Mental Health Emergency Responder Act

This bill establishes a competitive grant program through the Department of Health and Human Services, aiming to assist eligible entities in developing or expanding behavioral health crisis response programs. The core purpose is to create systems that do not primarily rely on law enforcement for responding to behavioral health emergencies. Eligible entities include local and Tribal governments, emergency medical services agencies, fire departments, certified community behavioral health clinics, and nonprofit organizations partnered with local authorities. Grant funds can be utilized to recruit, train, and equip behavioral health professionals and paramedics, and to integrate these co-response teams into existing 911 or 988 call dispatch systems. The program also supports community education on alternatives to police-led crisis response and the establishment of EMS or clinician-led mobile crisis teams as primary responders. Priority consideration will be given to jurisdictions that currently lack such non-law enforcement programs or have limited existing services. Grant recipients will be required to submit annual reports detailing response outcomes, diversion rates, and community feedback.