Title: Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act of 2018
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act of 2018
This bill establishes a series of programs relating to the behavioral health of public safety officers (e.g., law enforcement officers, firefighters, ambulance crew members, and 9-1-1 operators).

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6571 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6571

 To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve the 
  detection, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues among 
            public safety officers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2018

   Mr. Bera introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
    Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to improve the 
  detection, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues among 
            public safety officers, 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 Emergency Responders 
Overcome Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. DATA SYSTEM TO CAPTURE NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER SUICIDE 
              INCIDENCE.

    The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section 
317T of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-22) the following:

``SEC. 317U. DATA SYSTEM TO CAPTURE NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER 
              SUICIDE INCIDENCE.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting primarily through the 
Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in 
coordination with other agencies as the Secretary determines 
appropriate, shall--
            ``(1) develop and maintain a data system, to be known as 
        the Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System, for the 
        purposes of--
                    ``(A) collecting data on the suicide incidence 
                among public safety officers; and
                    ``(B) facilitating the study of successful 
                interventions to reduce suicide among public safety 
                officers; and
            ``(2) integrate such system into the National Violent Death 
        Reporting System, so long as the Secretary determines such 
        integration to be consistent with the purposes described in 
        paragraph (1).
    ``(b) Data Collection.--In collecting data for the Public Safety 
Officer Suicide Reporting System, the Secretary shall, at a minimum, 
collect the following information:
            ``(1) The total number of suicides in the United States 
        among all public safety officers in a given calendar year.
            ``(2) Suicide rates for public safety officers in a given 
        calendar year, disaggregated by--
                    ``(A) age and gender of the public safety officer;
                    ``(B) State;
                    ``(C) occupation;
                    ``(D) status of the public safety officer as 
                volunteer, paid-on-call, or career; and
                    ``(E) status of the public safety officer as active 
                or retired.
    ``(c) Consultation During Development.--In developing the Public 
Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System, the Secretary shall consult 
with non-Federal experts to determine the best means to collect data 
regarding suicide incidence 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 
        officers.
            ``(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) Active and retired volunteer, paid-on-call, and 
        career public safety officers.
            ``(6) Relevant national police, and fire and emergency 
        response, organizations.
    ``(d) Data Privacy and Security.--In developing and maintaining the 
Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System, the Secretary 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; and
            ``(2) data is sufficiently secure to prevent unauthorized 
        access.
    ``(e) Reporting.--
            ``(1) Annual report.--Not later than one year after the 
        date of enactment of the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome 
        Act of 2018, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
        submit a report to the Congress on the suicide incidence among 
        public safety officers. Each such report shall--
                    ``(A) include such suicide incidence disaggregated 
                by age, gender, and State of employment;
                    ``(B) identify risk factors for suicide among 
                public safety officers;
                    ``(C) disaggregate rates of suicide by--
                            ``(i) occupation;
                            ``(ii) status as volunteer, paid-on-call, 
                        or career; and
                            ``(iii) status as active or retired;
                    ``(D) include recommendations for further study 
                regarding the suicide incidence among public safety 
                officers;
                    ``(E) identify options for interventions to reduce 
                suicide among public safety officers; and
                    ``(F) ensure the confidentiality and anonymity of 
                suicide victims and their families, as described in 
                subsection (d)(1).
            ``(2) Public availability.--Upon the submission of each 
        report to the Congress under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
        make the full report publicly available on the website of the 
        Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    ``(f) Definition.--In this section, the term `public safety 
officer' means--
            ``(1) a public safety officer as defined in section 1204 of 
        the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968; or
            ``(2) a public safety telecommunicator as described in 
        detailed occupation 43-5031 in the Standard Occupational 
        Classification Manual of the Office of Management and Budget 
        (2018).''.

SEC. 3. PEER-SUPPORT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS WITHIN 
              LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS.

    Part B of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 320B. PEER-SUPPORT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS 
              WITHIN LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants to eligible 
entities for the purpose of establishing or enhancing peer-support 
behavioral health and wellness programs within local fire departments.
    ``(b) Program Description.--A peer-support behavioral health and 
wellness program funded under this section shall--
            ``(1) use fire fighters to serve as peer counselors--
                    ``(A) to assist other fire fighters with issues 
                related to behavioral health, including posttraumatic 
                stress, substance abuse, and co-related disorders; and
                    ``(B) to conduct outreach regarding such assistance 
                to fire fighters and their families;
            ``(2) provide training to fire fighters to serve as such 
        peer counselors;
            ``(3) purchase materials to be used exclusively to provide 
        such training; and
            ``(4) disseminate such information and materials as are 
        necessary to conduct the program.
    ``(c) Definition.--In this section, the term `eligible entity' 
means a nonprofit fire service organization with expertise and 
experience with respect to fire fighter health and life safety.''.

SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES FOR EDUCATING MENTAL HEALTH 
              PROFESSIONALS ABOUT TREATING FIRE FIGHTERS.

    The Administrator of the United States Fire Administration, in 
coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall 
develop and make publicly available resources that may be used by the 
Federal Government and other entities to educate mental health 
professionals about--
            (1) the culture of Federal, State, tribal, and local fire 
        departments; and
            (2) evidence-based therapies for mental health issues 
        common to Federal, State, local, and tribal fire fighters.

SEC. 5. BEST PRACTICES AND OTHER RESOURCES FOR ADDRESSING POSTTRAUMATIC 
              STRESS DISORDER IN PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS.

    (a) Development; Updates.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall--
            (1) develop and assemble evidence-based best practices and 
        other resources to identify, prevent, and treat posttraumatic 
        stress disorder and co-occurring disorders in public safety 
        officers; and
            (2) reassess and update, as the Secretary determines 
        necessary, such best practices and resources, including based 
        upon the options for interventions to reduce suicide among 
        public safety officers identified in the annual reports 
        required by section 317U(e)(1)(E) of the Public Health Service 
        Act, as added by section 2 of this Act.
    (b) Consultation.--In developing, assembling, and updating the best 
practices and resources under subsection (a), the Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall consult with, at a minimum, the following:
            (1) Public health experts.
            (2) Mental health experts with experience in studying 
        suicide and other profession-related traumatic stress.
            (3) Clinicians with experience in diagnosing and treating 
        mental health issues.
            (4) Relevant national police, fire, and emergency response 
        organizations.
    (c) Availability.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
make the best practices and resources under subsection (a) available to 
Federal, State, and local fire fighter, police, and emergency response 
departments.
    (d) Federal Training and Development Programs.--The Secretary of 
Health and Human Services shall work with Federal departments and 
agencies, including the United States Fire Administration, to 
incorporate education and training on the best practices and resources 
under subsection (a) into Federal training and development programs for 
public safety officers.
    (e) Definition.--In this section, the term ``public safety 
officer'' means--
            (1) a public safety officer as defined in section 1204 of 
        the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968; or
            (2) a public safety telecommunicator as described in 
        detailed occupation 43-5031 in the Standard Occupational 
        Classification Manual of the Office of Management and Budget 
        (2018).
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