[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.

                          ____________________