘‘(B) the different stressors experienced by 
public safety telecommunicators; 
‘‘(C) challenges encountered by retired 
public safety telecommunicators; and 
‘‘(D) evidence-based therapies for mental 
health issues common to public safety tele-
communicators. 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In developing resources 
under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall consult 
with national nonprofit associations of public safety 
telecommunicators. 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.— 
‘‘(1) EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER.— 
The term ‘emergency communications center’ means 
a facility that is designated to receive a 9–1–1 re-
quest for emergency assistance and perform one or 
more of the following functions: 
‘‘(A) Process and analyze 9–1–1 requests 
for emergency assistance and other gathered in-
formation. 
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‘‘(B) Dispatch appropriate emergency re-
sponse providers. 
‘‘(C) Transfer or exchange 9–1–1 requests 
for emergency assistance and other gathered in-
formation with other emergency communica-
tions centers and emergency response providers. 
‘‘(D) Analyze any communications received 
from emergency response providers. 
‘‘(E) Support incident command functions. 
‘‘(2) OTHER
ELIGIBLE
ENTITY.—The term 
‘other eligible entity’ means a nonprofit organization 
with expertise and experience with respect to the 
health and wellness of public safety telecommunica-
tors, including State, local, and multi-local 9–1–1 
authorities and State, regional, and national public 
safety communications associations. 
‘‘(3) PEER-SUPPORT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND 
WELLNESS PROGRAM.—The term ‘peer-support be-
havioral health and wellness program’ means pro-
grams that use public safety telecommunicators to 
serve as peer counselors or provide training to public 
safety telecommunicators to serve as such peer coun-
selors. 
‘‘(4) PUBLIC
SAFETY
TELECOMMUNICATOR.— 
The term ‘public safety telecommunicator’ means a 
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public safety telecommunicator as designated in de-
tailed occupation 43–5031 in the Standard Occupa-
tional Classification Manual of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget (2018), or any successor des-
ignation.’’. 
Æ 
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