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U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly (D-Indiana), center, and Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana), left, wrote the bill to increase mental health care access for law enforcement officers.
Brandon Smith/IPBFederal legislation aimed at increasing mental health care access for law enforcement officers is one step closer to passage.
The bill, called the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, makes grants available to create peer mentoring pilot programs. It also directs federal departments to boost resources for mental health, and calls for research on crisis hotlines and mental health checks.
The bipartisan legislation, authored by Indiana Senators Joe Donnelly and Todd Young, cleared the U.S. Senate with a unanimous vote.
In a statement, Young, R-Indiana, says the measure will help ensure those who protect communities will have access to services they need to remain ready to serve.
And Donnelly, D-Indiana, calls the measure a “major step” toward supporting the mental health of those who put their lives on the line to protect Hoosier families.
The bill now heads to the U.S. House.
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