[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 18, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H5117-H5119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1345
TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER LAW
ENFORCEMENT TRAINING ACT
Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 2992), to direct the Attorney General to develop crisis
intervention training tools for use by first responders related to
interacting with persons who have a traumatic brain injury, another
form of acquired brain injury, or post-traumatic stress disorder, and
for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2992
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 ``Traumatic Brain Injury and
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Law Enforcement Training Act''
or the ``TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, there were approximately 2.9 million traumatic
brain injury-related emergency department visits,
hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States in 2014.
(2) Effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be short-
term or long-term, and include impaired thinking or memory,
movement, vision or hearing, or emotional functioning, such
as personality changes or depression.
(3) Currently, between 3.2 million and 5.3 million persons
are living with a TBI-related disability in the United
States.
(4) About 7 or 8 percent of Americans will experience post-
traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in their
lives, and about 8 million adults have PTSD during the course
of a given year.
(5) TBI and PTSD have been recognized as the signature
injuries of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(6) According to the Department of Defense, 383,000 men and
women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan sustained a brain
injury while in the line of duty between 2000 and 2018.
(7) Approximately 13.5 percent of Operations Iraqi Freedom
and Enduring Freedom veterans screen positive for PTSD,
according to the Department of Veteran Affairs.
(8) About 12 percent of Gulf War Veterans have PTSD in a
given year while about 30 percent of Vietnam Veterans have
had PTSD in their lifetime.
(9) Physical signs of TBI can include motor impairment,
dizziness or poor balance, slurred speech, impaired depth
perception, or impaired verbal memory, while physical signs
of PTSD can include agitation, irritability, hostility,
hypervigilance, self-destructive behavior, fear, severe
anxiety, or mistrust.
(10) Physical signs of TBI and PTSD often overlap with
physical signs of alcohol or drug impairment, which
complicate a first responder's ability to quickly and
effectively identify an individual's condition.
SEC. 3. CREATION OF A TBI AND PTSD TRAINING FOR FIRST
RESPONDERS.
Part HH of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10651 et seq.) is amended--
(1) in section 2991--
(A) in subsection (h)(1)(A), by inserting before the period
at the end the following: ``, including the training
developed under section 2993''; and
(B) in subsection (o), by amending paragraph (1) to read as
follows:
``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated
to the Department of Justice to carry out this section
$54,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.'';
and
(2) by inserting after section 2992 the following new
section:
``SEC. 2993. CREATION OF A TBI AND PTSD TRAINING FOR FIRST
RESPONDERS.
``(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this section, the Attorney General,
acting through the Director of the Bureau of Justice
Assistance, in consultation with the Director of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention and the Assistant
Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall solicit
best practices regarding techniques to interact with persons
who have a traumatic brain injury, an acquired brain injury,
or post-traumatic stress disorder from first responder, brain
injury, veteran, and mental health organizations, health care
and mental health providers, hospital emergency departments,
and other relevant stakeholders, and shall develop crisis
intervention training tools for use by first responders (as
such term is defined in section 3025) that provide--
``(1) information on the conditions and symptoms of a
traumatic brain injury, an acquired brain injury, and post-
traumatic stress disorder;
``(2) techniques to interact with persons who have a
traumatic brain injury, an acquired brain injury, or post-
traumatic stress disorder; and
``(3) information on how to recognize persons who have a
traumatic brain injury, an acquired brain injury, or post-
traumatic stress disorder.
``(b) Use of Training Tools at Law Enforcement Mental
Health Learning Sites.--The Attorney General shall ensure
that not less than one Law Enforcement Mental Health Learning
Site designated by the Director of the Bureau of Justice
Assistance uses the training tools developed under subsection
(a).
``(c) Police Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit.--The
Attorney General shall make the training tools developed
under subsection (a) available as part of the Police-Mental
Health Collaboration Toolkit provided by the Bureau of
Justice Assistance.''.
SEC. 4. STUDY ON FIRST RESPONDERS WITH TBI.
Not later than 24 months after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the Director of the National Institutes of
Health and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall conduct a study and
submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House
of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions of the Senate a report on the prevalence
and incidence of concussion among first responders (as such
term is defined in section 3025 of the Omnibus Crime Control
and Safe Street Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10705)). The report
shall include data on the incidence of concussion among first
responders and recommendations for resources for first
responders who have experienced traumatic brain injury.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Bentz) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.
General Leave
Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 2992.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Tennessee?
[[Page H5118]]
There was no objection.
Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2992, the TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training
Act, is bipartisan legislation that would require the Department of
Justice to develop crisis intervention training tools for law
enforcement training agencies so that they can better equip officers to
respond to individuals with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic
stress disorder.
This is important for the training of law enforcement officials. When
I was out of law school, my first job as attorney for the police in
Memphis, and for 3\1/2\ years I taught the police in the training
academy. This was not part of our training, and it should have been. It
was before we got woke, and now that we are woke, we should stay woke,
and teach officers about this problem and have them be able to identify
it.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between
3.2 million and 5.3 million people live with a traumatic brain injury-
related disability in the United States, and approximately 7 percent of
Americans will experience such a disorder at some point in their lives.
These illnesses are especially common among veterans and
servicemembers.
Despite the prevalence of TBI and PTSD, many law enforcement
officers, and other first responders, are still not adequately trained
on how to identify these symptoms. Since many symptoms of traumatic
brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder, such as confusion,
impaired thinking, or irritability, can be mistaken for intoxication
and aggression. Law enforcement can misinterpret the behavior of some
people exhibiting those symptoms and deadly consequences could follow
for first responders and the people they encounter.
This legislation would help ensure that officers are trained to
identify those symptoms in order to respond appropriately to crisis
calls and to divert individuals toward mental healthcare and treatment
and away from the criminal justice system.
Through the Bureau of Justice Assistance, agencies have access to
training and resources from the Police Mental Health Collaboration
toolkit. H.R. 2992 would enhance the existing program to include crisis
intervention training on recognizing the signs of these illnesses and
responding to the individuals in crisis.
It requires the CDC to also study occurrences of concussion and TBI
among law enforcement officers and first responders; many of whom
suffer from this, and they need to be given treatment, if they are.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Pascrell, who is the leader of
the Law Enforcement Caucus and a strong voice for law enforcement. I
also thank Mr. Bacon and Mrs. Demings, a law enforcement chief, I
believe, and Mr. Rutherford, a sheriff, for their dedication to law
enforcement, first responders, and the citizens they serve.
This important bipartisan legislation is broadly supported by
numerous law enforcement and mental health organizations and would help
protect the lives of first responders and the people they encounter.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BENTZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, today our law enforcement officers are under immense
pressure as they face more and more criminal activity with fewer and
fewer resources.
Often, officers are called on to respond to high-stress situations
involving people who are an extreme emotional or altered mental states.
This bill will help law enforcement to better understand and interact
with individuals experiencing traumatic brain injuries or post-
traumatic stress disorder.
While traumatic brain injuries affect people of all ages and
backgrounds, data suggests that there is a higher prevalence among
certain groups, including veterans, the homeless, and those who have
been incarceration. These groups are also more likely to have
encounters with law enforcement.
Studies have shown that it is often difficult for law enforcement
officers to differentiate between those suffering from brain injuries
or PTSD, and those who are intoxicated by alcohol or drugs.
For example, common signs of intoxication, such as slurred speech,
outbursts of anger, slow response times, and forgetfulness can also be
signs of traumatic brain injury. Training officers to recognize the
differences between traumatic brain injury or PTSD and intoxication can
lead to more favorable outcomes for the officers and the individuals
they encounter.
This bill will require the Bureau of Justice Assistance within the
Justice Department to develop training that will inform officers on
what type of treatment and resources the individual may need.
For individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury, medical
referrals may be the most appropriate. This training will promote the
safety of our men and women in uniform and improve public safety in our
communities.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, it is important to note that seeing this
body support law enforcement, rather than to condemn it, is a welcome,
if only brief, departure from how Democrats have treated our police
forces over the past 2 years.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the honorable,
distinguished, and learned gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, this pandemic has been a grave hardship
for our first responders. Men and women in blue have risked their lives
every day. Last year was the deadliest ever for law enforcement.
During National Police Week, we honor these heroes who have made the
ultimate sacrifice. They protect us, and we must have their backs.
Period.
I have been co-chair of the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus for
many moons. I know our cops must have the training, the resources, and
the personnel they need to keep our communities safe.
This bipartisan Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder Law Enforcement Training Act is a vital step. It will provide
crises intervention training grants. These Federal funds will help
officers handle different interactions with those suffering from TBI
and post-traumatic stress disorder.
I founded the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force in 2001, along
with Dr. Greenwood. He was a Republican; I am a Democrat. He was from
Pennsylvania. He did an outstanding job and continues do it in this
area, which is so misunderstood, Mr. Speaker. We didn't get to it until
late into Iraq and Afghanistan with our veterans and with our soldiers
on the front lines. Of course, it was major injury in both of those
wars--post-traumatic stress disorder and TBI, traumatic brain injury.
So forward 20 years, we worked to draw attention to the struggle of
millions of Americans living with long-term disabilities caused by
traumatic brain injury. Now, of course, we take good care of our vets.
Can you imagine, we went to war, and we had no money in the budget. We
had no programs to help those who were most injured in the two wars
that we got into. We were not prepared, and we suffered tremendous
amounts of injuries because of it.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Nadler and Chairman Pallone and their
dedicated staff for their diligent work to bring the TBI and PTSD,
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Law Enforcement Training Act to the
floor. I also thank Representatives Demings, Rutherford, and Bacon for
co-leading this bipartisan effort.
Finally, I thank our law enforcement and TBI community stakeholders
who helped us craft and advance this important policy. These past
couple of years have been difficult for our communities and especially
so for our men and women in uniform.
Mr. Speaker, the House stands with them during Police Week and after
2022. I am honored to present this legislation.
Mr. BENTZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared
to close.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I ask everybody to support this
important legislation for law enforcement and for mental health. Vote
``aye''. No roll call.
[[Page H5119]]
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2992, the
bipartisan TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act, that would
require the Bureau of Justice Assistance to develop training for law
enforcement officers on how best to respond to crisis calls involving
individuals suffering from the effects of traumatic brain injuries and
posttraumatic stress disorder.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
there were approximately 2.9 million TBI-related emergency department
visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States in 2014 and
TBI's were identified in 25 percent of all injury-related deaths in
2017.
More than 430,000 U.S. service members were diagnosed with a TBI
between the year 2000 and 2020.
With the prevalence of TBI and PTSD among the general population, and
particularly among military service members, there is a need to
increase training for law enforcement officers to recognize the unique
challenges of TBI and PTSD and more effectively respond to crisis
calls.
TBI and PTSD can have a significant impact on an individual's ability
to make decisions, control impulses, or think clearly.
Many of the symptoms of TBI and PTSD, such as confusion, inability to
follow directions, and impaired thinking or memory, can be
misinterpreted or mistaken for intoxication.
And individuals who suffer from TBI or PTSD may also appear agitated
or exhibit impaired emotional functioning, which can be misunderstood
as aggression.
These impairments can impede proper communication and cause
interactions between law enforcement and civilians to escalate, posing
potential safety risks to both parties--when officers are not trained
to recognize the signs and symptoms.
Many officer-involved encounters could have led to better outcomes if
the officers involved had known: 1) how to recognize that these
individuals were in crisis and suffering from the effects of traumatic
events; 2) the best forms of interaction with them; and 3) how to
maximize officer and subject safety.
H.R. 2992 would require DOJ, through the Bureau of Justice
Assistance, to solicit best practices related to recognizing and
responding to individuals with TBI and PTSD and to develop Crisis
Intervention Training tools for law enforcement agencies to better
respond to these potentially catastrophic encounters.
This legislation would incorporate TBI and PTSD training--once
developed--into the existing Police Mental Health Collaboration
toolkit, a proven, no-cost online resource for law enforcement
agencies, made available by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
It would further require the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention to study and understand the prevalence of concussions and
Traumatic Brain Injury, specifically, among law enforcement officers
and first responders.
Recognizing that Crisis Intervention Training programs have yielded
significant benefits for law enforcement agencies, including limiting
the need for higher levels of police intervention, reducing officer
injuries, and redirecting people in crisis away from the criminal
justice system and toward mental health services, this legislation
would provide additional resources and support for agencies working to
improve public safety and ensure that individuals in their communities
receive the care they need.
This legislation would also build upon existing best practices to
provide officers, through Law Enforcement Mental Health Learning Sites,
additional tools they need to continue to protect the communities they
serve and save lives.
I commend Representatives Bill Pascrell, Don Bacon, John Rutherford,
and our colleague, Representative Val Demings for introducing this
critical, bipartisan legislation and urge my colleagues to join me in
support of this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 2992, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROSENDALE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion
are postponed.
____________________