Mental Health Crisis Response Act of 2025
This bill, the Mental Health Crisis Response Act of 2025, would require the Attorney General, in partnership with the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to establish a competitive grant program within 270 days of enactment. The program would provide federal grants to eligible state, tribal, or local governments that manage emergency services to implement or expand health-centered responses to behavioral health emergencies. Eligible uses include embedding mental health professionals in 911 dispatch and triage, routing calls to 988 or other crisis lines, and creating partnerships to streamline handoffs in crisis responses so callers aren’t forced to hang up and retry with a hotline. The bill also sets reporting requirements, clarifies that it does not remove law enforcement from emergency responses or preempt state laws on involuntary holds, and authorizes $25 million per year for 2027–2031 to fund the program.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a grant program to support health-centered crisis response strategies for behavioral health emergencies, to be launched within 270 days of enactment and funded through annual federal appropriations.
- 2Eligible jurisdictions are those state, tribal, or local governments that manage emergency services (including law enforcement and emergency medical services).
- 3Allowable uses of grant funds include:
- 4- Embedding mental health professionals into 911 dispatch and triage systems.
- 5- Developing routes to direct calls to 988 or other mental health/substance abuse crisis lines.
- 6- Creating partnerships to ensure a streamlined handoff between emergency services and dispatch centers so callers don’t have to hang up and redial.
- 7Rules of construction clarify that grants do not require removing law enforcement from emergency response roles, nor do they preempt state laws on involuntary holds or related public safety authorities.
- 8Annual reporting requirements for grant recipients cover response times, use of force, diversion rates, and any other data requested by the Attorney General or the Assistant Secretary.
- 9Authorization of appropriations sets aside $25 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to fund the program.