[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 7798-7799]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         LAW ENFORCEMENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS ACT OF 2017

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, as in legislative session, I ask 
unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged 
from further consideration of S. 867 and the Senate proceed to its 
immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 867) to provide support for law enforcement 
     agency efforts to protect the mental health and well-being of 
     law enforcement officers, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill 
be

[[Page 7799]]

considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be 
considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 867) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:

                                 S. 867

       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 ``Law Enforcement Mental 
     Health and Wellness Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. SUPPORT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.

       (a) Interagency Collaboration.--The Attorney General shall 
     consult with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of 
     Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress a report, which shall 
     be made publicly available, on Department of Defense and 
     Department of Veterans Affairs mental health practices and 
     services that could be adopted by Federal, State, local, or 
     tribal law enforcement agencies.
       (b) Case Studies.--The Director of the Office of Community 
     Oriented Policing Services shall submit to Congress a 
     report--
       (1) that is similar to the report entitled ``Health, 
     Safety, and Wellness Program Case Studies in Law 
     Enforcement'' published by the Office of Community Oriented 
     Policing Services in 2015; and
       (2) that focuses on case studies of programs designed 
     primarily to address officer psychological health and well-
     being.
       (c) Peer Mentoring Pilot Program.--Section 1701(b) of the 
     Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
     3796dd(b)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (21), by striking ``; and'' and inserting 
     a semicolon;
       (2) in paragraph (22), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(23) to establish peer mentoring mental health and 
     wellness pilot programs within State, tribal, and local law 
     enforcement agencies.''.

     SEC. 3. SUPPORT FOR MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS.

       The Attorney General, in coordination with the Secretary of 
     Health and Human Services, shall develop resources to educate 
     mental health providers about the culture of Federal, State, 
     tribal, and local law enforcement agencies and evidence-based 
     therapies for mental health issues common to Federal, State, 
     local, and tribal law enforcement officers.

     SEC. 4. SUPPORT FOR OFFICERS.

       The Attorney General shall--
       (1) in consultation with Federal, State, local, and tribal 
     law enforcement agencies--
       (A) identify and review the effectiveness of any existing 
     crisis hotlines for law enforcement officers;
       (B) provide recommendations to Congress on whether Federal 
     support for existing crisis hotlines or the creation of an 
     alternative hotline would improve the effectiveness or use of 
     the hotline; and
       (C) conduct research into the efficacy of an annual mental 
     health check for law enforcement officers;
       (2) in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security 
     and the head of other Federal agencies that employ law 
     enforcement officers, examine the mental health and wellness 
     needs of Federal law enforcement officers, including the 
     efficacy of expanding peer mentoring programs for law 
     enforcement officers at each Federal agency; and
       (3) ensure that any recommendations, resources, or programs 
     provided under this Act protect the privacy of participating 
     law enforcement officers.

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