Congress extends mental health crisis training for first responders
H.R. 1669 — To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training Program. · Filed by Steve Cohen (D-TN) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Feb 27, 2025 · Reported out
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What it does
This bill extends federal funding for the SOAR to Health and Wellness Training Program—a public health initiative—for five more years (2026–2030), replacing the expired authorization period (2020–2024). The program trains first responders and community health workers to recognize and respond to mental health and substance-use crises.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole function is to extend an existing federal training program's authorization period. It is routine legislative maintenance—no new policy, no structural change, no private carve-out.
Who it affects
Reauthorization maintains federal support for a public health training program that equips first responders and community workers to handle mental health and substance-use emergencies more effectively. Continuity of funding preserves an existing public-health intervention without new restrictions or costs to citizens.
Named in the bill
SOAR to Health and Wellness Training Program, Public Health Service Act, Section 1254(h), House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Feb 27, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Feb 27, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
- Apr 29, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
- Apr 29, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 3 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $140,900 in lobbying spend. A filing names 22 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Steve Cohen, the sponsor, reported $315,000 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Emergency Nurses Association — $140,900 on 3 filings
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 9, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (333 characters) on Jun 3, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 9, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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