H.R. 8886

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8886 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8886

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
provide funding for innovations in community policing, mental health 
care, and community safety, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 19, 2026

Mr. Crow introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
provide funding for innovations in community policing, mental health 
care, and community safety, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Mental Assistance 
Responder Teams Community Policing Act'' or the ``SMART Community 
Policing Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

The purpose of this Act is to strengthen community policing 
programs to--
(1) de-escalate interactions with law enforcement officers 
to achieve better outcomes for non-violent individuals 
experiencing crisis or trauma relating to mental health issues, 
poverty, homelessness, and substance use disorders;
(2) build collaborative partnerships to connect individuals 
with mental health services and community resources; and
(3) produce better outcomes for communities and law 
enforcement officers by delivering the appropriate treatment 
and other support services to individuals in need.

SEC. 3. ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZED USES OF COPS FUNDS.

Section 1701(b) of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (24), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (25), by striking the period at the end 
and inserting a semicolon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(26) to establish or expand a mobile crisis team program 
to--
``(A) hire skilled mental health professionals and 
paramedics to--
``(i) respond to--
``(I) certain 911 dispatch calls at 
the request of law enforcement 
officers; and
``(II) community members requesting 
assistance directly;
``(ii) stabilize encounters between law 
enforcement officers and individuals 
experiencing a mental or behavioral health 
crisis; and
``(iii) assume responsibility for securing 
mental health services for individuals, 
including individuals in crisis who may need 
further evaluation and treatment;
``(B) train law enforcement officers partnering 
with mental health professionals and paramedics;
``(C) use a mobile unit to facilitate the response 
of law enforcement officers and mental health 
professionals and paramedics to community members 
experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis; and
``(D) hire other personnel;
``(27) to establish or expand a co-responder program under 
which--
``(A) a trained law enforcement officer is paired 
with a behavioral health clinician or paramedic to--
``(i) de-escalate situations involving a 
mental health crisis;
``(ii) connect individuals with mental 
illness to appropriate services; and
``(iii) provide other effective and 
efficient responses to individuals with mental 
illness; and
``(B) additional personnel, including law 
enforcement officers and case managers, may be hired; 
and
``(28) to establish or expand a case management and 
outreach team--
``(A) to follow up with individuals experiencing a 
mental or behavioral health crisis to--
``(i) connect those individuals with mental 
health services and community resources; and
``(ii) help those individuals abide by 
treatment plans and meet other 
responsibilities, such as work, school, and 
training;
``(B) to develop specific solutions for, and 
provide support resources to, individuals who 
frequently use emergency services to reduce repeat 
interactions between the individuals described in 
subparagraph (A) and law enforcement officers or mental 
health professionals and paramedics; and
``(C) which may be established as a part of a 
mobile crisis team program under paragraph (26), a co-
responder program under paragraph (27), or an 
independent team.''.
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