Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Helping Families Heal Act of 2022”.
Helping Families Heal Act of 2022
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education to make awards to increase or improve access to comprehensive mental and behavioral health services for individuals exposed to violent encounters involving law enforcement personnel, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Helping Families Heal Program
In general— The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”), acting through the Director of the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, shall carry out a program, to be known as the Helping Families Heal Program, consisting of awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to—
hire, train, and dispatch mental health professionals to provide services to individuals who have experienced or witnessed law enforcement personnel violence and—
are in a mental health crisis; or
may have a mental illness;
provide comprehensive mental and behavioral health services and supports to assist individuals who have suffered traumatic experiences or are in grief, in bereavement, or at risk of suicide or violence, as a result of—
the death of a family member due to law enforcement personnel violence;
the death of a colleague or neighbor due to law enforcement personnel violence; or
experiencing threats, violence, harm, or brutality during an interaction with law enforcement personnel;
implement community-based mental health programs that—
build awareness of individual, community, and intergenerational trauma as a result of witnessing or experience law enforcement personnel violence;
train staff and volunteers to identify, and screen for, signs of trauma exposure, mental health disorders, and risk of suicide in the wake of law enforcement personnel violence;
incorporate community interventions, family engagement, and intergenerational counseling that encourage the development of positive mental health, prevent mental health disorders, and diminish the impact of trauma resulting from law enforcement personnel violence;
facilitate partnerships among families, mental health and substance use disorder providers, family-based mental health and substance use disorder providers, child welfare providers, trauma networks, and health care providers (including mental health professionals who specialize in pediatric services); and
establish mechanisms for individuals, families, and children who have witnessed or experienced law enforcement personnel violence to report incidents of violence or plans to commit violence; or
provide technical assistance to community-based organizations regarding the activities described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3).
Additional awards— Subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary shall make an additional award of funds under subsection (a) each fiscal year through fiscal year 2026 to each recipient of an award under subsection (a) that demonstrates that its program under such award resulted in a notable increase in the number of individuals provided with mental health services who have experienced, or been witness to, law enforcement personnel violence.
Priority— In awarding grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities in communities that—
have high rates of interaction with law enforcement personnel for people of color or Black residents;
have high rates of arrest and incarceration of persons with mental illness, intellectual disability, or developmental disability; or
commit to providing in-kind contributions from non-Federal sources, or volunteer hours, for individuals served by recipients of awards under this section.
Eligibility— To be eligible for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall be—
a community-based mental health care provider, including a public or private mental health entity, health care entity, family-based mental health entity, or trauma network; or
a community-based organization or nonprofit organization as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
Rule of construction— Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the applicability of the regulations under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d–2 note) to any patient records developed by covered entities through activities funded through an award under this section.
Geographical distribution— The Secretary shall ensure that recipients of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under subsection (a) are distributed equitably among the regions of the country and among urban and rural areas.
Duration of awards— A grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection (a) shall be for a period of 1 year.
Evaluation and measures of outcomes—
Development of process— The Secretary shall develop a fiscally appropriate process for evaluating activities carried out pursuant to an award under this section. Such a process shall include—
the development of guidelines for the submission of program data by grant, contract, and cooperative agreement recipients;
the application by such recipients of measures of outcomes developed under paragraph (2) to the programs funded through such awards; and
the submission of annual reports by such recipients concerning the effectiveness of programs funded through such awards.
Measures of outcomes— The Secretary shall develop measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients of awards under this section to evaluate the effectiveness of activities funded through such awards.
Authorization of appropriations— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
Sec. 3 Healing for Students Program
In general— The Secretary of Education (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) shall carry out a program, to be known as the Healing for Students Program, consisting of awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to—
hire and dispatch mental health professionals to provide services to students and school personnel who have experienced or witnessed law enforcement personnel violence and—
are in a mental health crisis; or
may have a mental illness;
provide comprehensive mental and behavioral health services and supports to assist students and school personnel who have suffered traumatic experiences or are in grief, in bereavement, or at risk of suicide or violence, as a result of—
the death of a family member due to law enforcement personnel violence;
the death of a classmate due to law enforcement personnel violence;
the death of a colleague or neighbor due to law enforcement personnel violence; or
experiencing threats, violence, harm, or brutality during an interaction with law enforcement personnel;
implement school-based mental health programs that—
build awareness of individual, community, and intergenerational trauma as a result of witnessing or experience law enforcement personnel violence;
train school personnel to identify, and screen for, signs of trauma exposure, mental health disorders, and risk of suicide in the wake of law enforcement personnel violence;
incorporate family engagement, student supports, and intergenerational counseling that encourage the development of positive mental health, prevent mental health disorders, and diminish the impact of trauma resulting from law enforcement personnel violence;
educate students on the stigma surrounding mental health;
facilitate partnerships among families, students, mental health and substance use disorder providers, family-based mental health and substance use disorder providers, child welfare providers, trauma networks, and health care providers (including mental health professionals who specialize in pediatric services); and
establish mechanisms for students and school personnel who have witnessed or experienced law enforcement personnel violence to report incidents of violence or plans to commit violence; or
in the case of a grantee that is a local educational agency or a consortium of local educational agencies, provide technical assistance to schools regarding the activities described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3).
Additional awards— Subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary shall make an additional award of funds under subsection (a) each fiscal year through fiscal year 2026 to each recipient of an award under subsection (a) that demonstrates that its program under such award resulted in a notable increase in the number of individuals provided with mental health services who have experienced, or been witness to, law enforcement personnel violence.
Priority— In awarding grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities serving communities that—
have high rates of interaction with law enforcement personnel for people of color or Black residents;
have high rates of arrest and incarceration of persons with mental illness, intellectual disability, or developmental disability; or
commit to providing in-kind contributions from non-Federal sources, or volunteer hours, for students and school personnel served by recipients of awards under this section.
Eligibility— To be eligible for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall be—
a local educational agency serving elementary schools and secondary schools;
a consortium of such local educational agencies; or
an elementary school or secondary school.
Rule of construction— Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the applicability of the regulations under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1320d–2 note) to any patient records developed by covered entities through activities funded through an award under this section.
Geographical distribution— The Secretary shall ensure that recipients of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements under subsection (a) are distributed equitably among the regions of the country and among urban and rural areas.
Duration of awards— A grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection (a) shall be for a period of 1 year.
Evaluation and measures of outcomes—
Development of process— The Secretary shall develop a fiscally appropriate process for evaluating activities carried out pursuant to an award under this section. Such a process shall include—
the development of guidelines for the submission of program data by grant, contract, and cooperative agreement recipients;
the application by such recipients of measures of outcomes developed under paragraph (2) to the programs funded through such awards; and
the submission of annual reports by such recipients concerning the effectiveness of programs funded through such awards.
Measures of outcomes— The Secretary shall develop measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients of awards under this section to evaluate the effectiveness of activities funded through such awards.
Definitions— In this section, the terms elementary school, local educational agency, and secondary school have the meanings given to such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
Authorization of appropriations— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
Sec. 4 Interagency task force
Establishment— The Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Attorney General, acting jointly, shall establish a permanent interagency task force (referred to in this section as the “Task Force”) to coordinate and promote holistic, qualified responses to adolescent victims of law enforcement personnel violence.
Members— The Task Force shall be composed of the following members:
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (or the Secretary’s designee).
The Secretary of Education (or the Secretary’s designee).
The Attorney General of the United States (or the Attorney General’s designee).
The heads of other Federal departments and agencies (or their designees), as determined necessary by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Duties— The Task Force shall—
recommend criteria to be used by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education in allocating funds under sections 2 and 3 among eligible entities;
recommend mechanisms for the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and the Department of Justice to collect and review statistical data surrounding interactions with law enforcement in an area;
use such data to facilitate the prioritization of awards under sections 2(c) and 3(c); and
facilitate ongoing efforts to streamline the application, monitoring, and reporting processes to make Federal funds provided pursuant to awards under this Act maximally accessible to small, grassroots organizations that house adolescents in areas acutely impacted by high rates of law enforcement personnel violence.
Meetings— For the purpose of carrying out this section, the Task Force may hold such meetings, and sit and act at such times and places, as the Task Force considers appropriate.
Information— The Task Force may secure directly from any Federal agency such information as may be necessary to enable the Task Force to carry out this section. Upon request of the Chairperson of the Task Force, the head of such agency shall furnish such information to the Task Force.
Reports— For the purpose of enabling the Task Force to carry out this section, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Attorney General shall submit to the Congress a report that contains with respect to each recipient of an award under this Act—
a profile of such recipient; and
in the case of any such recipient that is a State or unit of local government, the needs of school mental health providers in the relevant jurisdiction.
Sec. 5 Definitions
In this Act:
The term interaction with law enforcement personnel means an interaction in which—
a law enforcement agent uses force or threatens to use force;
an individual is stopped by a law enforcement agent while such individual is—
driving a motor vehicle; or
otherwise in public;
an individual is a passenger in a motor vehicle that is stopped by a law enforcement agent;
an individual is arrested; or
an individual is otherwise stopped or approached by a law enforcement agent.
The terms use force and uses force include pushing, grabbing, handcuffing, hitting, kicking, using chemical or pepper spray, using an electroshock weapon, and pointing or shooting a gun.