[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 213 (Wednesday, December 16, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H7213-H7216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CRISIS STABILIZATION AND COMMUNITY REENTRY ACT OF 2020

  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(S. 3312) to establish a crisis stabilization and community reentry 
grant program, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 3312

       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 ``Crisis Stabilization and 
     Community Reentry Act of 2020''.

     SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS STABILIZATION.

       (a) Planning and Implementation Grants.--Title I of the 
     Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
     10101 et seq.) is amended by inserting after part NN the 
     following:

     ``PART OO--CRISIS STABILIZATION AND COMMUNITY REENTRY PROGRAM.

     ``SEC. 3051. GRANT AUTHORIZATION.

       ``(a) In General.--The Attorney General may make grants 
     under this part to States, for use by State and local 
     correctional facilities, for the purpose of providing 
     clinical

[[Page H7214]]

     services for people with serious mental illness and substance 
     use disorders that establish treatment, suicide prevention, 
     and continuity of recovery in the community upon release from 
     the correctional facility.
       ``(b) Use of Funds.--A grant awarded under this part shall 
     be used to support--
       ``(1) programs involving criminal and juvenile justice 
     agencies, mental health agencies, community-based 
     organizations that focus on reentry, and community-based 
     behavioral health providers that improve clinical 
     stabilization during pre-trial detention and incarceration 
     and continuity of care leading to recovery in the community 
     by providing services and supports that may include peer 
     support services, enrollment in healthcare, and introduction 
     to long-acting injectable medications or, as clinically 
     indicated, other medications, by--
       ``(A) providing training and education for criminal and 
     juvenile justice agencies, mental health agencies, and 
     community-based behavioral health providers on interventions 
     that support--
       ``(i) engagement in recovery supports and services;
       ``(ii) access to medication while in an incarcerated 
     setting; and
       ``(iii) continuity of care during reentry into the 
     community;
       ``(B) ensuring that offenders with serious mental illness 
     are provided appropriate access to evidence-based recovery 
     supports that may include peer support services, medication 
     (including long-acting injectable medications where 
     clinically appropriate), and psycho-social therapies;
       ``(C) offering technical assistance to criminal justice 
     agencies on how to modify their administrative and clinical 
     processes to accommodate evidence-based interventions, such 
     as long-acting injectable medications and other recovery 
     supports; and
       ``(D) participating in data collection activities specified 
     by the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary 
     of Health and Human Services;
       ``(2) programs that support cooperative efforts between 
     criminal and juvenile justice agencies, mental health 
     agencies, and community-based behavioral health providers to 
     establish or enhance serious mental illness recovery support 
     by--
       ``(A) strengthening or establishing crisis response 
     services delivered by hotlines, mobile crisis teams, crisis 
     stabilization and triage centers, peer support specialists, 
     public safety officers, community-based behavioral health 
     providers, and other stakeholders, including by providing 
     technical support for interventions that promote long-term 
     recovery;
       ``(B) engaging criminal and juvenile justice agencies, 
     mental health agencies and community-based behavioral health 
     providers, preliminary qualified offenders, and family and 
     community members in program design, program implementation, 
     and training on crisis response services, including 
     connection to recovery services and supports;
       ``(C) examining health care reimbursement issues that may 
     pose a barrier to ensuring the long-term financial 
     sustainability of crisis response services and interventions 
     that promote long-term engagement with recovery services and 
     supports; and
       ``(D) participating in data collection activities specified 
     by the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary 
     of Health and Human Services; and
       ``(3) programs that provide training and additional 
     resources to criminal and juvenile justice agencies, mental 
     health agencies, and community-based behavioral health 
     providers on serious mental illness, suicide prevention 
     strategies, recovery engagement strategies, and the special 
     health and social needs of justice-involved individuals who 
     are living with serious mental illness.
       ``(c) Consultation.--The Attorney General shall consult 
     with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to ensure 
     that serious mental illness treatment and recovery support 
     services provided under this grant program incorporate 
     evidence-based approaches that facilitate long-term 
     engagement in recovery services and supports.
       ``(d) Behavioral Health Provider Defined.--In this section, 
     the term `behavioral health provider' means--
       ``(1) a community mental health center that meets the 
     criteria under section 1913(c) of the Public Health Service 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 300x-2(c)); or
       ``(2) a certified community behavioral health clinic 
     described in section 223(d) of the Protecting Access to 
     Medicare Act of 2014 (42 U.S.C. 1396a note).

     ``SEC. 3052. STATE APPLICATIONS.

       ``(a) In General.--To request a grant under this part, the 
     chief executive of a State, or such agency as the chief 
     executive may designate, shall submit an application to the 
     Attorney General--
       ``(1) in such form and containing such information as the 
     Attorney General may reasonably require;
       ``(2) that includes assurances that Federal funds received 
     under this part shall be used to supplement, not supplant, 
     non-Federal funds that would otherwise be available for 
     activities funded under this part; and
       ``(3) that describes the coordination between State 
     criminal and juvenile justice agencies, mental health 
     agencies and community-based behavioral health providers, 
     preliminary qualified offenders, and family and community 
     members in--
       ``(A) program design;
       ``(B) program implementation; and
       ``(C) training on crisis response, medication adherence, 
     and continuity of recovery in the community.
       ``(b) Eligibility for Preference With Community Care 
     Component.--
       ``(1) In general.--In awarding grants under this part, the 
     Attorney General shall give preference to a State that 
     ensures that individuals who participate in a program, funded 
     by a grant under this part will be provided with continuity 
     of care, in accordance with paragraph (2), in a community 
     care provider program upon release from a correctional 
     facility.
       ``(2) Requirements.--For purposes of paragraph (1), the 
     continuity of care shall involve the coordination of the 
     correctional facility treatment program with qualified 
     community behavioral health providers and other recovery 
     supports, pre-trial release programs, parole supervision 
     programs, half-way house programs, and participation in peer 
     recovery group programs, which may aid in ongoing recovery 
     after the individual is released from the correctional 
     facility.
       ``(3) Community care provider program defined.--For 
     purposes of this subsection, the term `community care 
     provider program' means a community mental health center or 
     certified community behavioral health clinic that directly 
     provides to an individual, or assists in connecting an 
     individual to the provision of, appropriate community-based 
     treatment, medication management, and other recovery 
     supports, when the individual leaves a correctional facility 
     at the end of a sentence or on parole.
       ``(c) Coordination of Federal Assistance.--Each application 
     submitted for a grant under this part shall include a 
     description of how the funds made available under this part 
     will be coordinated with Federal assistance for behavioral 
     health services currently provided by the Department of 
     Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
     Services Administration.

     ``SEC. 3053. REVIEW OF STATE APPLICATIONS.

       ``(a) In General.--The Attorney General shall make a grant 
     under section 3051 to carry out the projects described in the 
     application submitted under section 3052 upon determining 
     that--
       ``(1) the application is consistent with the requirements 
     of this part; and
       ``(2) before the approval of the application, the Attorney 
     General has made an affirmative finding in writing that the 
     proposed project has been reviewed in accordance with this 
     part.
       ``(b) Approval.--Each application submitted under section 
     3052 shall be considered approved, in whole or in part, by 
     the Attorney General not later than 90 days after first 
     received, unless the Attorney General informs the applicant 
     of specific reasons for disapproval.
       ``(c) Restriction.--Grant funds received under this part 
     shall not be used for land acquisition or construction 
     projects.
       ``(d) Disapproval Notice and Reconsideration.--The Attorney 
     General may not disapprove any application without first 
     affording the applicant reasonable notice and an opportunity 
     for reconsideration.

     ``SEC. 3054. EVALUATION.

       ``Each State that receives a grant under this part shall 
     submit to the Attorney General an evaluation not later than 1 
     year after receipt of the grant in such form and containing 
     such information as the Attorney General, in consultation 
     with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, may 
     reasonably require.

     ``SEC. 3055. AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDING.

       ``For purposes of carrying out this part, the Attorney 
     General is authorized to award not more than $10,000,000 of 
     funds appropriated to the Department of Justice for State and 
     local law enforcement activities for each of fiscal years 
     2020 through 2025.''.
       (b) National Criminal Justice and Mental Health Training 
     and Technical Assistance.--Section 2992(c)(3) of title I of 
     the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
     U.S.C. 10652(c)(3)) is amended by inserting before the 
     semicolon at the end the following: ``, which may include 
     interventions designed to enhance access to medication.''.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Bass) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Reschenthaler) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support S. 3312, the Crisis Stabilization 
and Community Reentry Act of 2020. Today, with this bill, the House 
takes additional affirmative steps to promote the successful reentry 
into their communities of individuals leaving correctional facilities.

[[Page H7215]]

  The bill provides funding to State, local, and community 
organizations to provide incarcerated and recently released individuals 
with mental health and substance abuse treatment. Providing continuity 
of care in relation to mental health and substance abuse treatment when 
individuals are released from correctional facilities is a critical 
bridge back into their communities; but continuity of care of this sort 
is seldom available to returning citizens. This bill addresses that 
gap.
  At a series of hearings this Congress, the Judiciary Committee has 
explored the many challenges that recently released individuals face. 
These returning citizens confront a myriad of barriers that hamper 
reentry. Unfortunately, many struggle with mental health and substance 
abuse. Navigating reentry, which is already daunting, can be made even 
more difficult due to these additional challenges.
  Because the need is great, the reach of this bill is broad. The 
grants awarded by S. 3312 improve mental health and substance abuse 
treatment during pretrial detention, throughout incarceration, and upon 
return to the community. Eligible grantees include juvenile justice 
agencies, mental health agencies, and community-based behavioral health 
providers.
  The bill's keen focus on the provision of care by local, community-
based providers is deliberate, as this is consistent with long-term 
reentry success. This is why I am particularly supportive of this 
provision of the bill that implements a preference for grantees that 
provide community-based care and promote policies that reduce the 
number of technical probation violations.
  Also notable in S. 3312 is the broad panoply of mental health 
services that it incorporates. These include peer support, enrollment 
in long-term healthcare programs, and introduction to clinically proven 
medications. This bill recognizes that no single reentry solution will 
work for every returning individual.
  The programs authorized in S. 3312 would further promote much-needed 
cooperative efforts among criminal and juvenile justice agencies, 
mental health agencies, and community-based behavioral health 
providers.
  The programs receiving funding under this bill would engage relevant 
stakeholders in the formulation of program design, implementation, 
training on services, and examination of healthcare reimbursement 
issues that may pose a barrier to ensuring long-term financial 
sustainability of these programs.
  The holistic approach to reentry that this bill adopts has 
consistently been shown to promote successful reentry and offer better 
long-term solutions.
  In recent years, Congress passed the hallmark Second Chance Act and a 
number of other bills, including H.R. 8161, the One Stop Community 
Reentry Program Act, focused on promoting successful reentry and, in 
turn, supporting public safety. Like those bills, S. 3312, the Crisis 
Stabilization and Community Reentry Act, is a necessary tool to ensure 
that proper services reach people involved in the criminal justice 
system.
  Finally, I thank our colleague, Representative   David Trone, for 
championing the companion bill in the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 3312, the Crisis 
Stabilization and Community Reentry Act of 2020. I was proud to 
introduce this House companion bill, this bipartisan piece of 
legislation, with Representatives Rutherford, Trone, Armstrong, Dean, 
and Scanlon.
  The Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act authorizes grants 
for State and local correctional facilities to partner with community 
mental health and behavioral health providers to provide clinical 
services for people with serious mental illness and substance abuse 
disorders.
  When I served as a district judge in southwestern Pennsylvania, many 
of those who came before my bench were suffering from untreated and 
undiagnosed mental illness. In fact, according to a 2012 Bureau of 
Justice Statistics survey, approximately 1 in 7 State and Federal 
prisoners, and 1 in 4 jail inmates met the threshold for serious 
psychological distress in the 30 days prior.
  S. 3312 ensures that we provide these individuals with treatment, 
suicide prevention, and tools for long-term recovery upon release from 
a correctional facility. By ensuring continuity of mental healthcare, 
we can facilitate successful reentry, which is critical to reducing 
recidivism; in turn, improving public safety and saving taxpayer 
dollars.
  I want to, again, thank my fellow sponsors in the House, as well as 
Senators Cornyn and Blumenthal, for prioritizing this important issue.
  I am proud to support this bipartisan, bicameral bill that will give 
law enforcement the tools that they need to keep our communities safe, 
while also ending the revolving door between prison and the streets.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 3312, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1545

  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume 
to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford).
  Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and good friend 
from Pennsylvania for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Crisis Stabilization and 
Community Reentry Act of 2020.
  I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, as a former sheriff with over 40 years 
of experience in law enforcement, I understand the issues people face 
as they leave and transition from incarceration to a free society. 
Throughout my time in law enforcement, I saw many individuals--too many 
individuals--re-offend time and time again, often with the same 
offenses involving substance abuse and mental health issues.
  Part of the problem back then was, when a prisoner was released from 
State prison, literally all we gave them was a blue bag for their 
valuables and a bus ticket home. And we wondered why they failed and 
returned to a life of crime--not much for rehabilitation.
  So, when I became the sheriff of Jacksonville, I partnered with the 
Florida Secretary of Corrections and community groups to implement 
programs that provided continued treatment and services to individuals 
during and after they left prison because those exiting prison systems 
face numerous challenges as they go back to their communities, often 
with little or no support from friends or family.
  As my colleague just mentioned, the Bureau of Justice Statistics 
calculates that one in seven individuals in State and Federal prisons, 
and one in four individuals in jails, experience serious psychological 
distress. Their battles with psychological distress and substance abuse 
do not stop when they exit prison. In fact, they are exacerbated upon 
their release. Indeed, during this transition phase, that support is 
often needed the most.
  Today's bipartisan legislation would streamline mental health and 
medical services for these individuals, preventing a lapse of care 
between prison and society, and, instead, creating a continuum of care 
for those at greater risk of relapse.
  The Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act establishes a warm 
handoff of care between law enforcement, community-based groups, and 
mental health specialists. The partnership between law enforcement and 
community groups is critical as they both share a common goal to lower 
recidivism and ensure people can thrive and succeed when they return 
back to their communities.
  By offering grants through the Department of Justice, States and 
communities would be able to provide medication-assisted treatment, 
counseling, and other transition services that are prioritized for 
those who need it most.
  This bipartisan legislation is supported by the National Sheriffs' 
Association, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the National Council 
for Behavioral Health, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and 
the Treatment Advocacy Center.

[[Page H7216]]

  I am proud to support this initiative as a member of the 
congressional bipartisan Opioid Task Force, as a member of the Mental 
Health Caucus, and also as a proud member of the Law Enforcement 
Caucus, because as a sheriff, I have seen firsthand and know the 
success a bill like this can accomplish.
  This bill is going to save lives, it is going to save money, and it 
is going to reduce crime. With a renewed focus on those people in 
greatest need, we can work together to ensure that pattern of 
recidivism can become a problem in the past rather than one that will 
be shouldered by future generations to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
support this bill, which, again, Mr. Speaker, is going to save lives, 
save dollars, and reduce recidivism.
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, in closing, once again, I would like 
to urge my colleagues to support S. 3312, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, the Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry 
Act of 2020 represents a significant step toward ensuring that 
incarcerated people receive appropriate mental health and substance 
abuse care while in a correctional facility and that those services are 
available upon their reentry into the community.
  I am encouraged by the bipartisan and bicameral support for this 
bill. I, again, thank Representative Trone, as well as Senators Cornyn 
and Blumenthal and my colleague from the Judiciary Committee, 
Representative Reschenthaler.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill 
today, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Judiciary, 
Committee, I rise in strong support of S. 3312, the ``Crisis 
Stabilization and Community Reentry Act,'' bipartisan legislation that 
ensures people experiencing a mental health crisis receive appropriate 
care while in a correctional facility.
  Specifically, the Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act 
would authorize $10 million in grants to communities to create 
collaborative programs involving justice agencies and community-based 
behavioral health providers, including Certified Community Behavioral 
Health Clinics (CCBHCs).
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation addresses the challenges faced by many 
person during their period of incarceration and as they seek to reenter 
the community.
  This includes access to proper medication and additional training for 
law enforcement officers so they can address the needs of our most 
vulnerable individuals.
  The bill also calls for a warm handoff between law enforcement and 
community mental health clinics upon re-entry into the community to 
ensure the best possible start.
  It would also create a national technical assistance center to serve 
communities around the country.
  Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act grants would support 
community-level crisis response programs, including collaboratively 
designed crisis response services and technical support programs that 
promote medication adherence and continuity of care.
  This grant funding will also support targeted training programs 
related to medication adherence and continuity of care; including the 
purchase and use of long-acting antipsychotic medications to support 
adherence.
  Importantly, the infusion of funding will strengthen local agency and 
provider capacity to reduce suicides during incarceration.
  Finally, the legislation establishes a national technical assistance 
center to support justice and mental health agencies, community 
behavioral health providers, CCBHCs, and other stakeholders in 
developing training and treatment approaches for justice-involved 
persons with mental illness, as well as payment strategies that promote 
best-practices with respect to care for this vulnerable group of 
persons.
  This legislation is strongly supported by and has earned the 
endorsement of The National Council, which is another reason why I 
strongly support this bipartisan, common-sense criminal justice reform 
and urge all Members to join me in voting to pass S. 3312, the Crisis 
Stabilization and Community Reentry Act.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 3312.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________