Title: Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act of 2019 or the HERO Act of 2019
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). For example, the bill establishes (1) a public-safety officer suicide-reporting system at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and (2) a grant program for peer-support behavioral health and wellness programs within fire departments and emergency medical services agencies.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1646 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1646

 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

                             March 8, 2019

   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 2019'' or the ``HERO Act of 2019''.

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; including both the individual's 
                role in their public safety agency and their primary 
                occupation in the case of volunteer public safety 
                officers;
                    ``(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 
        medical services, 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 2019, 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) specify in detail, if found, any obstacles in 
                collecting suicide rates for volunteers and include 
                recommended improvements to overcome such obstacles;
                    ``(F) identify options for interventions to reduce 
                suicide among public safety officers; and
                    ``(G) 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).
    ``(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 Officer Suicide Reporting 
System, such information may not be used to deny or rescind life 
insurance payments or other benefits to a survivor of the deceased 
individual.''.

SEC. 3. PEER-SUPPORT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMS WITHIN 
              FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE AGENCIES.

    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 FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE 
              AGENCIES.

    ``(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 fire departments and 
emergency medical services agencies.
    ``(b) Program Description.--A peer-support behavioral health and 
wellness program funded under this section shall--
            ``(1) use career and volunteer members of fire departments 
        or emergency medical services agencies to serve as peer 
        counselors;
            ``(2) provide training to members of career, volunteer, and 
        combination fire departments or emergency medical service 
        agencies 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:
            ``(1) The term `eligible entity' means a nonprofit 
        organization with expertise and experience with respect to the 
        health and life safety of members of fire and emergency medical 
        services agencies.
            ``(2) The term `member'--
                    ``(A) with respect to an emergency medical services 
                agency, means an employee, regardless of rank or 
                whether they receive compensation (as defined in 
                section 1204(7) of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
                Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284(7)); and
                    ``(B) with respect to a fire department, means a 
                firefighter (as defined in section 1204(4) of the 
                Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
                U.S.C. 10284(4)).''.

SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES FOR EDUCATING MENTAL HEALTH 
              PROFESSIONALS ABOUT TREATING FIRE FIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY 
              MEDICAL SERVICES PERSONNEL.

    (a) In General.--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 
        career, volunteer, and combination fire departments and 
        emergency medical services agencies;
            (2) the different stressors experienced by firefighters and 
        emergency medical services personnel, supervisory firefighters 
        and emergency medical services personnel, and chief officers of 
        fire departments and emergency medical services agencies;
            (3) challenges encountered by retired firefighters and 
        emergency medical services personnel; and
            (4) evidence-based therapies for mental health issues 
        common to firefighters and emergency medical services personnel 
        within such departments and agencies.
    (b) Consultation.--In developing resources under subsection (a), 
the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration and the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall consult with national fire 
and emergency medical services organizations.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``firefighter'' means any employee of a 
        Federal, State, Tribal, or local fire department who is 
        responsible for responding to calls for emergency service.
            (2) The term ``emergency medical services personnel'' means 
        any employee, regardless of rank or whether they receive 
        compensation, as defined in section 1204(7) of the Omnibus 
        Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
        10284(7)).
            (3) The term ``chief officer'' means any individual who is 
        responsible for the overall operation of a fire department or 
        an emergency medical services agency, irrespective of whether 
        such individual also serves as a firefighter or emergency 
        medical services personnel.

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)(F) 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 medical 
        services 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, law enforcement, and emergency medical 
services agencies.
    (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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