H.R. 8776

119 HR 8776 IH: Officer Wellness and Peer Support Act of 2026
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-05-13
 text/xml
 EN
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 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 8776  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   May 13, 2026   Ms. Gillen  (for herself and  Mr. Rutherford ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on the Judiciary    A BILL
To require a report by the Attorney General on effective strategies and best practices to reduce stigma related to mental health among law enforcement officers.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Officer Wellness and Peer Support Act of 2026  .
2.
Report required
(a)
In general
Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Director of the National Institute of Justice, shall submit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and of the Senate a report setting forth—
(1)
effective strategies and best practices to—
(A)
reduce stigma related to mental health among law enforcement officers;
(B)
encourage law enforcement officers to access mental health screening, peer-to-peer counseling, and other resources related to mental health; and
(C)
ensure the confidentiality of mental health services, including peer-to-peer counseling, critical incident stress debriefings, peer crisis lines, and employee assistance programs, for law enforcement officers; and
(2)
recommendations for action to implement such strategies and best practices.
(b)
Consultation
In preparing the report under this section, the Attorney General, the Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Director of the National Institute of Justice shall consult with relevant stakeholders including—
(1)
Federal, State, Tribal and local law enforcement agencies; and
(2)
professional law enforcement organizations, local law enforcement labor and representative organizations, academic organizations, mental health and suicide prevention organizations, or such other entities as the Attorney General may determine appropriate.
(c)
Definition
For purposes of this Act, the term  law enforcement officer  means an individual involved in crime and juvenile delinquency control or reduction, or enforcement of the criminal laws (including juvenile delinquency), including, but not limited to, police, corrections, probation, parole, and judicial officers.