{"format":1,"id":"117-hr-8542","congress":117,"number":"H.R. 8542","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Mental Health Justice Act of 2022","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to States, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Urban Indian organizations, and political subdivisions thereof to hire, employ, train, and dispatch mental health professionals to respond in lieu of law enforcement officers in emergencies involving one or more persons with a mental illness or an intellectual or developmental disability, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to States, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Urban Indian organizations, and political subdivisions thereof to hire, employ, train, and dispatch mental health professionals to respond in lieu of law enforcement officers in emergencies involving one or more persons with a mental illness or an intellectual or developmental disability, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"Mental Health Justice Act of 2022"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"Mental Health Justice Act of 2022"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Mental Health Justice Act of 2022"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Mental Health Justice Act of 2022"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2022-07-27","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2022-09-22","vote":{"id":"117-2022-h452","question":"On Passage","title":"Mental Health Justice Act of 2022","result":"Passed","yea":223,"nay":206,"present":0,"not_voting":3,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2022/roll452.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"na","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"na","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.","date":"2022-09-27"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[],"crs_summary":{"date":"2022-09-22","stage":"Passed House","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Mental Health Justice Act of 2022"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill creates a grant program for states, tribal entities, and local governments to train and dispatch mental health professionals to respond, instead of law enforcement officers, to emergencies that involve people with behavioral health needs."},{"k":"p","t":"The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) must manage the program in consultation with the Department of Justice (DOJ). SAMHSA may cancel grants that increase incarceration or institutionalization."},{"k":"p","t":"The Department of Health and Human Services and DOJ must evaluate this program."}],"words":85},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Authorizes federal grants to States, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, Urban Indian organizations, and political subdivisions to run programs that dispatch mental health professionals, in place of law enforcement officers, to certain emergencies.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8542/text/eh#H779C97ED36EA402C8047E930B4D12A60"}]},"core_areas":["Grants for mental health professional emergency response programs","Grantee and Secretary reporting, and grant revocation","Study of program effectiveness"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to establish or expand programs that hire, train, and dispatch mental health professionals in lieu of law enforcement officers in emergencies involving a mental health crisis, mental illness, disability, or substance influence.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8542/text/eh#H779C97ED36EA402C8047E930B4D12A60"}},{"text":"Requires grantees to submit quarterly reports and a final report to the Secretary, and requires the Secretary to report to Congress one year after the first grant and annually after that.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8542/text/eh#H779C97ED36EA402C8047E930B4D12A60"}},{"text":"Requires the Secretary to revoke a grant if activities it funds are leading to a significant increase in incarceration or institutionalization, and requires the grantee to repay amounts received but not obligated or expended.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8542/text/eh#H779C97ED36EA402C8047E930B4D12A60"}},{"text":"Authorizes $250,000,000 to be appropriated for the period of fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out the grant program.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8542/text/eh#H779C97ED36EA402C8047E930B4D12A60"}},{"text":"Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division to study the effectiveness of the grant programs, and to complete the study and report to Congress within 3 years of enactment.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 3","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8542/text/eh#HD77FAE32FF0B4C268259C4D85AAED74B"}},{"text":"States that nothing in the Act is to be construed to limit the authority of States, public agencies, or municipalities to hire career law enforcement officers, or to limit the use of those officers in emergencies they may be best suited to handle.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 4","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8542/text/eh#HC2344613C55340F6A63E4771FB8F9F9F"}}],"unexpected":[],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2022-09-22","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8542/text/eh"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-10-15","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8542","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/8542/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/117-hr-8542.png","v":"09916b544c74","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 8542, 117th Congress: Mental Health Justice Act of 2022. House: 223 Yea, 206 Nay. Outcome: Passed House, 22 Sep 2022."}}