,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bfde ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,august #a1 #bjbe,mr4 ,peters 7for himself and ,mr4 ,hawley7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to establish the ,law ,enforcement ,mental ,health and ,wellness ,program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,,dhs ,suicide ,prevention and ,resiliency for ,law ,enforcement ,act4 #b4 ,department of ,homeland ,security suicide prevention and resiliency for law enforcement 7a7 ,in general ,title ,,vii of the ,homeland ,security ,act of #bjjb 7#f ,u4,s4,c4 #cda et seq47 is amended by inserting after section #gaj the following3 #gaj;,a4 ,suicide prevention and resiliency for law enforcement 7a7 ,definitions 7#a7 ,department of homeland security component ,the term ,department of ,homeland ,security component means-- 7,a7 ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection2 7,b7 ,u4,s4 ,immigration and ,customs ,enforcement2 7,c7 the ,office of the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,homeland ,security2 7,d7 the ,united ,states ,coast ,guard2 7,e7 the ,united ,states ,secret ,service2 7,f7 the ,transportation ,security ,administration2 and 7,g7 any other ,department of ,homeland ,security component or office with law enforcement officers or agents4 7#b7 ,program ,the term ,program means the ,law ,enforcement ,mental ,health and ,wellness ,program established pursuant to subsection 7b74 7b7 ,law ,enforcement ,mental ,health and ,wellness ,program 7#a7 ,establishment 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish1 within the office overseen by the ,chief ,medical ,officer1 the ,law ,enforcement ,mental ,health and ,wellness ,program4 7,b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,program shall be to provide a comprehensive approach to address the mental health and wellness of ,department of ,homeland ,security law enforcement agents and officers4 7,c7 ,administration ,the ,secretary1 working through the ,program1 shall-- 7i7 establish and maintain policies and standard operating procedures1 consistent with best evidence-based practices1 that detail the authority1 roles1 and responsibilities of the ,program2 7ii7 conduct data collection and research on mental health1 suicides1 and1 to the extent possible1 attempted suicides1 of law enforcement personnel within the ,department of ,homeland ,security1 in accordance with section #eeb;a of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code 7commonly known as the ,privacy ,act of #aigd71 section #eja of the ,rehabilitation ,act of #aigc 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #gia71 the ,department of ,homeland ,security's directives and policies1 section #aabh;,e of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;a-#g;e71 and section #b7;a7 of the ,law ,enforcement ,suicide ,data ,collection ,act 7,public ,law #aaf-adc72 7iii7 track current trends and leading practices from other governmental and nongovernmental organizations for law enforcement mental health and wellness2 7iv7 evaluate current mental health and resiliency programs within ,department of ,homeland ,security components2 7v7 promote education and training related to mental health1 resilience1 suicide prevention1 stigma1 and mental health resources to raise mental health awareness and to support the needs of supervisors1 clinicians1 care-givers1 peer support members1 chaplains1 and those who have been exposed to trauma2 7vi7 establish partnerships with faith-based organizations1 community-based organizations1 counseling programs1 or other social service programs that provide mental health and suicide prevention support services2 7vii7 establish the ,peer-to-,peer ,support ,program ,advisory ,council1 which shall-- 7,i7 include at least #a licensed clinician and at least #a official with requisite and relevant training and experience in peer support for law enforcement personnel from each ,department of ,homeland ,security component2 7,,ii7 evaluate component peer support programs2 7,,iii7 identify and address any potential deficiencies1 limitations1 and gaps2 7,,iv7 provide for sharing of leading practices or best practices1 including internationally recognized peer support standards of care protocols2 7,v7 create a peer support network that enables the sharing of trained peer support personnel1 chaplains1 and other peer-to-peer personnel across ,department of ,homeland ,security components1 and may also include outside agency organizations1 such as faith-based organizations1 community-based organizations1 counseling programs1 and other social service programs2 and 7,,vi7 sustain peer support programs through ongoing funding of annual and refresher training and resources for peer support programing in the workplace-- 7aa7 to ensure minimum standards for peer support services2 and 7bb7 to provide appropriate care for peer support personnel across ,department of ,homeland ,security components2 7viii7 assist ,department of ,homeland ,security components in developing a program to provide suicide prevention and resiliency support and training for-- 7,i7 families of law enforcement agents and officers2 and 7,,ii7 surviving families of officers and agents who have died by suicide2 7ix7 work with law enforcement mental health and wellness program officials of ,department of ,homeland ,security components 7which shall include peer support-trained personnel1 agency mental health professionals1 chaplains1 and1 for components with employees having an exclusive representative1 the exclusive representative with respect to such program7 to implement new policies1 procedures1 and programs that may be necessary based on findings from data collection1 research1 and evaluation efforts2 and 7x7 conduct regular outreach and messaging1 across ,department of ,homeland ,security components1 of available training opportunities and resources4 7,d7 ,confidentiality2 limitation 7i7 ,confidentiality ,actions described in subparagraph 7,c7 may not-- 7,i7 include the publication of any personally identifiable information2 or 7,,ii7 compel any employee to provide any information for the purposes of this subsection4 7ii7 ,limitation ,personally identifiable information collected pursuant to subparagraph 7,c7 may not be used for any purpose other than the implementation of this section unless otherwise permitted under applicable law4 ,any personally identifiable information that is collected1 maintained1 or used pursuant to this section is subject to applicable public nondisclosure requirements1 including sections #eeb and #eeb;a of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 7,e7 ,personnel 7i7 ,management ,the ,workplace ,health and ,wellness ,coordinator of the ,department1 under the direction of the ,chief ,medical ,officer of the ,department1 shall be responsible for the ongoing management of the ,program4 7ii7 ,minimum core personnel requirements ,subject to appropriations1 the ,secretary shall ensure that the ,program is staffed with the number of employees that the ,chief ,medical ,officer determines to be necessary to carry out the duties described in subparagraph 7,c71 including representatives from each ,department of ,homeland ,security component and the ,office of the ,chief ,privacy ,officer4 7#b7 ,directive ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of the ,,dhs ,suicide ,prevention and ,resiliency for ,law ,enforcement ,act1 the ,chief ,medical ,officer of the ,department shall-- 7,a7 issue a directive or policy that outlines the roles and responsibilities of the ,program2 and 7,b7 distribute such directive or policy among all ,department personnel4 7c7 ,coordination ,the ,chief ,medical ,officer of the ,department shall require the ,program to regularly coordinate with the ,department of ,homeland ,security components by assigning at least #a official from each such component to the ,program for the purpose of coordinating with field points of contact who are responsible for carrying out duties within ,department mental health and wellness programs4 7d7 ,department of ,homeland ,security components ,the ,secretary shall require the head of each ,department of ,homeland ,security component to prioritize and improve mental health and wellness programs1 which may include other ,department of ,homeland ,security component personnel1 that-- 7#a7 provide adequate resources for law enforcement mental health1 well-being1 resilience1 and suicide prevention programs and research2 7#b7 promote a culture that reduces the stigma of seeking mental health assistance through regular messaging1 training1 and raising mental health awareness2 7#c7 offer several avenues of seeking mental health or counseling assistance1 both within the ,department of ,homeland ,security component and through private sources1 which may include faith-based organizations1 community-based organizations1 counseling programs1 and other social service programs1 that provide for anonymity and include access to external mental health clinicians2 7#d7 review and revise relevant policies of ,department of ,homeland ,security components that inadvertently deter personnel from seeking mental health assistance2 7#e7 ensure that such programs include safeguards against adverse action by such component with respect to any employee solely because such employee self identifies a need for psychological health counseling or assistance or receives such counseling or assistance2 7#f7 ensure that such programs include safeguards regarding automatic referrals for employment-related examinations or inquiries that are based solely on an employee who self identifies a need for psychological health counseling or assistance or receives such counseling or assistance1 except that such safeguards shall not prevent a component referral to evaluate an employee's ability to meet established medical or psychological standards by such component or to evaluate an employee's national security eligibility2 7#g7 implement policies that require in-person or live and interactive virtual suicide awareness and law enforcement resiliency training for law enforcement officers and agents2 7#h7 make such training available1 as appropriate1 to other personnel-- 7,a7 upon the commencement of their employment with the ,department of ,homeland ,security2 7,b7 on an annual basis during such employment2 7,c7 during such employees' transition into a supervisory role2 and 7,d7 if feasible1 shortly before the officer1 agent1 or other ,department of ,homeland ,security component personnel terminates his or her employment with the ,department1 if such individual elects to participate2 and 7#i7 include prevention and awareness training opportunities and support services for families of officers1 agents1 and other ,department of ,homeland ,security component personnel4 7e7 ,data collection and evaluation 7#a7 ,assessment of effectiveness of law enforcement health and wellness programs ,the ,workplace ,health and ,wellness ,coordinator of the ,department1 under the direction of the ,chief ,medical ,officer of the ,department-- 7,a7 shall develop criteria to assess the effectiveness of law enforcement health and wellness programs carried out by the ,department2 7,b7 shall conduct annual confidential surveys of law enforcement agents and officers within ,department of ,homeland ,security components to assist in evaluating the effectiveness of law enforcement health and wellness programs in accordance with the criteria developed pursuant to subparagraph 7,a72 7,c7 shall ensure that the surveys conducted pursuant to subparagraph 7,b7-- 7i7 incorporate leading practices in questionnaire and survey design and development2 and 7ii7 establish a baseline and subsequently measure change over time2 and 7,d7 may utilize contractor support in carrying out the duties described in subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,c74 7#b7 ,recommendations ,the ,chief ,medical ,officer of the ,department shall provide recommendations to ,department of ,homeland ,security components based on the evaluation of programs and the results of the surveys conducted pursuant to paragraph 7#a77;,b74 7#c7 ,incident reports ,each ,department of ,homeland ,security component shall report1 to the ,workplace ,health and ,wellness ,coordinator1 incidents of suicide involving law enforcement officers and agents and any data consistent with data collected under section #b7;a7 of the ,law ,enforcement ,suicide ,data ,collection ,act 7,public ,law #aaf-adc74 ,the ,workplace ,health and ,wellness ,coordinator shall forward such information to the ,law ,enforcement ,officers ,suicide ,data ,collection ,program established pursuant to such section4 7#d7 ,confidentiality2 limitation 7,a7 ,confidentiality ,activities described in paragraph 7#a7 and reporting described under paragraph 7#c7 may not include the publication of any personally identifiable information4 7,b7 ,limitation ,personally identifiable information collected pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 may not be used for any purpose other than the implementation of this section unless otherwise permitted under applicable law4 ,any personally identifiable information that is collected1 maintained1 or used pursuant to this section is subject to applicable public nondisclosure requirements1 including sections #eeb and #eeb;a of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 7f7 ,briefing ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of the ,,dhs ,suicide ,prevention and ,resiliency for ,law ,enforcement ,act1 and annually thereafter through fiscal year #bjbg1 the ,chief ,medical ,officer of the ,department shall provide a briefing to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of the ,house of ,representatives regarding the implementation of the requirements described in this section4 7g7 ,voluntary participation2 clarification ,participation in any program1 survey1 or data collection conducted under this section is voluntary4 7h7 ,rule of construction ,notwithstanding any provision of this section1 the ,secretary may provide services under the ,program to any employee of the ,department4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents in section #a7;b7 of the ,homeland ,security ,act of #bjjb 7,public ,law #ajg-bif7 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #gaj the following3 ,sec4 #gaj;,a4 ,suicide prevention and resiliency for law enforcement4 4