U.S. Senate Passes Sen. Ossoff's Bipartisan Legislation to Fund Law Enforcement & Mental Health Services

Press Release

Last night, the Senate passed U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff's bipartisan bill to fund law enforcement and mental health services.

Sens. Ossoff and Chuck Grassley (R-IA)'s bipartisan bill will fund trainings for first responders; crisis intervention teams; mental health courts; and other programs that help law enforcement assist individuals experiencing mental illness.

The bill will also fund new trainings to help first responders better recognize and assist individuals suffering from PTSD or traumatic brain injury (TBI), which contribute to approximately three millionThis is an external link
emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and deaths each year.

The legislation will also require a new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study for law enforcement and first responders who may have suffered a traumatic brain injury in the line of duty.

The bill passed the U.S. House earlier this summer and now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law.

"My bipartisan bill will strengthen public safety, reduce community violence, and support mental health services in Georgia and the country. I thank my colleagues in both parties for supporting this bipartisan bill and passing it tonight," Sen. Ossoff said.

"It's important that our police and all first responders are empowered with the resources they need to address a variety of emergencies. Our legislation, the TBI and PTSD Law Enforcement Training Act, will provide departments with crisis intervention tools that can help de-escalate situations and improve outcomes for everyone involved," Sen. Grassley said. "I'm glad that our bill received such strong bipartisan support from my colleagues and is now heading to the president's desk. I urge him to sign this important legislation into law."

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