The Senate and House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor on Wednesday adopted an interim study proposal to examine mental-health and resiliency supports for first responders, Representative Torres told the committee.

Representative Torres said the proposal — described as the James v. Garren act — would build a statewide framework of leadership, resiliency training and certified peer-support specialists for law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, 911 dispatchers and correctional officers. "The James v. Garren act is designed to build a framework of support, leadership, and resiliency for those who run towards crisis when the rest of us are running away," Torres said.

Torres said the study will assess gaps in access to trauma-informed services across state, county and local agencies, evaluate best practices from other states, and examine the feasibility of statewide peer-to-peer support networks, resiliency training standards and mental-health certification programs through the Department of Public Safety. "We'll also identify barriers such as stigma, funding, and staffing, and how to overcome them," Torres said.

During the presentation Torres cited statistics he said illustrate the scope of the problem: "47 percent of US officers scribe positive for PTSD, 10 times the national average. 19 percent are in severe burnout, showing signs of emotional detachment and depersonalization," and he said the average police officer "will experience 600 to a thousand" major traumatic events over a career. Those figures were presented by Torres as part of his case for the study; the committee did not introduce external reports during the meeting.

Representative Richmond Richardson asked whether this proposal duplicated earlier legislation. Richardson said the legislature "passed a bill very similar to this a couple of sessions ago" that focused on post-trauma counseling. Torres distinguished the ISP by saying the planned framework would prepare and support responders "before, during, and after" traumatic events statewide.

The committee adopted the ISP "without objection" and referred it to the health services subcommittees for interim work. The chair identified Representative Bart Schultz as the House-side health services chair who will receive referrals; the committee did not set a deadline for the subcommittees' work in the meeting record.

Why it matters: Committee members described first-responder mental health as a workforce and public-safety concern that can affect performance and retention. The ISP is intended to gather data and stakeholder testimony to shape legislation in a future session.

Next steps: The ISP will be considered by the health services subcommittees; the committee staff will circulate subcommittee assignments and scheduling details to members.