Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act directs the Department of Health and Human Services to improve mental health services and suicide prevention efforts among public safety officers, including firefighters, emergency medical personnel, police officers, and 911 dispatchers. The bill requires HHS to create a national data system to track suicide rates among these workers—broken down by age, gender, state, and job type—and submit reports to Congress starting within two years and then every two years thereafter. The legislation also authorizes grants to nonprofit organizations and hospitals to establish peer-support mental health programs for firefighters, emergency medical services workers, and health care providers, and requires the development of educational resources to help mental health professionals better understand and treat the unique trauma and stress faced by first responders. The bill includes strong privacy protections to prevent data from being used to deny benefits and does not specify explicit funding amounts, leaving appropriations to Congress.
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