PROTECT 911 Act
Bill: H.R.4319 | Sponsor: Rep. Kelly, Robin L. (D-IL)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Providing Resources and Occupational Training for Emotional Crisis and Trauma in 911 Act or the PROTECT 911 Act
This bill requires reporting on, and authorizes a grant program to address, suicide and other behavioral health issues among 9-1-1 operators and other public safety personnel who receive and communicate requests for emergency assistance.
Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must develop a reporting system to collect data on the suicide rate among and identify best practices to reduce suicides within that profession.
In addition, the bill establishes within the Department of Homeland Security grants for emergency communications centers and relevant nonprofits to raise awareness of, prevent, and mitigate job-related mental health issues.

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 Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

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 TELECOMMUNICATOR SUICIDE 
              RATES.

    The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting 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 appropriate 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 National Violent 
        Death Reporting System, if such integration is consistent with 
        the purposes specified in paragraph (1).
    ``(b) Data Collection.--In collecting data for the Public Safety 
Telecommunicator Suicide Reporting System, the Director shall, at a 
minimum, collect the following information:
            ``(1) The total number of suicides in the United States 
        among public safety telecommunicators each calendar year.
            ``(2) Suicide rates for public safety telecommunicators 
        each calendar year, disaggregated by--
                    ``(A) age and gender of the individual;
                    ``(B) State;
                    ``(C) occupation, including both the individual's 
                role and their primary occupation in the case of a 
                part-time public safety telecommunicator;
                    ``(D) the number of public safety telecommunicators 
                employed at the individual's primary work location;
                    ``(E) the status of the public safety 
                telecommunicator as hourly, part-time, or full-time;
                    ``(F) the status of the public safety 
                telecommunicator as active or retired; and
                    ``(G) the method of suicide used.
    ``(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 experts 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 awareness training specialized to 
        public safety telecommunicators.
            ``(3) Mental health experts with experience in studying 
        suicide and other profession-related traumatic stress.
            ``(4) Clinicians with experience in diagnosing and treating 
        mental health issues.
            ``(5) Current and retired public safety telecommunicators, 
        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 Suicide Reporting System, the Director 
shall ensure that all applicable Federal and State privacy and security 
protections are followed to ensure that--
            ``(1) the confidentiality and anonymity of suicide victims 
        and their families are protected, including 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 unauthorized 
        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 annual reports under subsection (f).
            ``(2) Consultation.--In developing, reassessing, and 
        updating the best practices under paragraph (1), the Director 
        shall consult with, at a minimum, 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 diagnosing and 
                treating mental health issues.
                    ``(D) Relevant national nonprofit associations 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;
                    ``(C) occupation, including both the individual's 
                role and primary occupation in case of a part-time 
                public safety telecommunicator;
                    ``(D) the number of public safety telecommunicators 
                employed at the individual's location;
                    ``(E) the status of public safety telecommunicator 
                as hourly, part-time or full time; and
                    ``(F) the status of public safety telecommunicator 
                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 communication 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.--Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, if an individual is identified as deceased based on 
information contained in the Public Safety Telecommunicator Suicide 
Reporting System, such information may not be used to deny, modify, 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 technologies.--The term 
        `emergency communication technologies' means any publicly 
        available telecommunications technology used to contact or 
        communicate with an emergency communications center.
            ``(3) Public safety telecommunicator.--The term `public 
        safety telecommunicator' means a public safety telecommunicator 
        as designated in detailed occupation 43-5031 in the Standard 
        Occupational Classification Manual of the Office of Management 
        and Budget (2018), or any successor designation.''.

SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS WITHIN 
              EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS CENTERS.

    (a) Homeland Security Grant Programs.--Section 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 determines 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 defined 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 determines appropriate, shall award grants to State, 
local, and multi-local emergency communications centers and other 
eligible entities, through the State in which such other eligible 
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 communications centers to 
        support public safety telecommunicators, including programs 
        dedicated to raising awareness of, preventing, and mitigating 
        job-related mental health issues;
            ``(2) establish or enhance peer-support behavioral health 
        and wellness programs;
            ``(3) purchase materials to provide such training; and
            ``(4) disseminate such information and materials 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 entities to educate mental health 
        professionals about--
                    ``(A) the culture of emergency communications 
                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 telecommunicators.
            ``(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 request 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 information.
                    ``(B) Dispatch appropriate emergency response 
                providers.
                    ``(C) Transfer or exchange 9-1-1 requests for 
                emergency assistance and other gathered information 
                with other emergency communications 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 telecommunicators, 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 behavioral health and wellness 
        program' means programs that use public safety 
        telecommunicators to serve as peer counselors or provide 
        training to public safety telecommunicators to serve as such 
        peer counselors.
            ``(4) Public safety telecommunicator.--The term `public 
        safety telecommunicator' means a public safety telecommunicator 
        as designated in detailed occupation 43-5031 in the Standard 
        Occupational Classification Manual of the Office of Management 
        and Budget (2018), or any successor designation.''.
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