[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8767 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8767
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through
the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to award
grants to States, territories, political subdivisions of States and
territories, Tribal governments, and consortia of Tribal governments to
establish an unarmed 911 response program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 17, 2020
Mr. Smith of Washington introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through
the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to award
grants to States, territories, political subdivisions of States and
territories, Tribal governments, and consortia of Tribal governments to
establish an unarmed 911 response program, and for other purposes.
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 ``911 Diversion to Unarmed Personnel
Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR UNARMED 911 RESPONSE PROGRAMS.
Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act is amended by
inserting after section 552 (42 U.S.C. 290ee-7) the following new
section:
``SEC. 553. GRANTS FOR UNARMED 911 RESPONSE PROGRAMS.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant
Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, may award grants to
States, territories, political subdivisions of States and territories,
Tribal governments, and consortia of Tribal governments to establish an
unarmed 911 response program under which nonviolent 911 calls are
referred to unarmed professional service providers for response,
instead of to a law enforcement agency.
``(b) Program Requirements.--An unarmed 911 response program funded
under this section shall--
``(1) dispatch unarmed professional service providers in
groups of two or more in a timely manner;
``(2) be capable of providing screening, assessment, de-
escalation, trauma-informed services, referrals to treatment
providers, and transportation to immediately necessary
treatment;
``(3) when necessary, coordinate with health or social
services;
``(4) not be subject to oversight of State or local law
enforcement agencies; and
``(5) clearly outline the scope of calls that must or may
be referred to the unarmed 911 response program.
``(c) Uses of Funds.--A grant under this section may be used for--
``(1) hiring unarmed professional service providers;
``(2) training unarmed professional service providers to
respond to 911 calls by identifying, understanding, and
responding to signs of mental illnesses and substance use
disorders, including by means of--
``(A) de-escalation;
``(B) crisis intervention; and
``(C) connecting individuals to local social
service providers, health care providers, community-
based organizations, and the full range of other
available providers and resources;
``(3) updating 911 response systems to enable triage
between nonviolent 911 calls and those that require a response
from law enforcement;
``(4) training 911 dispatchers on call diversion; and
``(5) building the capacity--
``(A) to coordinate with local social service
providers, health care providers, and community-based
organizations; and
``(B) to provide multilingual services.
``(d) Application.--An applicant seeking a grant under this section
shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably
require, including the applicant's plan to train 911 dispatchers to
determine when a call should be diverted to the unarmed 911 response
program.
``(e) Reports to Secretary.--A recipient of a grant under this
section shall submit to the Secretary, on a biannual basis, a report on
the following:
``(1) The number of calls placed to 911 that were diverted
to the grantee's unarmed 911 response program.
``(2) Demographic information on the individuals served by
the grantee's unarmed 911 response program, disaggregated by
race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
and location.
``(3) The effects of the grantee's unarmed 911 response
program on emergency room visits, hospitalizations, use of
ambulances, and involvement of law enforcement in mental health
or substance use disorder crises.
``(4) An assessment of the types of events and crises to
which the grantee's unarmed 911 response program responded and
the services provided, including--
``(A) the number of individuals to whom services
were provided who were involuntarily committed for
treatment;
``(B) the number of individuals successfully
transferred to an alternative destination;
``(C) the time between notification by a 911
dispatcher and arrival at the scene by a provider; and
``(D) the time spent by providers at scene.
``(5) An assessment of the cost-effectiveness and savings
associated with the grantee's unarmed 911 response program.
``(f) Reports to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit to the
Congress, on a biannual basis, a report on the program under this
section, including a summary of the reports submitted by grantees
pursuant to subsection (e).
``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `alternative destination'--
``(A) means any service- or care-providing site
other than a hospital emergency department or jail; and
``(B) includes a clinic, primary care office,
crisis center, and freestanding psychiatric
destination.
``(2) The term `nonviolent 911 call' means a 911 call
that--
``(A) relates to mental health, homelessness,
addiction crises, social services, truancy, or public
intoxication; and
``(B) does not involve--
``(i) a weapon;
``(ii) obvious violent behavior; or
``(iii) a subject who has voiced a desire
or intention to commit violence against
themselves or others and a reasonable belief of
the dispatcher that the threat is imminent.
``(3) The term `unarmed professional service provider'
means a professional (which may include a nurse, social worker,
emergency medical technician, counselor, community health
worker, trauma-informed personnel, social service provider, or
peer support specialist) who--
``(A) is trained to deal with mental health or
substance abuse crises; and
``(B) does not carry a firearm.''.
<all>
911 Diversion to Unarmed Personnel Act of 2020
#8767 | HR Congress #116
Policy Area: Health
Subjects: Congressional oversightDrug, alcohol, tobacco useEmergency communications systemsEmergency medical services and trauma careEmployee hiringEmployment and training programsFirearms and explosivesFirst responders and emergency personnelForeign language and bilingual programsHealth information and medical recordsHealth personnelHealth programs administration and fundingHomelessness and emergency shelterLaw enforcement administration and fundingMental healthNursingSocial work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Last Action: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (11/17/2020)
Bill Text Source: Congress.gov
Summary and Impacts
Original Text