{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mfume.house.gov/media/press-releases/statement-on-passage-of-legislation-to-train-law-enforcement-officers-on-mental-health-crises", "Statement on Passage of Legislation to Train Law Enforcement Officers on Mental Health Crises", "2022-12-14", "2022", "2022-12", "Democrat", "House", "MD", "Kweisi Mfume", "M000687", "mfume.house.gov", "mfume", "https://mfume.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) issued the following statement upon passage of the Law Enforcement De-escalation Training Act. This bill invests in local and state law enforcement agencies by training law enforcement officers in de-escalation tactics to safely and successfully be of service to individuals experiencing mental health crises.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to send this legislation to President Biden\u2019s desk to be signed into law. Those suffering from their mental health deserve effective treatment, not instant criminalization, when facing a crisis,\u201d said Congressman Mfume. \u201cLaw enforcement officers are often the first to encounter individuals in these emergency situations and providing them with the proper training and resources to do their jobs is the right thing to do. This bill will keep our communities safe and help save lives,\u201d he concluded.\n\nTopline Highlights of the Law Enforcement De-escalation Training Act\n\nResponds to Need for Alternatives to Use of Force\n\nMore than 2 million people with serious mental illness are arrested per year, with as many as 64% of jail inmates having a mental illness.\n\nPeople in crisis make up 25-50% of fatalities during law enforcement encounters.\n\nProtects Individuals in Crisis, Law Enforcement, and Bystanders\n\nInstructs the Department of Justice\u2019s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to build curricula in the training topics, or identifying current curricula, in discussion with law enforcement, mental health organizations, family advocacy organizations, civil liberties groups, and more.\n\nAuthorizes $90 million in grant funding for training, which incorporates exercises and evaluative assessments.\n\nRequires the National Institute of Justice and the Government Accountability Office to examine the effectiveness of the program and its results.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:32:05Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mfume.house.gov/media/press-releases/statement-on-passage-of-legislation-to-train-law-enforcement-officers-on-mental-health-crises"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8304179646074772, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}