Public Safety and Mental Health Reporting Act

Bill Number

H.R. 3621

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Crime and Law Enforcement

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-05-29: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Last Updated

2025-08-06T08:05:27Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The Public Safety and Mental Health Reporting Act (H.R. 3621) aims to improve understanding of how law enforcement interacts with individuals who have mental illness by requiring the collection and reporting of related data. This is intended to support research and policy-making to enhance public safety and mental health outcomes.

Key Provisions

• Data Acquisition: The Attorney General, working with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), must collect annual data on interactions between law enforcement officers and people with mental illness. This uses existing authority under federal law (28 U.S.C. § 534), which allows the Department of Justice (DOJ) to gather crime-related statistics.
• Guidelines for Collection: The Attorney General, in consultation with the HHS Secretary or the Assistant Secretary for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will create rules for how this data is gathered to ensure consistency and accuracy.
• Data Usage Restrictions: The information can only be used for research or statistical analysis and cannot include details that identify any crime victims.
• Reporting Requirements: An annual summary of the data must be sent to Congress and released to the public.
• Funding: Authorizes necessary funding for implementation from fiscal years 2026 through 2036.
• Definition of Mental Illness: Adopts the existing definition from the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. § 10651(a)(7)), which broadly covers diagnosable impairments in thinking, mood, or behavior that affect daily functioning.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

This bill introduces a new, specific mandate for annual data collection on law enforcement interactions with people with mental illness, which is not currently required under federal law. It builds on the DOJ's general statistical authority but adds targeted guidelines, privacy protections, and public reporting obligations focused on mental health. No direct amendments to prior laws are made, but it expands the scope of data the DOJ must acquire.

Potential Impacts

• On Government Agencies: The DOJ will take on ongoing data collection and reporting duties, potentially increasing administrative workload and requiring coordination with HHS and SAMHSA. This could lead to better-informed federal policies on policing and mental health services.
• On Citizens: People with mental illness and their families may benefit indirectly from data-driven improvements in law enforcement training or crisis response, reducing risks during encounters. The public gains access to anonymized summaries, promoting transparency without compromising privacy.
• On International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic U.S. law enforcement data.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• Law Enforcement Agencies: Must provide or contribute to data on their interactions, potentially influencing training and protocols.
• Individuals with Mental Illness: Directly involved as the subject of the data; protections ensure their anonymity.
• Federal Agencies: DOJ (primary implementer), HHS, and SAMHSA (consultation and expertise roles).
• Researchers and Policymakers: Gain access to data for studies on public safety and mental health.
• Congress and the Public: Receive annual reports to inform legislation and awareness.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Strengthens federal statistical reporting under existing DOJ powers, with built-in privacy safeguards to comply with laws like those protecting victim identities. The 10-year funding authorization provides long-term stability but depends on congressional appropriations.
• Constitutional: No apparent conflicts; it aligns with the government's role in collecting non-personal data for public welfare, respecting privacy rights under the Fourth Amendment by prohibiting identifiable information.
• Political: Highlights bipartisan interest in mental health and policing reforms (introduced by a diverse group of representatives). It could spur evidence-based changes, such as better crisis intervention programs, amid ongoing national discussions on police accountability and mental health support, without mandating operational changes to law enforcement.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]

Cosponsors (9)

Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9], Rep. Budzinski, Nikki [D-IL-13], Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6], Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3], Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42], Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13], Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4]

Recent Actions

• 2025-05-29: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
• 2025-05-29: Introduced in House
• 2025-05-29: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Public Safety and Mental Health Reporting Act — issued 2025-05-29 — PDF (3 pages)