Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Reauthorization Act of 2022

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

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.

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.

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.

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. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a member of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).

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.

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.

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.

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. 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. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.