Confidentiality Opportunities for Peer Support Counseling Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friend and colleague, Congressman Bentz, for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to speak in support of the COPS Counseling Act. It is a piece of bipartisan legislation that I introduced with my good friend, David Trone from Maryland. Congressman Trone has been an incredible partner. I am really grateful for all of his hard work, and as everybody in this body knows, no one works harder than David Trone when he is pushing a bill. It is quite amazing to see and watch.

Mr. Speaker, every day, our Nation's law enforcement officers put their own lives at risk to keep us safe. That service does not come without sacrifice.

Last year, 178 current or Active-Duty law enforcement officers died by suicide. Just this year, 121 officers have already taken their own lives.

S. 1502 seeks to alleviate the stressors law enforcement experiences by establishing clear confidentiality standards for peer-to-peer counseling.

A Fraternal Order of Police survey showed that 73 percent of surveyed officers found peer-to-peer support counseling to be the most helpful mental health resource offered by police departments. Unfortunately, an officer's peer support communications can be discoverable on public record; it can be used in court proceedings; and worse, it can even impact and affect their employment.

By creating clear standards for confidentiality, the COPS Counseling Act would provide officers with peace of mind that their privacy is protected when they seek peer support services.

This legislation also encourages State and local first responder agencies to adopt peer counseling programs so more officers can take advantage of this important mental health resource.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support our Nation's law enforcement officers by voting for this legislation.

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