Helping Families Heal Act of 2022
Bill: H.R.8914 | Sponsor: Rep. Bush, Cori (D-MO)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Helping Families Heal Act of 2022
This bill establishes programs and sets out other actions to address mental health impacts of law enforcement personnel violence on those who have experienced, witnessed, or otherwise suffered traumatic experiences due to such violence, with a particular emphasis on communities and schools.

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the 
Secretary of Education to make awards to increase or improve access to 
  comprehensive mental and behavioral health services for individuals 
exposed to violent encounters involving law enforcement personnel, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

     This Act may be cited as the ``Helping Families Heal Act of 
2022''.

SEC. 2. HELPING FAMILIES HEAL PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in 
this section referred to as the ``Secretary''), acting through the 
Director of the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, shall carry out a 
program, to be known as the Helping Families Heal Program, consisting 
of awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible 
entities to--
            (1) hire, train, and dispatch mental health professionals 
        to provide services to individuals who have experienced or 
        witnessed law enforcement personnel violence and--
                    (A) are in a mental health crisis; or
                    (B) may have a mental illness;
            (2) provide comprehensive mental and behavioral health 
        services and supports to assist individuals who have suffered 
        traumatic experiences or are in grief, in bereavement, or at 
        risk of suicide or violence, as a result of--
                    (A) the death of a family member due to law 
                enforcement personnel violence;
                    (B) the death of a colleague or neighbor due to law 
                enforcement personnel violence; or
                    (C) experiencing threats, violence, harm, or 
                brutality during an interaction with law enforcement 
                personnel;
            (3) implement community-based mental health programs that--
                    (A) build awareness of individual, community, and 
                intergenerational trauma as a result of witnessing or 
                experience law enforcement personnel violence;
                    (B) train staff and volunteers to identify, and 
                screen for, signs of trauma exposure, mental health 
                disorders, and risk of suicide in the wake of law 
                enforcement personnel violence;
                    (C) incorporate community interventions, family 
                engagement, and intergenerational counseling that 
                encourage the development of positive mental health, 
                prevent mental health disorders, and diminish the 
                impact of trauma resulting from law enforcement 
                personnel violence;
                    (D) facilitate partnerships among families, mental 
                health and substance use disorder providers, family-
                based mental health and substance use disorder 
                providers, child welfare providers, trauma networks, 
                and health care providers (including mental health 
                professionals who specialize in pediatric services); 
                and
                    (E) establish mechanisms for individuals, families, 
                and children who have witnessed or experienced law 
                enforcement personnel violence to report incidents of 
                violence or plans to commit violence; or
            (4) provide technical assistance to community-based 
        organizations regarding the activities described in paragraphs 
        (1), (2), and (3).
    (b) Additional Awards.--Subject to the availability of funds, the 
Secretary shall make an additional award of funds under subsection (a) 
each fiscal year through fiscal year 2026 to each recipient of an award 
under subsection (a) that demonstrates that its program under such 
award resulted in a notable increase in the number of individuals 
provided with mental health services who have experienced, or been 
witness to, law enforcement personnel violence.
    (c) Priority.--In awarding grants, contracts, and cooperative 
agreements under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to 
eligible entities in communities that--
            (1) have high rates of interaction with law enforcement 
        personnel for people of color or Black residents;
            (2) have high rates of arrest and incarceration of persons 
        with mental illness, intellectual disability, or developmental 
        disability; or
            (3) commit to providing in-kind contributions from non-
        Federal sources, or volunteer hours, for individuals served by 
        recipients of awards under this section.
    (d) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall be--
            (1) a community-based mental health care provider, 
        including a public or private mental health entity, health care 
        entity, family-based mental health entity, or trauma network; 
        or
            (2) a community-based organization or nonprofit 
        organization as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
    (e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to limit the applicability of the regulations under section 
264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 
1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d-2 note) to any patient records developed by 
covered entities through activities funded through an award under this 
section.
    (f) Geographical Distribution.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
recipients of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under 
subsection (a) are distributed equitably among the regions of the 
country and among urban and rural areas.
    (g) Duration of Awards.--A grant, contract, or cooperative 
agreement under subsection (a) shall be for a period of 1 year.
    (h) Evaluation and Measures of Outcomes.--
            (1) Development of process.--The Secretary shall develop a 
        fiscally appropriate process for evaluating activities carried 
        out pursuant to an award under this section. Such a process 
        shall include--
                    (A) the development of guidelines for the 
                submission of program data by grant, contract, and 
                cooperative agreement recipients;
                    (B) the application by such recipients of measures 
                of outcomes developed under paragraph (2) to the 
                programs funded through such awards; and
                    (C) the submission of annual reports by such 
                recipients concerning the effectiveness of programs 
                funded through such awards.
            (2) Measures of outcomes.--The Secretary shall develop 
        measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients of awards 
        under this section to evaluate the effectiveness of activities 
        funded through such awards.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2023 through 2027.

SEC. 3. HEALING FOR STUDENTS PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Education (in this section 
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall carry out a program, to be 
known as the Healing for Students Program, consisting of awarding 
grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to--
            (1) hire and dispatch mental health professionals to 
        provide services to students and school personnel who have 
        experienced or witnessed law enforcement personnel violence 
        and--
                    (A) are in a mental health crisis; or
                    (B) may have a mental illness;
            (2) provide comprehensive mental and behavioral health 
        services and supports to assist students and school personnel 
        who have suffered traumatic experiences or are in grief, in 
        bereavement, or at risk of suicide or violence, as a result 
        of--
                    (A) the death of a family member due to law 
                enforcement personnel violence;
                    (B) the death of a classmate due to law enforcement 
                personnel violence;
                    (C) the death of a colleague or neighbor due to law 
                enforcement personnel violence; or
                    (D) experiencing threats, violence, harm, or 
                brutality during an interaction with law enforcement 
                personnel;
            (3) implement school-based mental health programs that--
                    (A) build awareness of individual, community, and 
                intergenerational trauma as a result of witnessing or 
                experience law enforcement personnel violence;
                    (B) train school personnel to identify, and screen 
                for, signs of trauma exposure, mental health disorders, 
                and risk of suicide in the wake of law enforcement 
                personnel violence;
                    (C) incorporate family engagement, student 
                supports, and intergenerational counseling that 
                encourage the development of positive mental health, 
                prevent mental health disorders, and diminish the 
                impact of trauma resulting from law enforcement 
                personnel violence;
                    (D) educate students on the stigma surrounding 
                mental health;
                    (E) facilitate partnerships among families, 
                students, mental health and substance use disorder 
                providers, family-based mental health and substance use 
                disorder providers, child welfare providers, trauma 
                networks, and health care providers (including mental 
                health professionals who specialize in pediatric 
                services); and
                    (F) establish mechanisms for students and school 
                personnel who have witnessed or experienced law 
                enforcement personnel violence to report incidents of 
                violence or plans to commit violence; or
            (4) in the case of a grantee that is a local educational 
        agency or a consortium of local educational agencies, provide 
        technical assistance to schools regarding the activities 
        described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3).
    (b) Additional Awards.--Subject to the availability of funds, the 
Secretary shall make an additional award of funds under subsection (a) 
each fiscal year through fiscal year 2026 to each recipient of an award 
under subsection (a) that demonstrates that its program under such 
award resulted in a notable increase in the number of individuals 
provided with mental health services who have experienced, or been 
witness to, law enforcement personnel violence.
    (c) Priority.--In awarding grants, contracts, and cooperative 
agreements under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to 
eligible entities serving communities that--
            (1) have high rates of interaction with law enforcement 
        personnel for people of color or Black residents;
            (2) have high rates of arrest and incarceration of persons 
        with mental illness, intellectual disability, or developmental 
        disability; or
            (3) commit to providing in-kind contributions from non-
        Federal sources, or volunteer hours, for students and school 
        personnel served by recipients of awards under this section.
    (d) Eligibility.--To be eligible for a grant, contract, or 
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall be--
            (1) a local educational agency serving elementary schools 
        and secondary schools;
            (2) a consortium of such local educational agencies; or
            (3) an elementary school or secondary school.
    (e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to limit the applicability of the regulations under section 
264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 
1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d-2 note) to any patient records developed by 
covered entities through activities funded through an award under this 
section.
    (f) Geographical Distribution.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
recipients of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under 
subsection (a) are distributed equitably among the regions of the 
country and among urban and rural areas.
    (g) Duration of Awards.--A grant, contract, or cooperative 
agreement under subsection (a) shall be for a period of 1 year.
    (h) Evaluation and Measures of Outcomes.--
            (1) Development of process.--The Secretary shall develop a 
        fiscally appropriate process for evaluating activities carried 
        out pursuant to an award under this section. Such a process 
        shall include--
                    (A) the development of guidelines for the 
                submission of program data by grant, contract, and 
                cooperative agreement recipients;
                    (B) the application by such recipients of measures 
                of outcomes developed under paragraph (2) to the 
                programs funded through such awards; and
                    (C) the submission of annual reports by such 
                recipients concerning the effectiveness of programs 
                funded through such awards.
            (2) Measures of outcomes.--The Secretary shall develop 
        measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients of awards 
        under this section to evaluate the effectiveness of activities 
        funded through such awards.
    (i) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``elementary school'', 
``local educational agency'', and ``secondary school'' have the 
meanings given to such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
    (j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2023 through 2027.

SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Education, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, and the Attorney General, acting jointly, 
shall establish a permanent interagency task force (referred to in this 
section as the ``Task Force'') to coordinate and promote holistic, 
qualified responses to adolescent victims of law enforcement personnel 
violence.
    (b) Members.--The Task Force shall be composed of the following 
members:
            (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services (or the 
        Secretary's designee).
            (2) The Secretary of Education (or the Secretary's 
        designee).
            (3) The Attorney General of the United States (or the 
        Attorney General's designee).
            (4) The heads of other Federal departments and agencies (or 
        their designees), as determined necessary by the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services.
    (c) Duties.--The Task Force shall--
            (1) recommend criteria to be used by the Department of 
        Health and Human Services and the Department of Education in 
        allocating funds under sections 2 and 3 among eligible 
        entities;
            (2) recommend mechanisms for the Department of Health and 
        Human Services, the Department of Education, and the Department 
        of Justice to collect and review statistical data surrounding 
        interactions with law enforcement in an area;
            (3) use such data to facilitate the prioritization of 
        awards under sections 2(c) and 3(c); and
            (4) facilitate ongoing efforts to streamline the 
        application, monitoring, and reporting processes to make 
        Federal funds provided pursuant to awards under this Act 
        maximally accessible to small, grassroots organizations that 
        house adolescents in areas acutely impacted by high rates of 
        law enforcement personnel violence.
    (d) Meetings.--For the purpose of carrying out this section, the 
Task Force may hold such meetings, and sit and act at such times and 
places, as the Task Force considers appropriate.
    (e) Information.--The Task Force may secure directly from any 
Federal agency such information as may be necessary to enable the Task 
Force to carry out this section. Upon request of the Chairperson of the 
Task Force, the head of such agency shall furnish such information to 
the Task Force.
    (f) Reports.--For the purpose of enabling the Task Force to carry 
out this section, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services, and the Attorney General shall submit to the 
Congress a report that contains with respect to each recipient of an 
award under this Act--
            (1) a profile of such recipient; and
            (2) in the case of any such recipient that is a State or 
        unit of local government, the needs of school mental health 
        providers in the relevant jurisdiction.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``interaction with law enforcement personnel'' 
        means an interaction in which--
                    (A) a law enforcement agent uses force or threatens 
                to use force;
                    (B) an individual is stopped by a law enforcement 
                agent while such individual is--
                            (i) driving a motor vehicle; or
                            (ii) otherwise in public;
                    (C) an individual is a passenger in a motor vehicle 
                that is stopped by a law enforcement agent;
                    (D) an individual is arrested; or
                    (E) an individual is otherwise stopped or 
                approached by a law enforcement agent.
            (2) The terms ``use force'' and ``uses force'' include 
        pushing, grabbing, handcuffing, hitting, kicking, using 
        chemical or pepper spray, using an electroshock weapon, and 
        pointing or shooting a gun.
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