Congress funds mental health crisis support for first responders
H.R. 6601 — CARE for First Responders Act · Filed by Jill Tokuda (D-HI) · 19 cosponsors · Introduced Dec 10, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill expands federal mental health support for first responders and 911 dispatchers responding to major disasters. It creates a new comprehensive mental health program through the Department of Health and Human Services, including a 24/7 crisis hotline, peer counseling, and grants up to $150,000 for mobile crisis units to provide on-site mental health services in disaster areas.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is straightforward: it establishes federal mental health programs and grants specifically for first responders and 911 dispatchers affected by major disasters. The title accurately reflects the functional purpose.
What the text implies
- The bill ties mental health services to 'major disasters' only, potentially leaving first responders experiencing chronic occupational stress or non-disaster-related mental health crises without federal support.
- The peer counseling program relies on volunteer responders; without robust training and liability protections, volunteer burnout or inadequate oversight could undermine program effectiveness.
- The $150,000 grant cap for mobile crisis units may be insufficient in high-cost urban areas or regions with large disaster footprints, limiting geographic reach.
Who it affects
First responders and 911 dispatchers face documented mental health crises and elevated suicide rates; this bill directly addresses a public health gap by funding mental health services, crisis support, and peer counseling for a vulnerable workforce. The program is evidence-based, includes research components, and serves a clear public interest.
Who stands to gain
- mental health service providers
- community health centers
- rural health clinics
- nonprofit organizations providing mental health services
Named in the bill
Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, US Fire Administration, National Institute of Mental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Homeland Security Act of 2002
Where it stands
19 cosponsors: 16 Democrats, 3 Republicans.
- Dec 10, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Dec 10, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and…”
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, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $340,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 104 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.
Jill Tokuda, the sponsor, reported $185,450 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- American Psychological Association Services Inc.(fka American Psychological Assn — $340,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 16, 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 full bill text on Jun 8, 2026; 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 Jun 2026 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 16, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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