S-825-119
Held at the desk.
Sponsored by Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
What it does
This bill would require the Attorney General, acting through the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), to submit a report to Congress within 150 days of enactment. The report would propose at least one program to make evidence-based mental health treatment — including trauma-informed care, peer support, counseling, and family services — available to public safety officers and 911 telecommunicators for job-related PTSD and acute stress disorder. The report would also include draft legislative language, confidentiality protections, implementation options (including telehealth), and cost estimates for any proposed program.
Who benefits
Public safety officers — including police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians — and 911 dispatchers who experience job-related PTSD or acute stress disorder. Tribal public safety officers are explicitly included. Families of public safety workers who would gain access to family support services. Mental health providers and telehealth companies that could receive future grant funding if a program is ultimately enacted. Communities that may benefit indirectly from better-supported first responders.
Who is hurt
No group faces direct harm from this bill, which is a study-and-report measure. Taxpayers would bear the administrative cost of producing the report, though that cost is minimal. If a future program is enacted based on the report, competing priorities for DOJ discretionary funding could be displaced. Private mental health providers not selected for future grant programs could face competitive disadvantage.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that public safety officers face documented, disproportionate mental health burdens — the bill's own findings cite estimates that 30% develop behavioral health conditions compared to 20% of the general population, and that between 125 and 300 police officers die by suicide annually. They contend that a 2019 DOJ report under the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act already identified a gap in local mental health capacity and recommended regional or remote solutions, making this bill a logical, evidence-based next step toward filling that gap with a structured federal program.
Opponents argue
Opponents argue that this bill produces only a report and draft legislation — not an actual program — meaning it may deliver little tangible benefit to officers currently struggling with PTSD. They contend that mental health support for first responders is primarily a state and local responsibility, and that directing the DOJ to design a federal program risks duplicating existing state-level efforts, adding bureaucratic overhead, and potentially crowding out locally tailored solutions that better reflect the needs of individual departments and communities.
Constitutional context
No significant constitutional issues are raised by this bill. Congress has broad authority under Article I to direct executive agencies to conduct studies and submit reports. The bill does not create a new program, impose mandates, or restrict individual rights, so no Bill of Rights provisions are implicated at this stage.
Checks and balances
The executive branch (DOJ/COPS Office) gains a directed reporting task; Congress retains authority because the bill produces only a report and draft legislation — any actual program would require a separate act of Congress to authorize and appropriate funds.
Historical precedent
The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-113) similarly directed DOJ to study and report on mental health resources for law enforcement, resulting in the 2019 LEMHWA report that this bill explicitly builds upon.