The Mental Health Emergency Responder Act establishes a federal grant program to help states, local governments, tribal nations, and nonprofits create or expand programs that respond to mental health crises without relying primarily on police. Eligible recipients can use grant funds to hire and train mental health professionals, integrate crisis teams into 911 and 988 call systems, educate the public about alternatives to police response, and establish clinician-led mobile teams as the primary responders to behavioral health emergencies. The program is open to local governments, emergency medical services agencies, fire departments, community behavioral health clinics, and nonprofits working with government partners, with priority given to areas that currently lack such programs. Grant recipients must submit annual reports on their response outcomes and community feedback. The legislation authorizes funding through fiscal year 2030, though a specific dollar amount is not specified, leaving the actual funding level to be determined during the annual budget process.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.