[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 183 (Tuesday, November 29, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8618-H8622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  JUSTICE AND MENTAL HEALTH COLLABORATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2022

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 3846) to reauthorize the Justice and Mental Health 
Collaboration Program, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 3846

       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 ``Justice and Mental Health 
     Collaboration Reauthorization Act of 2022''.

[[Page H8619]]

  


     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE JUSTICE AND MENTAL HEALTH 
                   COLLABORATION PROGRAM.

       Section 2991(b)(5) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 
     and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10651(b)(5)) is 
     amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (I)--
       (A) in clause (i), by striking ``teams and treatment 
     accountability services for communities'' and inserting 
     ``teams, treatment accountability services for communities, 
     and training for State and local prosecutors relating to 
     diversion programming and implementation'';
       (B) in clause (v)--
       (i) in subclause (III), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (ii) in subclause (IV), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (iii) by adding at the end the following:

       ``(V) coordinate, implement, and administer models to 
     address mental health calls that include specially trained 
     officers and mental health crisis workers responding to those 
     calls together.''; and

       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(vi) Suicide prevention services.--Funds may be used to 
     develop, promote, and implement comprehensive suicide 
     prevention programs and services for incarcerated individuals 
     that include ongoing risk assessment.
       ``(vii) Case management services.--Funds may be used for 
     case management services for preliminary qualified offenders 
     and individuals who are released from any penal or 
     correctional institution to--

       ``(I) reduce recidivism; and
       ``(II) assist those individuals with reentry into the 
     community.

       ``(viii) Enhancing community capacity and links to mental 
     health care.--Funds may be used to support, administer, or 
     develop treatment capacity and increase access to mental 
     health care and substance use disorder services for 
     preliminary qualified offenders and individuals who are 
     released from any penal or correctional institution.
       ``(ix) Implementing 988.--Funds may be used to support the 
     efforts of State and local governments to implement and 
     expand the integration of the 988 universal telephone number 
     designated for the purpose of the national suicide prevention 
     and mental health crisis hotline system under section 
     251(e)(4) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
     251(e)(4)), including by hiring staff to support the 
     implementation and expansion.''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(K) Teams addressing mental health calls.--With respect 
     to a multidisciplinary team described in subparagraph (I)(v) 
     that receives funds from a grant under this section, the 
     multidisciplinary team--
       ``(i) shall, to the extent practicable, provide response 
     capability 24 hours each day and 7 days each week to respond 
     to crisis or mental health calls; and
       ``(ii) may place a part of the team in a 911 call center to 
     facilitate the timely response to mental health crises.''.

     SEC. 3. EXAMINATION AND REPORT ON PREVALENCE OF MENTALLY ILL 
                   OFFENDERS.

       Section 5(d) of the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and 
     Crime Reduction Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2008 
     (Public Law 110-416; 122 Stat. 4355) is amended by striking 
     ``2009'' and inserting ``each of fiscal years 2023 through 
     2027''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Nadler) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Tiffany) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
insert extraneous material on S. 3846.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 3846, the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration 
Reauthorization Act of 2022, is bipartisan legislation that would 
reauthorize and make necessary improvements to the Justice and Mental 
Health Collaboration Program, or JMHCP, within the Department of 
Justice.
  Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, communities across the 
country have grappled with worsened mental health. There continues to 
be a need to adequately address the mental health needs of our 
communities and to redirect people in crisis away from the criminal 
justice system and into the healthcare system.
  State and local governments use JMHCP grants for critical services to 
address the mental health needs of their communities, including by 
establishing diversion programs, creating or expanding community-based 
treatment programs, supporting the development of curricula for police 
academies and orientations, and providing in-jail treatment and 
transitional services.
  Additionally, grant funds are used to train law enforcement on 
identifying and improving their responses to people experiencing a 
mental health crisis. This program, which was first created in 2004, 
was reauthorized in 2008 and again in 2016 with bipartisan support.
  S. 3846 will make needed improvements to the grant program by 
strengthening support for mental health courts and crisis intervention 
teams; supporting diversion programming and training for State and 
local prosecutors; strengthen support for co-responder teams; and 
supporting the integration of the national suicide prevention and 
mental health crisis hotline system into the existing public safety 
system.
  This bill will also increase allowable uses for grant funds to 
include suicide prevention in jails and clarify that crisis 
intervention teams can be placed in 911 call centers.
  This bipartisan bill improves the efficacy of the JMHCP grant program 
and is supported by a wide range of stakeholders, including the 
Addiction Policy Forum, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 
the Major Cities Chiefs Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, 
National Alliance on Mental Illness, and many others.
  I thank Senator Cornyn for introducing the bill and Congressman  
Bobby Scott for introducing the House version of this important 
legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 3846 makes a number of changes to the Justice and 
Mental Health Collaboration Program.
  The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program is a Department 
of Justice program that assists States, local governments, and Indian 
Tribes with providing treatment to individuals with mental health 
problems and substance abuse disorders that come into contact with the 
criminal justice system.
  This bill allows funds under this program to be used for crisis 
intervention team and co-responder teams made up of law enforcement 
officers and mental health professionals. These teams can be placed 
within 911 call centers to better respond to individuals facing mental 
health challenges.
  It also allows funds under this program to help State and local 
governments implement the 988 universal telephone number, which is the 
national suicide prevention and mental health hotline.
  This legislation also authorizes $2 million for each of the next 5 
years for the Department of Justice to report on the prevalence of 
mentally ill offenders in the criminal justice system.
  While this bill is well-intentioned, more needs to be done to address 
the surge of violent crime this Nation has seen over the past 3 years.
  Violent crime is especially bad in Democrat-run cities with rogue 
leftist prosecutors who don't enforce the laws on the books and in 
cities that have demonized and defunded their police departments. I 
would point you to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  It is no wonder that 27 of the 30 cities with the highest homicide 
rates have Democratic mayors. We need to keep violent criminals behind 
bars and put an end to soft-on-crime policies that are wreaking havoc 
on our communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a member of the Judiciary Committee.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise, first of all, to thank the 
chairman and to thank the sponsor, my friend from Virginia, Congressman 
 Bobby Scott.
  As I think of my dear friend from Virginia, let me also acknowledge 
my deep sadness for the loss of our dear friend, Congressman McEachin, 
and acknowledge the beauty of his service and, of course, his 
compassion and his true spirit, a true American hero.
  Mr. Speaker, I will quickly say that any of us who have been engaged 
in the criminal justice arena, who have engaged with police officers, 
whether they are local, State, or Federal, those of us who have served 
as judges, understand the value of this important legislation. It is 
bipartisan and will build on

[[Page H8620]]

the success of the JMHCP grant program and make necessary improvements 
to enable State and local governments to better serve their 
communities.

  This reauthorization will make critical improvements to the JMHCP 
program which supports services for individuals with mental health 
issues who are involved in the criminal justice system, including 
expansions in suicide prevention in jails and prisons, co-responder 
programs that pair law enforcement with mental health professionals 
and, of course, recognizing that though we give them this 
responsibility, law enforcement needs to have wraparound services and 
those that have the expertise to work with those suffering from mental 
health crises.
  With the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, communities 
across the country have suffered increased challenges in addressing 
mental health. We, as Democrats, have consistently said that we need a 
holistic approach.
  Again, I said that we take no back seat to fighting crime and being 
successful, but we understand public safety and civil rights.
  I thank Chairman Scott for this work and for acknowledging where we 
are at a loss; that is, with people who are suffering mental health 
issues.
  Now, we have had a series of mass murders, mass killings, of course 
using the weapon of choice for young men who espouse hatred, but many 
have been determined or assessed to have had mental health crisis 
issues, at least that has been the defense. We now need to really 
invest in this program and ensure that this is a national program.
  In 2018, Harris County Jail, mental health division expanded as an 
alternative to jail, diverting individuals with mental health illnesses 
away from incarceration. I want to see this program grow. The updated 
diversion program allows law enforcement to direct individuals with 
mental illness over to these programs; those picked up for low-level, 
nonviolent offenses. Many of us know that these are sometimes homeless 
persons, and many of these persons are veterans. By the way, we have a 
veterans' court in Harris County.
  So I am excited about this bipartisan legislation that would also 
support State implementation of the newly established 988 suicide 
crisis hotline. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support from the 
National Fraternal Order of Police, the Conference of Chief Justices 
Conference of State Court Administrators, among others.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.
                                          National Fraternal Order


                                                    of Police,

                                                   April 29, 2022.
     Hon. John Cornyn III,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Cornyn: I am writing on behalf of the members 
     of the Fraternal Order of Police to advise you of our support 
     for S. 3846, the ``Justice and Mental Health Collaboration 
     Reauthorization Act.''
       According to recent studies, one in ten calls for service 
     to law enforcement involve a person suffering from a mental 
     illness. One in three people taken to a hospital emergency 
     room for psychiatric reasons are transported there by law 
     enforcement. Our officers respond to these calls for service 
     with care, compassion, and professionalism. While we have 
     come a long way in our ability to handle these incidents 
     safely and effectively, law enforcement officers need the 
     training and resources this legislation provides.
       The legislation would reauthorize the Justice and Mental 
     Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) through 2026. First 
     authorized in 2004, JMHCP grants have funded mental health 
     courts, other court-based initiatives, diversion and 
     deflection programs, crisis intervention teams, training for 
     local police departments, and other programs to improve 
     outcomes for people with mental illness and co-occurring 
     substance use conditions who come into contact with the 
     justice system. In addition to adding $10 million to program 
     funding, this legislation would also expand the allowable 
     uses of grants to include the funding of crisis response 
     teams, suicide prevention in jails, and the hiring of 
     community health workers.
       Law enforcement officers have one of the toughest and most 
     dangerous jobs in the United States. They are tasked with 
     keeping our streets and neighborhoods safe from crime, 
     ensuring that every citizen can live free and without fear. 
     By putting funding and resources into improving mental health 
     outcomes across the criminal justice system, this bill 
     ensures that law enforcement officers will have a reduced 
     risk of encountering dangerous situations on a day-to-day 
     basis.
       On behalf of the more than 364,000 members of the Fraternal 
     Order of Police, I am pleased to offer our support for this 
     legislation. If I can be of any further assistance, please do 
     not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco in 
     our Washington, D.C. office.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Patrick Yoes,
     National President.
                                  ____

         Conference of Chief Justices, Conference of State Court 
           Administrators,
                                                November 23, 2022.
     Hon. John Cornyn,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Robert C. Scott,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Amy Klobuchar,
     U.S. Senate,
     Washington, DC.
     Hon. Steve Chabot,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Leaders of the Senate and the House of 
     Representatives: The Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and 
     Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) represents 
     the highest judicial officer and court executive of each 
     state, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia. 
     Together with the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), 
     the Conferences work to improve the administration of justice 
     throughout the United States. State courts are our nation's 
     primary court system handling over 95 percent of the nation's 
     litigation. It is in this capacity that we write as the 
     presidents of the Conference to express our support for your 
     legislation, S. 3846/H.R. 8166. If enacted, this legislation 
     would reauthorize and further expand the Justice and Mental 
     Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) to provide resources for 
     mental health courts, veterans treatment courts, crisis 
     intervention services, and other key interventions to improve 
     the justice system's response to individuals with mental 
     illness.
       The prevalence of mental illness in the United States has 
     an enormous impact on communities and a disproportionate 
     impact on our state and local courts. According to the 
     National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five U.S. 
     adults live with a mental illness--over 50 million in 2020--
     and over 13 million adults live with serious mental illness. 
     Individuals with mental illnesses in the U.S. are 10 times 
     more likely to be incarcerated than they are to be 
     hospitalized. On any given day, approximately 380,000 people 
     with mental illnesses are in jail or prison across the U.S., 
     and another 574,000 are under some form of correctional 
     supervision. For too many individuals with serious mental 
     illness, substance use disorder, or both, the justice system 
     is the de facto provider of treatment services. Except for 
     self-referral, state courts are the number one referrer in 
     the nation for treatment services.
       In March 2020, the CCJ, COSCA, and NCSC established the 
     National Judicial Task Force to Examine State Courts' 
     Response to Mental Illness to assist state courts in their 
     efforts to respond to the needs of court-involved individuals 
     with severe mental illness more effectively. The task force 
     recently released its national report, which provides 
     examples of successful programs from across the nation and 
     shares recommendations for change that call for action by all 
     state and local court leaders, behavioral health and other 
     community partners, and other state and federal agencies to 
     more effectively to meet the needs of justice-involved 
     individuals with serious mental illness. The report can be 
     found at: MHTF State Courts Leading Change.pdf (ncsc.org).
       Recommendations from the Task Force include:
       Examine the continuum of behavioral health deflection and 
     diversion options available in each community to promote 
     deflection and diversion to treatment options at the earliest 
     point possible.
       Convene justice and behavioral health system partners to 
     identify opportunities to collaboratively improve our 
     responses to individuals with behavioral health disorders.
       Proactively promote processes to identify and divert 
     individuals with behavioral health disorders at every stage 
     of system involvement towards treatment and away from further 
     penetration into the criminal justice system.
       Examine current case management and calendaring practices 
     for all types of cases and implement strategies to more 
     quickly and effectively address issues presented in cases 
     involving individuals with behavioral health needs.
       Thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to 
     helping each intercept point in the criminal justice system 
     improve our response to individuals experiencing a mental 
     health crisis. Please feel free to direct your staff to Chris 
     Wu if there is any way we can be of assistance.
           Sincerely,
     Chief Justice Loretta Rush, President,
       Conference of Chief Justices.
     Karl Hade, President,
       Conference of State Court Administrators.

[[Page H8621]]

     
                                  ____
                                                November 10, 2022.
       Dear Leaders of the House of Representatives: We are 
     writing today to strongly urge you to bring up and swiftly 
     pass H.R. 8166/S. 3846, the Justice and Mental Health 
     Collaboration Reauthorization Act of 2022 on suspension when 
     the House of Representatives returns for the lame-duck 
     session. This bipartisan legislation makes critical 
     improvements to the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration 
     Program (JMHCP), which supports jurisdictions creating 
     collaborative responses to people with mental illnesses or 
     co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders in 
     the criminal justice system. We applaud the work of the 
     Senate Judiciary Committee, which unanimously approved the 
     bill in May. The Senate has already shown their strong 
     support for the bill by passing it by unanimous consent in 
     June. Now it is time for the House to show their support for 
     state and local governments that are working on this complex 
     issue by bringing the bill to the floor.
       Since its inception, JMHCP has supported initiatives across 
     the country to reduce contact with the criminal justice 
     system and increase access to treatment and supports for 
     people with behavioral health needs. JMHCP was created by the 
     Bureau of Justice Assistance in 2006 as a critical way to 
     support the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime 
     Reduction Act (MIOTCRA), which was signed into law in 2004 by 
     then-President George W. Bush. JMHCP's mission, then and now, 
     has been to unify justice and health partners around a common 
     goal: reducing criminal justice involvement for people with 
     mental illness.
       Collectively, state and local governments use JMHCP grants 
     for a broad range of activities, including establishing 
     diversion programs, creating or expanding community-based 
     treatment programs, supporting the development of curricula 
     for police academies and orientations, and providing in-jail 
     treatment and transitional services, and training programs to 
     teach criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections, mental 
     health, and substance use personnel how to identify and 
     appropriately respond to incidents involving veterans. 
     Additionally, grant funds may be used to train law 
     enforcement on identifying and improving their responses to 
     people experiencing a mental health crisis. The program was 
     reauthorized in 2008 and again in 2016 with bipartisan 
     support.
       The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization 
     Act of 2022 will:
       Strengthen support for mental health courts and crisis 
     intervention teams (CITs); Support diversion programming and 
     training for state and local prosecutors; Strengthen support 
     for co-responder teams; Support the integration of 988 into 
     the existing public safety system;
       Amend allowable uses for grant funds to include suicide 
     prevention in jails and information-sharing between mental 
     health systems and jails/prisons;
       Amend allowable uses to include case management services 
     and supports; and
       Clarify that crisis intervention teams can be placed in 911 
     call centers.
       The law enforcement, training and treatment components of 
     JMHCP will help law enforcement better handle calls involving 
     people with mental health and substance use challenges. 
     Jurisdictions across the country are implementing strategies 
     to improve the outcomes of these encounters, which includes 
     providing specialized training and tools that can yield a 
     response that prioritizes treatment over incarceration, when 
     appropriate. CITs, along with other practices authorized 
     under the legislation, have been proven to be effective in 
     reducing recidivism, enhancing public safety, and freeing up 
     criminal justice resources for traditional crime fighting 
     purposes.
       With the responsibility of treating people with mental 
     illness often falling on an already strained criminal justice 
     system, it is imperative that we provide resources to help 
     law enforcement officers, judges, corrections officers, and 
     mental health professionals develop more thoughtful and cost-
     effective programs. We strongly urge the House to support law 
     enforcement and our communities better serve individuals with 
     mental health disorders and to increase public safety by 
     passing the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration 
     Reauthorization Act in the lame-duck session.
           Sincerely,
       National Fraternal Order of Police; National Sheriffs 
     Association (NSA); Major County Sheriffs of America; 
     Conference of Chief Justices; Conference of State Court 
     Administrators; Wounded Warrior Project; Addiction Policy 
     Forum; National Association of Counties; National League of 
     Cities; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; National 
     District Attorneys Association; National Alliance on Mental 
     Illness; National Association of Police Organizations; 
     American Jail Association.
       National Association of State Mental Health Program 
     Directors; National Association of State Alcohol and Drug 
     Abuse Directors; The Council of State Governments Justice 
     Center; Major Cities Chiefs Association; American Probation 
     and Parole Association; Faith & Freedom Coalition; Meadows 
     Mental Health Policy Institute; Leslie County Sheriffs 
     Office; Elliot County Sheriffs Office; Union County Sheriffs 
     Office; Grayson County Sheriffs Office; Knox County Sheriffs 
     Office.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3846, the ``Justice and Mental 
Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act of 2022,'' a bipartisan bill 
that would build on the success of the JMHCP grant program and make 
necessary improvements to enable state and local governments to better 
serve their communities.
  This reauthorization would make critical improvements to the JMHCP 
program--which supports services for individuals with mental health 
issues who are involved in the criminal justice system--including 
expansions in suicide prevention in jails and prisons; co-responder 
programs that pair law enforcement with mental health professionals; 
and crisis intervention teams within 911 call centers.
  With the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, communities 
across the country have suffered increased challenges in addressing 
mental health. We know that individuals suffering from mental illness 
belong in our health care system and not our criminal justice system.
  Democrats have worked consistently throughout this Congress to 
address issues of public safety from a holistic approach, one that does 
not require us to choose between our rights and our safety. We know 
that public safety and respect for civil rights can coexist and that 
supporting interventions to respond to individuals in crisis with 
compassion rather than force builds stronger and safer communities.
  This bill would improve existing programs within the Department of 
Justice that divert individuals with mental illness away from the 
criminal justice system towards treatment and health care.
  Since 2006, JMHCP grants have funded 620 awardees across 49 states 
and territories. With these funds law enforcement agencies have 
established co-responder teams, mobile crisis teams, and crisis 
intervention teams to improve encounters with individuals in crisis and 
connect them with the services they need.
  JMHCP supports 14 law enforcement mental health learning sites, 
including both the Harris County Sheriffs Department and the Houston 
Police Department, that serve as peer resources to grantees and 
communities throughout the country.
  In 2018, the Harris County Mental Health Jail Diversion Program 
expanded as an alternative to jail--diverting individuals with mental 
illness away from incarceration and into the health care and treatment 
that they need. The updated diversion program allows law enforcement to 
direct individuals with mental illness, who have been picked up for 
low-level, non-violent offenses, to more appropriate mental health 
interventions.
  These initiatives at the state and local level have been successful 
and S. 3846 would provide an opportunity for the federal government to 
increase support to these programs and build on what we know works.
  This bipartisan legislation would also support state implementation 
of the newly established 988 Suicide and Crisis hotline, which is a 
lifeline for individuals in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 
seeking help.
  This bill would also provide additional resources for law enforcement 
as they work to keep communities safe and respond effectively and 
appropriately to individuals in mental health crisis.
  S. 3846 is a common-sense bipartisan bill that would improve public 
safety and strengthen our communities. I thank Representative Bobby 
Scott for taking the lead on the House companion, of which I 
cosponsored along with Representatives Steve Chabot and Tom Emmer. I 
urge all my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott).
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  I rise in support of the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration 
Reauthorization Act. The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration 
Program is authorized through the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and 
Crime Reduction Act, what we call MIOTCRA, legislation that I was proud 
to work on nearly 20 years ago as the then-ranking member of the Crime 
Subcommittee of Judiciary Committee.
  This legislation has proven to successfully connect State and local 
governments with necessary resources to plan and implement initiatives 
designed to increase public safety, save tax dollars on ineffective or 
even counterproductive incarceration, and improve the lives of people 
with mental illness and their families.
  These grants for States and localities allow for the development of 
programming that connects those with mental illness and substance use 
issues with evidence-based and comprehensive treatment within the 
criminal justice system. Each year there are about 2 million people 
with serious mental illnesses admitted to jails across the country.

[[Page H8622]]

  In fact, according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, 44 
percent of those in jail and 37 percent of those in prisons have a 
history of mental illness.

                              {time}  1545

  Furthermore, once incarcerated, individuals with mental illness tend 
to stay in jail longer, and upon release are more likely to return to 
incarceration than those without mental illnesses.
  These grants encourage collaboration between law enforcement and 
healthcare providers. The reforms to this program included in this 
reauthorization are centered on reducing suicide, increasing access to 
case management services, bolstering the roles of co-responder and 
crisis intervention teams, and continuing the strong support of mental 
health courts. This bill recognizes that prevention is the best 
investment in the criminal justice system for long-term success and 
cost savings.
  This legislation is the result of the hard work of many, including 
State government organizations, mental health organizations, and law 
enforcement organizations. I thank all of those and my colleagues who 
have led this effort with me, including Representatives Chabot, Jackson 
Lee, and Emmer; the chairman of the committee, Mr. Nadler; as well as 
Senators Cornyn, Klobuchar, Moran, Durbin, Grassley, Whitehouse, 
Tillis, and Cortez Masto.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting the 
reauthorization of this legislation so we can get it to the President's 
desk before the end of the year.
  Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program 
funds a variety of essential services to support the mental health 
needs of communities across the country and redirect people in crisis 
away from the criminal justice system and into the healthcare system.
  This legislation would reauthorize and strengthen this important 
program so that it can continue to serve those in need of its services.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 3846, 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 yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________