,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #egjf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #h1 #bjbe,ms4 ,ansari 7for herself1 ,mrs4 ,watson ,coleman1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,garcia of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,goldman of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4 ,salinas1 ,mr4 ,thanedar1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi1 and ,ms4 ,tlaib7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to establish a grant program to assist eligible entities in developing or expanding behavioral health crisis response programs that do not rely primarily on law enforcement1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,mental ,health ,emergency ,responder ,act4 #b4 ,grant program to expand behavioral health crisis response 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use1 shall establish a competitive grant program 7in this section referred to as the program7 to assist eligible entities in developing or expanding behavioral health crisis response programs that do not rely primarily on law enforcement4 7b7 ,eligible entities ,the following entities shall be eligible to receive grants under the program-- 7#a7 a local or ,tribal government2 7#b7 a regional emergency medical services agency or fire department2 7#c7 a certified community behavioral health clinic1 as defined by section #aije7;jj7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acif;d7jj772 and 7#d7 a nonprofit organization in partnership with a local government or health authority4 7c7 ,use of grant funds ,grant funds received by an eligible entity under the program may be used-- 7#a7 to recruit1 train1 and equip behavioral health professionals and paramedics for a behavioral health crisis response2 7#b7 to integrate co-response teams into #iaa or #ihh call dispatch systems2 7#c7 to provide community education and outreach regarding alternatives to police-led crisis response2 7#d7 to develop or implement protocols to enable emergency medical services agencies to accept custody of civilians from police for transport to mental health facilities1 if permitted under ,state law2 and 7#e7 to establish emergency medical services agencies1 or clinician-led mobile crisis teams1 as the primary responders to behavioral health emergencies in lieu of law enforcement1 in a manner consistent with ,state and local laws4 7d7 ,limitation on statutory construction ,nothing in this section shall be construed-- 7#a7 to require any ,state or local government to modify an emergency detention or custody law2 or 7#b7 to authorize any entity to engage in emergency detention or involuntary transport beyond what is permitted under an applicable ,state law4 7e7 ,reporting requirement ,the ,secretary shall require each recipient of a grant under the program to submit to the ,secretary1 during such period of time as the ,secretary determines appropriate1 an annual report detailing response outcomes1 diversion rates1 and community feedback4 7f7 ,priority consideration ,in awarding grants under the program1 the ,secretary shall prioritize applications from eligible entities located in jurisdictions that do not currently operate a non-law enforcement behavioral health crisis response program1 or whose existing programs are limited in scope or capacity4 7g7 ,co-,response team defined ,in this section1 the term co-response team means a team that includes at least one behavioral health professional 7such as a licensed clinician or social worker7 and at least one emergency medical services provider1 firefighter1 or peace officer who jointly respond to behavioral health crisis calls in real time4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjcj4