[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4811-S4812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2494. Ms. ROSEN (for herself, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Ricketts, and Mr. 
Padilla) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the 
bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 for 
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle H of title X, insert the following:

     SEC. 10__. HELPING EMERGENCY RESPONDERS OVERCOME ACT.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the 
     ``Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act'' or the ``HERO 
     Act''.
       (b) Data System to Capture National Public Safety Officer 
     Suicide Incidence.--The Public Health Service Act is amended 
     by inserting after section 317V of such Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-
     24) the following:

     ``SEC. 317W. DATA SYSTEM TO CAPTURE NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY 
                   OFFICER SUICIDE INCIDENCE.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in coordination with 
     other agencies as the Secretary determines appropriate, may--
       ``(1) develop and maintain a data system, to be known as 
     the Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System, for the 
     purposes of--
       ``(A) collecting data on the suicide incidence among public 
     safety officers; and
       ``(B) facilitating the study of successful interventions to 
     reduce suicide among public safety officers; and
       ``(2) integrate such system into the National Violent Death 
     Reporting System, so long as the Secretary determines such 
     integration to be consistent with the purposes described in 
     paragraph (1).
       ``(b) Data Collection.--In collecting data for the Public 
     Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System, the Secretary shall, 
     at a minimum, collect the following information:
       ``(1) The total number of suicides in the United States 
     among all public safety officers in a given calendar year.
       ``(2) Suicide rates for public safety officers in a given 
     calendar year, disaggregated by--
       ``(A) age and gender of the public safety officer;
       ``(B) State;
       ``(C) occupation; including both the individual's role in 
     their public safety agency and their primary occupation in 
     the case of volunteer public safety officers;
       ``(D) where available, the status of the public safety 
     officer as volunteer, paid-on-call, or career; and
       ``(E) where available, the status of the public safety 
     officer as active or retired.
       ``(c) Data Privacy and Security.--In developing and 
     maintaining the Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting 
     System, the Secretary shall ensure that all applicable 
     Federal privacy and security protections are followed to 
     ensure that--
       ``(1) the confidentiality and anonymity of suicide victims 
     and their families are protected, including so as to ensure 
     that data cannot be used to deny benefits; and
       ``(2) data is sufficiently secure to prevent unauthorized 
     access.
       ``(d) Reporting.--
       ``(1) Annual report.--Not later than 2 years after the date 
     of enactment of the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome 
     Act, and biannually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a 
     report to the Congress on the suicide incidence among public 
     safety officers. Each such report shall--

[[Page S4812]]

       ``(A) include the number and rate of such suicide 
     incidence, disaggregated by age, gender, and State of 
     employment;
       ``(B) identify characteristics and contributing 
     circumstances for suicide among public safety officers;
       ``(C) disaggregate rates of suicide by--
       ``(i) occupation;
       ``(ii) status as volunteer, paid-on-call, or career, where 
     available; and
       ``(iii) status as active or retired, where available;
       ``(D) include recommendations for further study regarding 
     the suicide incidence among public safety officers;
       ``(E) specify in detail any obstacles in collecting suicide 
     rates for volunteers and include recommended improvements to 
     overcome such obstacles;
       ``(F) identify options for interventions to reduce suicide 
     among public safety officers; and
       ``(G) describe procedures to ensure the confidentiality and 
     anonymity of suicide victims and their families, as described 
     in subsection (c)(1).
       ``(2) Public availability.--Upon the submission of each 
     report to the Congress under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
     shall make the full report publicly available on the website 
     of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
       ``(e) Definition.--In this section, the term `public safety 
     officer' means--
       ``(1) a public safety officer as defined in section 1204 of 
     the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968; or
       ``(2) a public safety telecommunicator as described in 
     detailed occupation 43-5031 in the Standard Occupational 
     Classification Manual of the Office of Management and Budget 
     (2018).
       ``(f) Prohibited Use of Information.--Notwithstanding any 
     other provision of law, if an individual is identified as 
     deceased based on information contained in the Public Safety 
     Officer Suicide Reporting System, such information may not be 
     used to deny or rescind life insurance payments or other 
     benefits to a survivor of the deceased individual.''.
       (c) Peer-support Behavioral Health and Wellness Programs 
     Within Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Service 
     Agencies.--
       (1) In general.--Part B of title III of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 243 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
     the end the following:

     ``SEC. 320C. PEER-SUPPORT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS 
                   PROGRAMS WITHIN FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND EMERGENCY 
                   MEDICAL SERVICE AGENCIES.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may award grants to 
     eligible entities for the purpose of establishing or 
     enhancing peer-support behavioral health and wellness 
     programs within fire departments and emergency medical 
     services agencies.
       ``(b) Program Description.--A peer-support behavioral 
     health and wellness program funded under this section shall--
       ``(1) use career and volunteer members of fire departments 
     or emergency medical services agencies to serve as peer 
     counselors;
       ``(2) provide training to members of career, volunteer, and 
     combination fire departments or emergency medical service 
     agencies to serve as such peer counselors;
       ``(3) purchase materials to be used exclusively to provide 
     such training; or
       ``(4) disseminate such information and materials as are 
     necessary to conduct the program.
       ``(c) Definition.--In this section:
       ``(1) The term `eligible entity' means a nonprofit 
     organization with expertise and experience with respect to 
     the health and life safety of members of fire and emergency 
     medical services agencies.
       ``(2) The term `member'--
       ``(A) with respect to an emergency medical services agency, 
     means an employee who is a member of a rescue squad or 
     ambulance crew (as defined in section 1204 of title I of the 
     Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 
     10284)), regardless of rank or whether the employee receives 
     compensation; and
       ``(B) with respect to a fire department, means any 
     employee, regardless of rank or whether the employee receives 
     compensation, of a Federal, State, Tribal, or local fire 
     department who is responsible for responding to calls for 
     emergency service.''.
       (2) Technical correction.--Effective as if included in the 
     enactment of the Children's Health Act of 2000 (Public Law 
     106-310), the amendment instruction in section 1603 of such 
     Act is amended by striking ``Part B of the Public Health 
     Service Act'' and inserting ``Part B of title III of the 
     Public Health Service Act''.
       (d) Development of Resources for Educating Mental Health 
     Professionals About Treating Fire Fighters and Emergency 
     Medical Services Personnel.--
       (1) In general.--The Administrator, in consultation with 
     the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall develop and 
     make publicly available resources that may be used by the 
     Federal Government and other entities to educate mental 
     health professionals about--
       (A) the culture of Federal, State, Tribal, and local 
     career, volunteer, and combination fire departments and 
     emergency medical services agencies;
       (B) the different stressors experienced by firefighters and 
     emergency medical services personnel, supervisory 
     firefighters and emergency medical services personnel, and 
     chief officers of fire departments and emergency medical 
     services agencies;
       (C) challenges encountered by retired firefighters and 
     emergency medical services personnel; and
       (D) evidence-based therapies for mental health issues 
     common to firefighters and emergency medical services 
     personnel within such departments and agencies.
       (2) Consultation.--In developing resources under paragraph 
     (1), the Administrator, in coordination with the Secretary of 
     Health and Human Services, shall consult with national fire 
     and emergency medical services organizations.
       (3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
       (A) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
     Administrator of the United States Fire Administration.
       (B) Chief officer.--The term ``chief officer'' means any 
     individual who is responsible for the overall operation of a 
     fire department or an emergency medical services agency, 
     irrespective of whether such individual also serves as a 
     firefighter or emergency medical services personnel.
       (C) Emergency medical services personnel.--The term 
     ``emergency medical services personnel'' means an employee 
     who is a member of a rescue squad or ambulance crew (as 
     defined in section 1204 of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
     Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10284)), 
     regardless of rank or whether the employee receives 
     compensation.
       (D) Firefighter.--The term ``firefighter'' means any 
     employee, regardless of rank or whether the employee receives 
     compensation, of a Federal, State, Tribal, or local fire 
     department who is responsible for responding to calls for 
     emergency service.
       (e) Best Practices and Other Resources for Addressing 
     Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Public Safety Officers.--
       (1) Development; updates.--The Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services shall--
       (A) develop and assemble evidence-based best practices and 
     other resources to identify, prevent, and treat posttraumatic 
     stress disorder and co-occurring disorders in public safety 
     officers; and
       (B) reassess and update, as the Secretary determines 
     necessary, such best practices and resources, including based 
     upon the options for interventions to reduce suicide among 
     public safety officers identified in the annual reports 
     required by section 317W(d)(1)(F) of the Public Health 
     Service Act, as added by subsection (b).
       (2) Consultation.--In developing, assembling, and updating 
     the best practices and resources under paragraph (1), the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services shall consult with, at 
     a minimum, the following:
       (A) Public health experts.
       (B) Mental health experts with experience in studying 
     suicide and other profession-related traumatic stress.
       (C) Clinicians with experience in diagnosing and treating 
     mental health issues.
       (D) Relevant national police, fire, and emergency medical 
     services organizations.
       (3) Availability.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services shall make the best practices and resources under 
     paragraph (1) available to Federal, State, and local fire, 
     law enforcement, and emergency medical services agencies.
       (4) Federal training and development programs.--The 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services shall work with 
     Federal departments and agencies, including the United States 
     Fire Administration, to incorporate education and training on 
     the best practices and resources under paragraph (1) into 
     Federal training and development programs for public safety 
     officers.
       (5) Definition.--In this section, the term ``public safety 
     officer'' means--
       (A) a public safety officer, as defined in section 1204 of 
     the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
     U.S.C. 10284); or
       (B) a public safety telecommunicator, as described in 
     detailed occupation 43-5031 in the Standard Occupational 
     Classification Manual of the Office of Management and Budget 
     (2018).
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