Title: Supporting the Health and Safety of Law Enforcement Act of 2019
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Supporting the Health and Safety of Law Enforcement Act of 2019
This bill establishes a pilot program to promote coordination between community mental health centers and law enforcement agencies.
Specifically, it directs the Department of Justice to award grants for community mental health centers to place social workers with law enforcement agencies. The purpose of the placement is to facilitate coordination on law enforcement cases with an underlying mental health component.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2696 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2696

 To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to provide grants 
to community mental health centers for the placement of social workers 
         with law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2019

   Mr. Harder of California introduced the following bill; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to provide grants 
to community mental health centers for the placement of social workers 
         with law enforcement agencies, 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 ``Supporting the Health and Safety of 
Law Enforcement Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.

    Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Attorney General shall establish a pilot program to provide grants 
to community mental health centers for the placement of social workers 
with law enforcement agencies to facilitate closer coordination on law 
enforcement issues with an underlying connection to mental health.

SEC. 3. NUMBER AND AMOUNT OF GRANTS.

    The Attorney General shall award not more than 4 grants each fiscal 
year to community mental health centers (as such term is defined in 
section 1861 of the Social Security Act) in each of the 4 census 
regions. Each such grant shall be in an amount not to exceed $300,000. 
The term of such a grant shall be 3 years. Each such mental health 
center shall partner with a law enforcement agency that employs not 
more than 100 officers in order to carry out the purposes of the grant.

SEC. 4. ELIGIBILITY FOR PLACEMENT WITH A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

    To be eligible for placement with a law enforcement agency under 
this Act, a social worker shall be--
            (1) licensed under the applicable State law; and
            (2) employed by a community mental health center.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$2,500,000 for fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022.

SEC. 6. TERMINATION OF PROGRAM; REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    This Act is repealed on the date that is 3 years after a grant is 
first made under this Act. The Attorney General shall report to 
Congress not later than six months thereafter on the outcomes of any 
cases where the social worker became involved and the total number of 
such cases, and any other information deemed relevant.
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