I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8474 
To provide for a Community-Based Emergency and Non-Emergency Response 
Grant Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 1, 2020 
Ms. BASS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Energy 
and Commerce, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for a Community-Based Emergency and Non- 
Emergency Response Grant Program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community-Based Re-
sponse Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to provide an additional option beyond law 
enforcement for community-based emergency and 
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non-emergency response for covered populations in 
need of help or support, in order to— 
(A) target the best professional interven-
tion to an individual in need of help or support; 
and 
(B) avoid escalation of a crisis situation— 
(i) that may not require a response 
from law enforcement; and 
(ii) to which a law enforcement re-
sponse can create increased risk of harm; 
and 
(2) establishing a grant program to provide 
that additional response option by awarding funding 
to partnerships described in section 5(a). 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER.— 
The term ‘‘community mental health center’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 1861 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x). 
(2) COVERED
COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZA-
TION.—The term ‘‘covered community-based organi-
zation’’ means an organization that meets the re-
quirements of section 5(b). 
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(3) COVERED
POPULATION.—The term ‘‘cov-
ered population’’ means— 
(A) individuals who are racial or ethnic mi-
norities or members of an Indian tribe; 
(B) immigrants, including undocumented 
immigrants, immigrants who have recently en-
tered the United States, and refugees; 
(C) individuals with limited English pro-
ficiency, meaning their primary language for 
communication is not English and communica-
tion with emergency responders may be dif-
ficult; 
(D) individuals who are age 60 or older 
and determined to be likely to be— 
(i) vulnerable to abuse; or 
(ii) experiencing health challenges; 
(E) people with disabilities, as defined in 
section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act 
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102); 
(F) people in the LGBTQIA+ community; 
(G) people who are likely to face dispropor-
tionate or discriminatory law enforcement con-
tact; 
(H) people who are or were involved in the 
criminal justice system; 
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(I) homeless persons, as defined in section 
103 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302); 
(J) people facing or with a history of men-
tal or behavioral health crises or who need 
check-ins for health, safety, or substance use 
disorder reasons; 
(K) people experiencing family violence or 
domestic violence under the laws of the jurisdic-
tion involved, or dating violence; 
(L) victims of child abuse and children ex-
posed to violence; 
(M) people who are likely to be engaged in 
or to experience violence in the community; 
(N) people with, or recovering from, a sub-
stance use disorder; 
(O) current and former foster youth; 
(P) youth who are or were involved in the 
juvenile justice system; 
(Q) victims of conduct described in section 
1591 or 2251 of title 18, United States Code; 
(R) people who engage in acts defined in 
paragraph (4) of section 103 of the Trafficking 
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
7102); 
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(S) adult survivors of sexual assault, as de-
fined under the laws of the jurisdiction in-
volved; 
(T) victims of trafficking, as defined in 
section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protec-
tion Act of 2000; 
(U) out-of-school youth; and 
(V) people in an acute crisis not covered 
under subparagraphs (A) through (U). 
(4) DATING VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘dating vio-
lence’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
40002(a) of the Violence Against Women Act of 
1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291(a)). 
(5) IMMIGRATION TERMS.— 
(A) IMMIGRANT.—The term ‘‘immigrant’’ 
means an alien who has entered the United 
States. 
(B) UNDOCUMENTED
IMMIGRANT.—The 
term ‘‘undocumented immigrant’’ means an 
alien who is unlawfully present in the United 
States. 
(6) INDIAN
TRIBE; TRIBAL
ORGANIZATION.— 
The terms ‘‘Indian tribe’’ and ‘‘tribal organization’’ 
have the meanings given the terms in section 4 of 
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the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assist-
ance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
(7) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ means— 
(A) such an institution as defined in sec-
tion 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1001); and 
(B) a tribally controlled college or univer-
sity as defined in section 2 of the Tribally Con-
trolled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act 
of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 1801). 
(8) OUT-OF-SCHOOL YOUTH.—The term ‘‘out- 
of-school youth’’ means an individual who is— 
(A) not attending any school (as defined 
under State law); 
(B) not younger than age 16 or older than 
age 24; and 
(C) one or more of the following: 
(i) A young person who has dropped 
out of school. 
(ii) A youth who is within the age of 
compulsory school attendance, but has not 
attended school for at least the most recent 
complete school year calendar quarter. 
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(iii) A recipient of a secondary school 
diploma or its recognized equivalent who is 
a low-income individual and is either basic 
skills deficient or an English language 
learner (as such 3 terms are defined in 
section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and 
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102)). 
(iv) An individual who is subject to 
the criminal justice system. 
(v) An individual experience homeless-
ness, a homeless child or youth, or a run-
away. 
(vi) An individual— 
(I) who is in foster care, who has 
aged out of the foster care system, or 
who has attained 16 years of age and 
left foster care for kinship guardian-
ship or adoption; 
(II) who is a child eligible for as-
sistance under section 477 of the So-
cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677); or 
(III) who is a child in an out-of- 
home placement. 
(vii) An individual who is pregnant or 
parenting. 
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(viii) An individual with a disability 
(as defined in section 3 of the Workforce 
Innovation 
and 
Opportunity 
Act 
(29 
U.S.C. 3102)). 
(ix) A low-income individual (as de-
fined in that section 3) who requires addi-
tional assistance to enter or complete an 
educational program or to secure or hold 
employment. 
(9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, after 
consultation with the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development and the Attorney General. 
(10) SUBSTANCE
USE
DISORDER.—The term 
‘‘substance use disorder’’ means such a disorder 
within the meaning of title V of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa et seq.). 
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 
Community-Based Emergency and Non-Emergency Re-
sponse Grant Program to improve community-based emer-
gency and non-emergency response for public safety and 
problem solving, and to promote the safety and well-being 
of the populations and communities served under the pro-
gram by— 
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(1) identifying eligible organizations with dem-
onstrated capacity for emergency and non-emergency 
response work, including violence interruption, com-
munity mediation, and crisis behavioral health re-
sponse, who are capable of providing, and increasing 
the capacity of the localities to provide, emergency 
and non-emergency response for specified covered 
populations; 
(2) developing a local infrastructure of systems 
and resources needed to develop, implement, and 
sustain effective interventions to protect the mental 
and physical well-being of members of the commu-
nity, prevent violence, de-escalate volatile situations, 
ensure access to human services, protect property 
and the environment, reduce law enforcement use of 
force, and ensure the health and safety of commu-
nities, while decreasing the sole reliance on law en-
forcement for emergency and non-emergency situa-
tions; 
(3) creating and strengthening formal and in-
formal partnerships, for such purposes as providing 
solutions and committing resources to sustain and 
scale up successful models of community-based 
emergency and non-emergency response; and 
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(4) providing timely evaluation to clarify the 
outcomes and costs of the program, and the new 
interventions and service models provided through 
the program, for service recipients and law enforce-
ment. 
(b) INITIATION GRANTS.—In carrying out the Pro-
gram, the Secretary shall make initiation grants to not 
fewer than 40 eligible partnerships, including not fewer 
than 4 eligible partnerships that include Indian tribes or 
tribal organizations, of which not fewer than 2 shall be 
eligible partnerships led by an Indian tribe or tribal orga-
nization, to carry out projects to meet the objectives de-
scribed in subsection (a). The Secretary shall make the 
grants for periods of 5 years. The Secretary shall make 
the grants to partnerships in geographically diverse areas, 
including urban and rural communities, and in commu-
nities with varying population sizes. 
(c) CONTINUATION GRANTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—In carrying out the Pro-
gram, the Secretary shall make continuation grants 
to eligible partnerships who are recipients of the ini-
tiation grants and who are determined by the Sec-
retary to be in good standing on completion of the 
grant period for those grants, to pay for the Federal 
share of the cost of carrying out projects to meet the 
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objectives described in subsection (a). The Secretary 
shall make the grants for periods of 2 years. 
(2) NON-FEDERAL
SHARE.—The non-Federal 
share of the costs described in this subsection shall 
be 25 percent. The eligible partnership receiving 
such a grant shall provide the non-Federal share 
from State, tribal, local, or private sources. 
SEC. 5. ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this title Act, an entity shall be a partnership of— 
(1)(A) a unit of local government (or its con-
tractor), or Indian tribe or tribal organization, act-
ing through an entity that is independent of any law 
enforcement agency; and 
(B) a covered community-based organization; 
and 
(2) if applicable, a nonprofit or public institu-
tion of higher education, community mental health 
center, or behavioral health organization. 
(b) COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION.—A commu-
nity-based organization referred to in subsection (a)(1) 
shall be a nonprofit community-based organization, a con-
sortium of nonprofit community-based organizations, a 
national nonprofit organization acting as an intermediary 
for a community-based organization, or a community- 
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based organization that has a fiscal sponsor that allows 
the organization to function as an organization that is de-
scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) 
of that Code. 
SEC. 6. GRANT APPLICATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this Act for a project, a partnership shall submit 
an application (which, for a continuation grant, shall be 
an update of the partnership’s initiation grant application) 
to the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may require, in-
cluding— 
(1) information that specifies in detail— 
(A) the covered populations that the part-
nership will target for services under this Act; 
(B) the experience of the members of the 
partnership in successfully working in the com-
munity to be served and partnering with the 
target populations, including— 
(i) for a partnership that includes an 
Indian tribe or tribal organization, an un-
derstanding of tribal sovereignty; and 
(ii) for a partnership not described in 
clause (i), the partnership’s understanding 
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