Bipartisan bill heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law
Washington, D.C. — Last night, the Senate passed U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff’s bipartisan bill to fund law enforcement and mental health services.
Sens. Ossoff and Chuck Grassley (R-IA)’s bipartisan bill will fund trainings for first responders; crisis intervention teams; mental health courts; and other programs that help law enforcement assist individuals experiencing mental illness.
The bill will also fund new trainings to help first responders better recognize and assist individuals suffering from PTSD or traumatic brain injury (TBI), which contribute to approximately three million emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths each year.
The legislation will also require a new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study for law enforcement and first responders who may have suffered a traumatic brain injury in the line of duty.
The bill passed the U.S. House earlier this summer and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“My bipartisan bill will strengthen public safety, reduce community violence, and support mental health services in Georgia and the country. I thank my colleagues in both parties for supporting this bipartisan bill and passing it tonight,” Sen. Ossoff said.
“It’s important that our police and all first responders are empowered with the resources they need to address a variety of emergencies. Our legislation, the TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act, will provide departments with crisis intervention tools that can help de-escalate situations and improve outcomes for everyone involved,” Sen. Grassley said. “I’m glad that our bill received such strong bipartisan support from my colleagues and is now heading to the president’s desk. I urge him to sign this important legislation into law.”
Click here to read the TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act.
Sens. Ossoff and Grassley’s bipartisan bill is widely supported by law enforcement and mental health organizations, including:
- The Georgia Fraternal Order of Police (Georgia FOP)
- Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
- Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA)
- Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA)
- Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA)
- National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO)
- National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition (NNOAC)
- National Sheriffs Association (NSA)
- Sergeants Benevolent Association NYPD (SBA)
- National District Attorneys Association (NDAA)
- National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA)
- Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA)
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
# # #
