WASHINGTON—A bill by Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA) to create mental health first responder units today passed the House with bipartisan support. The Mental Health Justice Act, co-led by Representatives Michelle Steel (R-CA), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), would empower state and local governments to send trained mental health professionals instead of police when 911 is called for someone experiencing a mental health crisis.

“We cannot improve public safety without giving our communities a better response system for mental health crises,” said Congresswoman Porter. “My Mental Health Justice Act connects people in crisis to the care they need and allows police officers to focus on crime. This is a proven, effective approach and a fiscally responsible use of taxpayer dollars. I am proud to work with Democrats and Republicans to get this done.” 

WATCH Rep. Porter’s remarks on the House floor advocating for this bill.

The Treatment Advocacy Center estimates that 1 in 4 fatal police encounters involves someone with a severe mental illness. Additional research estimates that more than 1 in 5 911 calls involve someone experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.

The Mental Health Justice Act creates a grant program to pay for hiring, training, salary, benefits, and additional expenses for mental health provider first responder units. Companion legislation in the Senate is led by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Cory Booker (D-NJ).

“Our law enforcement officers put their own lives on the line every single day on behalf of our communities, and they deserve our respect and support,” said Congresswoman Steel. “As the only Republican to have led the Mental Health Justice Act in Congress, I’m pleased that this much needed legislation, which will give officers more resources to respond to emergency calls and mental health crises, has passed the House. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to get this bill to the President’s desk so we can better equip our brave police with the tools they need to keep us safe.”

“For too long, our flawed approach to policing has criminalized our neighbors in mental health crisis and our neighbors with disabilities instead of providing them with the resources and care that they need and deserve—that must change,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “I’m thrilled to see the House pass our Mental Health Justice Act today, which takes a trauma-informed approach to public safety by deploying trained mental health professionals to respond to folks experiencing mental health crises—rather than deploying police officers, which puts the life of those in crisis at risk. I’m grateful to Rep. Porter for her partnership on this important legislation and urge the Senate to take it up without delay.”

“Time and again, we’ve seen repeating tragedies of police officers killing individuals during a mental health emergency,” said Congressman Cárdenas. “The fact is we need to stop criminalizing mental illness and get people in crisis the help they need. The Mental Health Justice Act will provide resources to ensure that mental health providers are first on the scene during a mental health emergency. This will make our neighborhoods safer, and build trust between police and the communities they serve. I’m grateful to Congresswoman Porter for leading this bill, and I look forward to seeing it pass in the Senate.”

“The American people and law enforcement agree — individuals experiencing a mental health crisis need to be connected with trained mental health professionals, not thrown in jail,” said Rep. Scanlon. “But all too often, we see the tragic consequences of interactions between people in crisis and police officers who lack the necessary training to care for them. I'm proud to lead this common-sense bill alongside Reps. Porter, Pressley, Cárdenas to keep our communities safe by providing the resources needed to care for our most vulnerable and meet the needs of our over-extended law enforcement.”

Watch Rep. Porter’s full speech about the Mental Health Justice Act on the House floor HERE.

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