DHS Suicide Prevention and Resiliency for Law Enforcement Act
- Sponsor
- Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]
- Committees
- Homeland Security Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Dec 11, 2025
Bottom line
This bill aims to create a centralized, comprehensive mental health and wellness program within DHS to support its law enforcement officers and agents, focusing on suicide prevention, resiliency, and reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health assistance.
What it actually does
This bill establishes a Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chief Medical Officer's office. It mandates data collection, evaluation of existing programs, promotion of education, and the creation of a Peer-to-Peer Support Program Advisory Council. It also requires DHS components to prioritize and improve their own mental health programs, ensuring safeguards against adverse actions for seeking help and providing regular training.
Proponents argue
Supporters argue that law enforcement officers face unique stressors that contribute to higher rates of mental health issues and suicide, necessitating dedicated support. This bill provides a structured, evidence-based approach to address these challenges, promote a culture of wellness, and ensure officers have confidential access to vital resources, ultimately improving officer well-being and public safety.
Opponents contend
Critics might argue that while the intent is good, establishing a new centralized program could create bureaucratic redundancies with existing component-level efforts. Concerns could also be raised about the effectiveness of federal mandates versus agency-specific tailored programs, or the potential for data collection, despite confidentiality clauses, to still deter officers from seeking help if trust is not fully established.
The bill is concise and clearly written, making it accessible for a quick but thorough review by any interested reader.
Section 2(a), inserting Section 710A(b)(1) into the Homeland Security Act of 2002
Program Establishment
This provision formally creates the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program within the Department of Homeland Security's Chief Medical Officer's office. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive approach to address the mental health and wellness needs of DHS law enforcement officers and agents across various components like U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Secret Service, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that a centralized program ensures consistency, best practices, and dedicated resources for mental health support across all DHS law enforcement components, which is crucial given the high-stress nature of their work.
Critics contend
No specific opposition is typically raised against the establishment of a program aimed at improving law enforcement mental health, though concerns about bureaucratic efficiency or overlap with existing efforts might be raised.
Tradeoffs
Balances the need for a unified approach to mental health support with the potential for individual components to have unique needs or existing successful programs.
Section 2(a), inserting Section 710A(b)(1)(B) into the Homeland Security Act of 2002
Program Responsibilities
The Program is tasked with establishing policies, conducting data collection and research on mental health and suicides (with privacy safeguards), tracking trends, evaluating existing component programs, and promoting education on mental health, resilience, and suicide prevention. It also includes specific directives for supporting supervisors, clinicians, and peer support members.
Section 2(a), inserting Section 710A(b)(1)(B)(vi) into the Homeland Security Act of 2002
Establishment of Peer Support Advisory Council
This provision mandates the establishment of a Peer-to-Peer Support Program Advisory Council. This council will include representatives from each DHS component, including clinicians and peer support officials, to evaluate existing peer support programs, identify gaps, share best practices, establish a cross-component peer support network, and ensure ongoing funding for training and resources.
Section 2(a), inserting Section 710A(b)(1)(B)(vii) and (d)(8) into the Homeland Security Act of 2002
Support for Families
The Program is directed to assist Department components in developing support and training programs for families of law enforcement officers and agents, including surviving families of those lost to suicide. Additionally, component heads are required to include prevention and awareness training opportunities and support services for families.
Section 2(a), inserting Section 710A(d) into the Homeland Security Act of 2002
Component-Level Program Mandates
This section requires heads of each DHS component to prioritize and improve their mental health and wellness programs. This includes providing adequate resources, promoting a culture that reduces stigma, offering multiple avenues for seeking help (internal and external, anonymous), reviewing policies that deter help-seeking, ensuring safeguards against adverse actions for seeking help, and implementing mandatory in-person or virtual suicide awareness and resiliency trainings annually and at key career junctures.
Section 2(a), inserting Section 710A(e) into the Homeland Security Act of 2002
Program Effectiveness Assessment and Data Reporting
The Workplace Health and Wellness Coordinator, under the Chief Medical Officer, is tasked with developing criteria to assess program effectiveness, conducting annual confidential surveys of officers, and ensuring surveys incorporate leading practices. Components must report suicide incidents and related data to the Coordinator, who then forwards it to the Law Enforcement Officers Suicide Data Collection Program. Strict confidentiality and limitations on personally identifiable information are included.
These clauses explicitly state that activities involving data collection and research may not include the publication of any personally identifiable information (PII). Furthermore, PII collected may not be maintained or used for any purpose other than the implementation of this section, unless otherwise permitted by law, and is subject to public nondisclosure requirements (5 U.S.C. 552 and 552a, i.e., FOIA and Privacy Act).
Section 710A(b)(1)(C) and Section 710A(e)(4)
Why it matters:This is standard legislative practice to ensure privacy protections are explicitly stated when data collection is mandated, addressing potential concerns about misuse of sensitive information.
Case for: Supporters argue that these strong confidentiality provisions are essential to build trust among law enforcement officers, encouraging them to seek help and participate in surveys without fear that their personal information will be misused or lead to adverse career impacts.
Case against: While generally supported, some might argue that even with these protections, the mere act of data collection within a hierarchical organization could still create a chilling effect, as officers may not fully trust that their information will remain completely anonymous or isolated from career decisions.
Estimated impact: Crucial for the success of the entire program, as officer participation and trust are paramount for effective mental health initiatives. Without these protections, the program's data collection and outreach efforts could be severely hampered.