119-hr2305

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2305 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2305

To provide funding to the Bureau of Prisons, States, and localities to 
 carry out mental health screenings and provide referrals to mental 
 health care providers for certain corrections officers.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 March 24, 2025

Mrs. Miller-Meeks (for herself and Mr. Bacon) introduced the following 
 bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To provide funding to the Bureau of Prisons, States, and localities to 
 carry out mental health screenings and provide referrals to mental 
 health care providers for certain corrections officers.

 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 ``Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz 
Suicide Prevention Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Attorney General is authorized establish a 
grant program to make grants to States and units of local government to 
implement and administer mental health screenings to corrections 
officers at eligible detention centers and refer such individuals to 
mental health care providers, as applicable.

    (b) Application.--An eligible entity seeking a grant under this 
section shall submit to the Attorney General an application at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Attorney 
General may reasonably require, including--

    (1) a description of and a plan for the project under 
 subsection
            (d) that the entity will carry out; and

    (2) an assurance that the entity will hire a mental health 
 liaison staff member to coordinate among eligible detention 
 centers, mental health providers, the Advisory Board, and the 
 outreach team.
            (c) Eligible Projects.--A grant under this section may only be used 
for the following:

    (1) To develop and administer a brief mental health 
 screening survey as required under subsection
            (d) .

    (2) To develop any technology necessary for an eligible 
 detention center to provide the survey under paragraph

    (1) .

    (3) To hire any staff necessary for an eligible detention 
 center to provide the survey under paragraph

    (1) .

    (4) To establish an outreach team pursuant to subsection

    (e) to refer a correctional officer, if their responses to the 
 survey indicate severe mental illness, to a local mental health 
 care provider for further assessment and outreach, admission 
 (when necessary), and support for that officer in re-
 establishing ties with a mental health provider.

    (5) To pay the salary or overtime pay of an outreach team 
 as established pursuant to subsection

    (e) , including providing 
 direct funding to an eligible detention center to compensate 
 staff members.
            (d) Brief Mental Health Screening Survey.--A mental health 
screening survey developed and administered pursuant to a grant under 
this section shall--

    (1) be composed of 5 to 10 questions;

    (2) be based on the questions and content of the Employee 
 Assistance Program standard mental health screening or the 
 Bureau of Prisons initial mental health screening standard;

    (3) seek to identify severe mental illnesses, including 
 schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression;

    (4) ask individuals about the symptoms of severe mental 
 illness they may be experiencing or have experienced and any 
 prior use of mental health-related medications or inpatient 
 care;

    (5) identify the individual's place of residence;

    (6) be administered by a trained staff member at the 
 eligible detention center to all corrections officers; and

    (7) be anonymous and confidential.

    (e) Outreach Team.--

    (1) In general.--A referral to a mental health care 
 provider made pursuant to subsection
            (d) shall be made by a 
 mental health outreach team that is composed of--
        (A) mental health care professionals and clinicians 
 from mental health care centers local to the eligible 
 detention center;
        (B) staff from the eligible detention center, when 
 applicable; and
            (C) a mental health liaison staff member who shall 
 oversee the outreach team.

    (2) Alert.--If an individual has been determined to need a 
 referral to a mental health care provider, the mental health 
 outreach team shall be notified immediately by eligible 
 detention center staff and informed, when applicable.

SEC. 3. BUREAU OF PRISONS.

 Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Director of the Bureau of Prisons shall--

    (1) establish a program to develop and administer mental 
 heath surveys (as described in subsection
            (d) of 

section 2) to 
 corrections officers of the Bureau of Prisons, and establish 
 and maintain an outreach team (as described in subsection

    (e) of 

section 2) to refer such corrections officer to mental 
 health care providers, as appropriate; and

    (2) submit to the Advisory Board a plan for the 
 implementation of the program described in paragraph

    (1) .

SEC. 4. ADVISORY BOARD ON PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish an Advisory 
Board to manage and administer the grant program under 

section 2, with 
the responsibility for the following:

    (1) Evaluating and approving the plans submitted by a State 
 or locality as required under 

section 2 and ensuring that grant 
 funding is used as specified under 

section 2.

    (2) Monitoring plans submitted by the Bureau of Prisons and 
 advise the Attorney General on compliance to ensure that 
 funding to the Bureau of Prisons is used as specified under 
 

section 3.

    (3) Providing technical assistance to a State or locality 
 to help with the implementation and administration of mental 
 health screening and referral programs.

    (4) Creating a working group of mental health care 
 providers, jail and prison administrators, law enforcement 
 officials, and operators of existing mental health screening 
 and referral programs to share best practices on how to create 
 and implement mental health screening and referral programs 
 that have the largest impact on reducing crime rates and 
 improving employment and wage rates for individuals released 
 from prison or jail.

    (5) Working in coordination with mental health outreach 
 teams as established under 

section 2, to ensure that the grant 
 program under such section is operating as required.

    (6) Determining if a grant awarded by the Program is not 
 meeting the requirements of the Program and mandate necessary 
 changes and reducing funding if such changes are not made.

    (7) Developing a self-reporting process for mental health 
 assistance that protects the anonymity and privacy of the 
 officer and identifies and neutralizes any impediment to self-
 reporting, including loss of job and benefits.

    (b) Technical Assistance.--The Advisory Board shall provide 
technical assistance to the Bureau of Prisons, States, and localities 
in setting up and administering the Program and shall identify 
evidence-backed models for the administration of mental health 
screening and referral programs that the Bureau of Prisons, States, and 
localities can look to when designing their own programs.
            (c) Membership.--

    (1) In general.--The Attorney General shall appoint members 
 to serve on the Advisory Board established under subsection

    (a) who have expertise in--
        (A) designing and administering mental health 
 screenings and providing referrals for corrections 
 officers;
        (B) mental health care within prisons or jails; or
            (C) program evaluation using rigorous experimental 
 and quasi-experimental statistical methods.

    (2) Number of members.--The Attorney General shall appoint 
 as many members to the Advisory Board established under 
 subsection

    (a) as the Attorney General determines appropriate.

SEC. 5. FUNDING.

    (a) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Attorney General to carry out this Act--

    (1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;

    (2) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2027;

    (3) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2028;

    (4) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2029; and

    (5) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2030.

    (b) Distribution of Funds.--Of the amounts made available under 
subsection

    (a) , the Attorney General shall use--

    (1) 90 percent of such amount for a grant program under 
 

section 2 and the purposes described under 

section 3, as 
 applicable, of which--
        (A) 20 percent shall be for the Bureau of Prisons 
 to carry out the requirements under 

section 3;
        (B) 20 percent shall be for grants to States under 
 

section 2; and
            (C) 50 percent shall be for grants to units of 
 local government under 

section 2;

    (2) 5 percent of such amount for the Advisory Board to 
 carry out evaluation activities under 

section 4

    (a) ; and

    (3) 5 percent of such amount for the Advisory Board to 
 carry out the activities under 

section 4

    (b) .

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the 
 United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
 Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

    (2) Locality.--The term ``locality'' means any city, 
 county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other 
 general purpose political subdivision of a State.

    (3) Mental health care provider.--The term ``mental health 
 care provider'' means a fully-licensed professional or group of 
 professionals who diagnose mental health conditions and provide 
 mental health treatment, and who operate near to the relevant 
 jail or prison. Mental health care providers may provide 
 services at hospitals or at private clinics.

    (4) Mental health care center.--The term ``mental health 
 care center'' means any facility where one or more mental 
 health care providers offer mental health services, such as a 
 hospital or private clinic.

    (5) Jail or prison administrator.--The term ``jail or 
 prison administrator'' means any individual who has been 
 appointed to a supervisory position in a Federal, State, or 
 local incarceration facility by the Federal Government, a 
 State, or a locality.

    (6) Law enforcement official.--The term ``law enforcement 
 official'' means any officer of an entity administered by a 
 locality, State, or the Federal Government that exists 
 primarily to prevent and detect crime and enforce criminal 
 laws.

    (7) Corrections officers.--The term ``corrections officer'' 
 means any officer or employee of any prison, jail, or other 
 detention facility, operated by, or under contract to, a 
 Federal governmental agency, whose job responsibilities include 
 providing for the custody of incarcerated individuals.

    (8) Eligible detention center.--The term ``eligible 
 detention center'' means any prison or jail administered by the 
 Bureau of Prisons or a State or any jail administered by a 
 State or locality.

    (9) Severe mental illness.--The term ``severe mental 
 illness'' means one or more mental, behavioral, or emotional 
 disorders that results in serious functional impairment and 
 substantially interferes with or limits major life activities.
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