Mental Health Emergency Responder Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5706 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5706

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 enforcement, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 8, 2025

 Ms. Ansari (for herself, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Clarke of New York, 
Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr. Goldman of New York, Ms. Norton, Ms. Salinas, 
 Mr. Thanedar, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, and Ms. Tlaib) introduced 
 the following bill; 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 enforcement, 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 ``Mental Health Emergency Responder 
Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM TO EXPAND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS RESPONSE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 
Use, shall establish a competitive grant program (in this section 
referred to as the ``program'') to assist eligible entities in 
developing or expanding behavioral health crisis response programs that 
do not rely primarily on law enforcement.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--The following entities shall be eligible to 
receive grants under the program--
            (1) a local or Tribal government;
            (2) a regional emergency medical services agency or fire 
        department;
            (3) a certified community behavioral health clinic, as 
        defined by section 1905(jj) of the Social Security Act (42 
        U.S.C. 1396d(jj)); and
            (4) a nonprofit organization in partnership with a local 
        government or health authority.
    (c) Use of Grant Funds.--Grant funds received by an eligible entity 
under the program may be used--
            (1) to recruit, train, and equip behavioral health 
        professionals and paramedics for a behavioral health crisis 
        response;
            (2) to integrate co-response teams into 911 or 988 call 
        dispatch systems;
            (3) to provide community education and outreach regarding 
        alternatives to police-led crisis response;
            (4) to develop or implement protocols to enable emergency 
        medical services agencies to accept custody of civilians from 
        police for transport to mental health facilities, if permitted 
        under State law; and
            (5) to establish emergency medical services agencies, or 
        clinician-led mobile crisis teams, as the primary responders to 
        behavioral health emergencies in lieu of law enforcement, in a 
        manner consistent with State and local laws.
    (d) Limitation on Statutory Construction.--Nothing in this section 
shall be construed--
            (1) to require any State or local government to modify an 
        emergency detention or custody law; or
            (2) to authorize any entity to engage in emergency 
        detention or involuntary transport beyond what is permitted 
        under an applicable State law.
    (e) Reporting Requirement.--The Secretary shall require each 
recipient of a grant under the program to submit to the Secretary, 
during such period of time as the Secretary determines appropriate, an 
annual report detailing response outcomes, diversion rates, and 
community feedback.
    (f) Priority Consideration.--In awarding grants under the program, 
the Secretary shall prioritize applications from eligible entities 
located in jurisdictions that do not currently operate a non-law 
enforcement behavioral health crisis response program, or whose 
existing programs are limited in scope or capacity.
    (g) Co-Response Team Defined.--In this section, the term ``co-
response team'' means a team that includes at least one behavioral 
health professional (such as a licensed clinician or social worker) and 
at least one emergency medical services provider, firefighter, or peace 
officer who jointly respond to behavioral health crisis calls in real 
time.
    (h) 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 2026 through 2030.
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