DHS creates mental health program, shields officers from retaliation for seeking help
H.R. 6548 — DHS Suicide Prevention and Resiliency for Law Enforcement Act · Filed by Bennie Thompson (D-MS) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Dec 10, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill creates a new Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Program within the Department of Homeland Security to address suicide and mental health crises among DHS law enforcement officers and agents. The program will collect data on suicides and mental health trends, establish peer support networks across DHS components, provide training and resources to officers and their families, and require each DHS agency to improve mental health services, reduce stigma, and protect officers from retaliation for seeking help.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is establishing a comprehensive mental health and suicide prevention program for federal law enforcement officers within DHS. It is a public health and workplace safety measure, not a regulatory change, appropriation rider, or private benefit.
What the text implies
- Mandatory data collection on suicide attempts and deaths may create privacy concerns for officers, though the bill includes Privacy Act protections and confidentiality safeguards.
- Requirement that DHS components prohibit 'automatic referrals for fitness for duty examination' when officers seek mental health help may limit management's ability to assess officer fitness in cases where mental health genuinely affects job performance.
- Annual briefing requirement through fiscal year 2027 creates ongoing congressional oversight but also potential for politicization of mental health data if briefings become public.
- Peer support network across components may inadvertently create liability exposure if peer supporters (non-clinicians) provide advice that leads to adverse outcomes.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill directly benefits DHS law enforcement officers and their families by establishing comprehensive mental health services, peer support networks, and explicit protections against retaliation for seeking counseling. The program addresses a documented public health crisis (law enforcement suicide) with evidence-based interventions and mandatory training, improving officer wellbeing and workplace safety.
Named in the bill
Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of the Inspector General (DHS), United States Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration, Chief Medical Officer (DHS), Workplace Health and Wellness Coordinator, Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Act (Public Law 116–143), Privacy Act of 1974, Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Republicans.
- Dec 10, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Dec 10, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Homeland Security · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security”
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 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Dec 2025 to Dec 2025. Those filings disclosed $40,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 4 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.
Bennie Thompson, the sponsor, reported $619,500 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association — $40,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jan 15, 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 (11,360 characters) on Sep 7, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,398 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 Dec 2025. 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 Jan 15, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-23.
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