Supporting and Treating Officers In Crisis Act of 2019

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding; and I thank the two cosponsors, the gentleman from Pennsylvania and the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania, for a very important initiative that not one of us have, unfortunately, not heard of one of our law enforcement officers in recent years, in recent times, or in recent months committing suicide. That incident has occurred in my own community.

It is clearly important to be able to provide this extra support, the Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis Act of 2019, the STOIC Act. It is crucial because it also impacts these families. These officers every day deal with such catastrophic incidences. In my own community, we have seen six little children killed over the last couple of months.

The individuals who arrive first to the scene are law enforcement officers, and they are moms and dads with children. And I cannot imagine the impact that those scenes, those crime scenes, have day after day on these officers who have joined the force to do good and to help people.

We often say when we call 911, we are looking for the men and women in blue, and we are looking for them to strengthen those families who are broken or in crisis. This particular act would revitalize the DOJ's grant program for Law Enforcement Family Resources, in addition to allocating funds to establish suicide prevention, stress management, and mental health programs.

We know that just as our military men and women face the devastation of

PTSD, members of our various law enforcement agencies who work to protect us also experience post-traumatic stress disorder.

This program to enhance the grants that departments can secure will be able to fill in the gap and work with families and also deal with the question of those experiencing mental illness. Post-traumatic stress disorder can come in the form of depression, burnout, and other mental-health related issues and anxiety.

We know that over the years, suicides have increased, but in 2017, an estimated 140 officers died from suicide, which exceeds the 129 that were killed in the line of duty.

Mental illness is a silent, but lethal killer. We are working in the Judiciary Committee on the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act which will emphasize some of the protocols for improving, policing, working on professionalism, and working with the 18,000 police departments across America. I can't imagine waiting to pass this legislation to reignite the grant program to be able to help those who are now presently suffering.

I am glad that this is a bicameral initiative. I hope that this will move quickly to the President's desk to sign, and I hope those funds will get to the Houston Police Department, the Harris County Sheriff's Department, constables' offices, and various police departments across America.

A healthy police officer, physically and mentally, is the best community relations that you could ever have. A healthy officer who works with children, who works with communities, who works with families, and shows up when the civic club asks them to come and speak about safety and security in the neighborhood, that is who we hope will be the kind of officer who will come to work every day.

These grant programs will ensure that. Most of all, I would like to close by saying: for those law enforcement officers who are, many times, former military personnel and committed to the idea of service, go and get help. We are standing ready to help. These grant programs will allow police departments, cities, counties, and States to put out an effective and strong response to the needs of our law enforcement, and to thank them for their service

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary, and on Homeland Security, I rise in strong support of S. 998, the ``Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis Act of 2019,'' known for short as the ``STOIC Act''.

The STOIC Act would reintroduce and revitalize the DOJ's grant program for Law Enforcement Family Services, in addition to allocating funds to establish, suicide prevention, stress management, and mental health programs.

Mr. Speaker, as late as 2017, there were more than 600,000 law enforcement officers employed in the United States, charged with protecting their communities.

Daily, the nation's law enforcement officers witness and experience all manner of trauma in the line of duty.

As these brave members of our nation's various law enforcement agencies work to protect the individuals of their communities, the difficulties they experience often leave them with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, burnout and other mental health conditions related to anxiety.

These anxiety-related illnesses can even result in suicide.

In 2017, an estimated 140 officers died from suicide, which exceeds the 129 that were killed in the line of duty, making mental illness the silent killer and most lethal threat to law enforcement professionals.

There is no doubt that these men and women suffering from mental health issues that occurred as a result of their efforts to protect and serve their communities, deserve our support throughout their recovery and treatment.

By passing S. 998, officers combating anxiety related mental health conditions, and their families, will receive improved support and care.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. 998 to ensure that the nation's law enforcement officers, and their families, receive the mental health care and rehabilitation they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 998) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to expand support for police officer family services, stress reduction, and suicide prevention, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 998, the Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis Act of 2019, also known as the STOIC Act. This bill would provide important mental health and suicide prevention services to law enforcement officers and their families.

Specifically, it would modify an existing, but expired, authorization providing support to law enforcement officers' families to add mental health and suicide prevention programs directed at officers themselves. Additionally, S. 998 would also reauthorize the family support provisions and would appropriate up to $7.5 million for each fiscal year from 2020 to 2024 to carry out both the family and law enforcement officer mental health programs.

The law enforcement officers this grant program would assist all too often face dangerous and horrific challenges, which takes a hard toll on them and, often, their families. Too frequently, local resources are not readily available or accessible for these purposes. S. 998 would bridge this critical gap.

Seeking help is often the hardest step to take to address one's mental health issues. It can be especially difficult for law enforcement officers because of the stigma against it within the law enforcement community and, too often still, in society as a whole. The aim of this legislation is to help overcome this reluctance by destigmatizing mental health treatment in the law enforcement community.

Provisions in this legislation encourage recipients of grant funding to set up suicide prevention hotlines. These lifelines are a critical step for getting those officers who need it the assistance they require and thereby help address the nationwide tragedy of officer suicide.

The impact of on-the-job stress is not limited to law enforcement officers, however. The underlying expired grant program, which this bill reauthorizes, permits recipients of grant programs for marital and adolescent support groups. This ``whole family'' approach to mental health services is essential for retaining officers. It is often said that departments recruit officers and retain families. Family support programs, such as those authorized in S. 998, provide critical support that keeps officers on patrol.

Lastly, included in the reauthorization is the ability for recipients of this grant to provide child care on a 24-hour basis. This provision furnishes much-needed support to single parent officers, many of whom are women. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that there are over 100,000 female law enforcement officers nationwide. Child care programs, as authorized in this measure, help promote family-friendly workplaces and facilitate the employment of more female officers.

S. 998 is identical to H.R. 2368, a bipartisan measure sponsored by our House Judiciary Committee colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Representative Guy Reschenthaler, with the support of the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania, Representative Madeleine Dean. I should also note that the Judiciary Committee passed the House bill by voice vote last month.

Accordingly, I support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the tragically high number of law enforcement professionals who take their own lives each year is a serious problem that must be addressed.

According to Blue H.E.L.P., an advocacy organization that works to reduce mental health stigma in the law enforcement community, 167 law enforcement officers committed suicide in 2018. By comparison, in the same year, 144 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty.

S. 998 will help provide critical mental health and suicide prevention assistance to law enforcement officers in need. I therefore urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Nadler, Chairwoman Bass, and my colleague and friend from Pennsylvania for their efforts in moving this important legislation forward.

Every day our law enforcement professionals don their uniforms, show up for work, and take on the extraordinary responsibility of keeping us safe. It is work that, too often, goes unnoticed or underappreciated, a kind of quiet heroism. But that work can also exact a very heavy toll.

The Supporting and Treating Officers in Crisis, STOIC, Act responds to the growing emergency in the law enforcement community. Studies show that law enforcement officers face a wide range of stressors, including responding to violent crime, managing crisis situations, and, as 77 percent of officers report, dealing with insufficient departmental support for their mission.

This stress has serious consequences. Studies indicate that 1 in 4 officers report stress-based physical health problems, and 1 in 14 meet the criteria for PTSD. Think of that: just showing up for this important work places our law enforcement professionals at increased risk for a wide range of health problems.

Suicide among our law enforcement community is rising at a troubling rate, as well. The CDC reported in 2016 that the suicide rate in this community is 50 percent higher than the national average. In recent years, the number of law enforcement who have died by suicide has even surpassed the number of officers killed in the line of duty.

According to Blue H.E.L.P., we lost 142 officers to suicide in 2016. Last year, that number jumped to 167 compared to 144 who tragically lost their lives in the line of duty.

Officers in crisis need our support. The STOIC Act, both the Senate and the House version, will reform and expand existing grant programs to better address mental health, establish suicide prevention programs, and offer aid to officers' families.

Our law enforcement officers are true public servants, and honoring their service means providing them with the support they deserve.

I thank my colleague, fellow Pennsylvanian, Congressman Reschenthaler, for speaking in one voice across the aisle and across chambers. I thank him for his passion and his leadership on this bipartisan bill. It has been a pleasure to work with him and his team on an issue we both care deeply about. I look forward to our continued efforts, and I urge all Members to support the STOIC Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 998, the Senate companion to this bipartisan legislation, that I introduced with Congresswoman Dean, that will address the mental health needs of our Nation's police officers.

Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities.

Last year, when the Tree of Life synagogue was under attack, the Pittsburgh police and police from around the region ran into open gunfire to stop a deranged, hateful madman intent on killing as many worshippers as possible. Were it not for the heroic efforts of the police that day, the tragic loss of life could have been much worse.

Across the country, we sleep safely in our beds each night because of our law enforcement officers. But the critical work that these men and women undertake does not come without a cost.

According to the National Study of Police Suicides, law enforcement officers are two-and-a-half times more likely to die from suicides than from homicides. Studies show that police officers have above average stress levels that lead to post-traumatic stress, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Despite all we do for our communities, the Federal Government provides few resources to address the consequences of their taxing work.

The STOIC Act is a bipartisan piece of legislation that will reform and expand an existing grant program to better address the mental health and support needs of our law enforcement, most importantly as it relates to suicide prevention.

I am very grateful to Senator Hawley and Senator Whitehouse for their work to get this bill through the Senate.

I also, again, thank Ranking Member Collins and Chairman Nadler for prioritizing this important piece of legislation.

And, most importantly, I thank my friend and fellow Pennsylvanian, Congresswoman Dean, for her tireless work to improve mental health treatment for police across the country. Throughout this entire process, Congresswoman Dean has shown tremendous appreciation for law enforcement officers and great concern for the well-being of them and their families. It has truly been a pleasure to work on this bill with Congresswoman Dean.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support the STOIC Act today. It is time for us to take care of those who take care of us.

Mr. Speaker, as a son of a state trooper and as someone who also has served as a chaplain to police agencies and our first responders, this is a very important bill to me. I cannot think of a better Member from our side of the aisle who supported this, and also the chairwoman and others who have supported this, but Guy Reschenthaler is a champion of this from his service days and also from his background.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler), the lead author on the Republican side of the STOIC Act.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am ready to close.

Again, it is a great bill. You have heard the accolades of the gentleman and gentlewoman from Pennsylvania. They have made that case clear, along with my friends from Texas and California.

This is a good bill, I urge everybody to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.