I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8058 
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. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 14, 2022 
Mr. JOYCE of Ohio (for himself, Mr. TURNER, Ms. BROWN of Ohio, and Ms. 
ROSS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
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. 
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 ‘‘Fighting Post-Trau-
matic Stress Disorder Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) Public safety officers serve their commu-
nities with bravery and distinction in order to keep 
their communities safe. 
(2) Public safety officers, including police offi-
cers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, 
and 911 dispatchers, are on the front lines of deal-
ing with situations that are stressful, graphic, 
harrowing, and life-threatening. 
(3) The work of public safety officers puts them 
at risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder 
and acute stress disorder. 
(4) It is estimated that 30 percent of public 
safety officers develop behavioral health conditions 
at some point in their lifetimes, including depression 
and post-traumatic stress disorder, in comparison to 
20 percent of the general population that develops 
such conditions. 
(5) Victims of post-traumatic stress disorder 
and acute stress disorder are at a higher risk of 
dying by suicide. 
(6) Firefighters have been reported to have 
higher suicide-attempt and ideation rates than the 
general population. 
(7) It is estimated that between 125 and 300 
police officers die by suicide every year. 
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(8) In 2019, pursuant to section 2(b) of the 
Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act 
of 2017 (Public Law 115–113; 131 Stat. 2276), the 
Director of the Office of Community Oriented Polic-
ing Services of the Department of Justice developed 
a report (referred to in this section as the 
‘‘LEMHWA report’’) that expressed that many law 
enforcement agencies do not have the capacity or 
local access to the mental health professionals nec-
essary for treating their law enforcement officers. 
(9) The LEMHWA report recommended meth-
ods for establishing remote access or regional mental 
health check programs at the State or Federal level. 
(10) Individual police and fire departments gen-
erally do not have the resources to employ full-time 
mental health experts who are able to treat public 
safety officers with state-of-the-art techniques for 
the purpose of treating job-related post-traumatic 
stress disorder and acute stress disorder. 
SEC. 3. PROGRAMMING FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DIS-
ORDER. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER.—The term ‘‘pub-
lic safety officer’’— 
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(A) has the meaning given the term in sec-
tion 1204 of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284); 
and 
(B) includes Tribal public safety officers. 
(2) PUBLIC
SAFETY
TELECOMMUNICATOR.— 
The term ‘‘public safety telecommunicator’’ means 
an individual who— 
(A) operates telephone, radio, or other 
communication systems to receive and commu-
nicate requests for emergency assistance at 911 
public safety answering points and emergency 
operations centers; 
(B) takes information from the public and 
other sources relating to crimes, threats, dis-
turbances, acts of terrorism, fires, medical 
emergencies, and other public safety matters; 
and 
(C) coordinates and provides information 
to law enforcement and emergency response 
personnel. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, acting 
through the Director of the Office of Community Oriented 
Policing Services of the Department of Justice, shall sub-
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mit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and 
the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Rep-
resentatives a report on— 
(1) not fewer than 1 proposed program if the 
Attorney General determines it appropriate and fea-
sible to do so to be administered by the Department 
of Justice for making state-of-the-art treatments or 
preventative care available to public safety officers 
and public safety telecommunicators with regard to 
job-related post-traumatic stress disorder or acute 
stress disorder by providing public safety officers 
and public safety telecommunicators access to evi-
dence-based trauma-informed care, peer support, 
counselor services, and family supports for the pur-
pose of treating or preventing post-traumatic stress 
disorder or acute stress disorder; 
(2) a draft of any necessary legislation required 
to ensure that confidentiality is afforded to public 
safety officers on account of seeking the care or 
services described in paragraph (1) under the pro-
posed program; 
(3) how each proposed program described in 
paragraph (1) could be most efficiently administered 
throughout the United States at the State, Tribal, 
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territorial and local levels, taking into account in- 
person and telehealth capabilities; 
(4) a draft of legislative language necessary to 
authorize each proposed program described in para-
graph (1); and 
(5) an estimate of the amount of annual appro-
priation necessary for administering each proposed 
program described in paragraph (1). 
(c) DEVELOPMENT.—In developing the report re-
quired under subsection (b), the Attorney General shall 
consult relevant stakeholders, including— 
(1) Federal, State, Tribal, territorial, and local 
agencies employing public safety officers and public 
safety telecommunicators; and 
(2) 
non-governmental 
organizations, 
inter-
national organizations, academies, or other entities, 
including organizations that support the interests of 
public safety officers and public safety telecommu-
nicators and the interests of family members of pub-
lic safety officers and public safety telecommunica-
tors. 
Æ 
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