This bill adds a new section (710A) to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program inside the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Program is placed under the Chief Medical Officer and managed day-to-day by the Workplace Health and Wellness Coordinator. It covers DHS components with law enforcement officers, including CBP, ICE, the OIG, the Secret Service, TSA, and any other component with officers.
The Program would: set policies and procedures; collect and research data on mental health and suicides (subject to privacy laws); track trends and best practices; evaluate existing mental health and resiliency programs; promote education and training; create a Peer-to-Peer Support Program Advisory Council; help develop support for families and surviving families of officers lost to suicide; coordinate with component mental health officials; and do outreach about available resources. The bill requires confidentiality protections for personally identifiable information and limits use of such data to implementing the section.
The bill requires each DHS component head to improve and prioritize mental health and wellness programs. Required features include adequate resources, anti-stigma messaging, multiple ways to seek help (including external clinicians and anonymous options), review of policies that deter seeking help, safeguards against adverse or disciplinary action solely for seeking help, and in-person or live interactive virtual trainings provided at hire, annually, during supervisory transitions, and, if feasible, before termination. The Coordinator must collect data, conduct annual confidential surveys, develop effectiveness criteria, report suicide incidents to the Law Enforcement Officers Suicide Data Collection Program, and the Chief Medical Officer must issue a directive within 180 days and brief relevant congressional committees within 180 days and annually through fiscal year 2027.
If you are a DHS law enforcement officer or agent, the bill would establish a Department-wide program to expand mental health resources, training, peer support, and family support, and to protect confidentiality for data collected under the Program. Component heads must review and improve their programs and provide regular trainings and options for seeking help.
The bill says staffing is "subject to appropriations" but does not list any dollar amounts or cost estimates. No publicly available information on total costs is included in the bill text.
The bill text focuses on creating a comprehensive program to address mental health, suicide prevention, peer support, training, data collection, and confidentiality. Those provisions indicate supporters intend the Program to improve access to care, reduce stigma, coordinate peer support across components, and use data to guide improvements.
No publicly available information on opposition or critiques is included in the bill text or provided metadata.