Bill Overview
Title: Helping Families Heal Act of 2022
Description: This bill establishes programs and sets out other actions to address mental health impacts of law enforcement personnel violence on those who have experienced, witnessed, or otherwise suffered traumatic experiences due to such violence, with a particular emphasis on communities and schools.
Sponsors: Rep. Bush, Cori [D-MO-1]
Target Audience
Population: People affected by law enforcement violence and associated trauma
Estimated Size: 30000000
- The bill focuses on mental health impacts related to law enforcement personnel violence.
- It particularly addresses those who have experienced, witnessed, or been traumatized by such violence.
- Communities and schools are emphasized as key areas impacted by this issue.
Reasoning
- The target population is those affected by law enforcement violence, estimated at 30 million in the US.
- The policy addresses mental health impacts, so immediate results in wellbeing are likely focused on mental health metrics.
- Given the budget, only a portion of those impacted could potentially be reached by the programs, focusing on high-need areas and schools.
- Interviews capture a diverse range of individuals within the impacted population, including those not directly impacted by law enforcement violence.
- Scores on the Cantril wellbeing scale reflect potential short and long-term impacts of trauma and intervention.
Simulated Interviews
Social Worker (Chicago, Illinois)
Age: 24 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think this policy is really important. I've seen personally how witnessing police violence has impacted people I work with.
- I'm hopeful it will provide the mental health support needed, especially for young adults.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 2 |
Teacher (Los Angeles, California)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Anything to support mental health in schools is valuable.
- Our students need a lot more support than we can currently provide.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 3 |
Freelancer (Miami, Florida)
Age: 33 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 8.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I've been waiting for something like this. The trauma from my experience still affects me sometimes.
- I hope the funding includes resources for therapy and community healing programs.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
Taxi Driver (New York City, New York)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think this policy might help. There is a lot of tension in my neighborhood.
- I just hope they actually follow through with providing real help.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Nurse (Houston, Texas)
Age: 40 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 18/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think the focus on mental health is great, but I haven't been personally impacted.
- In my work, I see how stress from these kinds of events affects mental health.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Retired (St. Louis, Missouri)
Age: 62 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I haven't been directly affected, but I worry about my grandkids when they're outside.
- If it helps us feel safer, then it's worth it.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Graduate Student (Seattle, Washington)
Age: 29 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 8.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Mental health support is something many of us need after those protests.
- I hope this policy can make a difference in healing our communities.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 2 |
Business Owner (Detroit, Michigan)
Age: 38 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 3
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- My family needs help processing this trauma, it's affected us all deeply.
- This policy appears to be a step in the right direction to address these issues.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 2 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 2 |
High School Principal (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Age: 47 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy is a welcome change. We desperately need more resources in schools for mental health.
- I hope it expands rapidly to meet all our students' needs.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 4 |
Security Guard (Baltimore, Maryland)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 16/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I've seen some incidents escalate but have never been personally involved.
- The policy seems like a good idea for those who need it, though I'm not sure it will affect me.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $500000000 (Low: $350000000, High: $700000000)
Year 2: $450000000 (Low: $320000000, High: $650000000)
Year 3: $400000000 (Low: $300000000, High: $600000000)
Year 5: $400000000 (Low: $300000000, High: $600000000)
Year 10: $400000000 (Low: $300000000, High: $600000000)
Year 100: $400000000 (Low: $300000000, High: $600000000)
Key Considerations
- Availability of mental health professionals may constrain program implementation.
- Variability in community needs and existing infrastructure will influence costs.
- Effectiveness will depend on program accessibility and uptake.
- Potential cost changes due to economic variability and inflation.