The bill would require DHS to take steps to reduce the stigma of seeking mental health assistance. Image: Cavan-Images/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffA bill (HR-2577) ready for a House vote would beef up mental health and wellness services to all DHS components with law enforcement officers or agents, citing suicides among such employees in recent years and employee morale that is “troublingly low.”
“DHS must promote education and training related to law enforcement mental health, well-being, resilience, and suicide prevention,” says a report from the House Homeland Security Committee. It says that from 2007 to 2022 there were 149 suicides of Customs and Border Protection personnel, “one of the highest rates among law enforcement agencies.”
It cited a 2020 GAO report on the DHS Federal Air Marshals Service finding “quality of life concerns, and stressful work schedules, which GAO found to be contributing factors to low morale and poor health among the FAMS workforce.” Also, a 2021 GAO report on DHS as a whole “found that employee morale was below average when compared to the rest of the federal government. GAO found that while DHS had taken some steps to improve employee morale, more could be done to support the DHS workforce, including for law enforcement officers and agents,” it says.
The bill would require DHS to “develop a program to provide suicide prevention and resiliency support and training for families of DHS law enforcement personnel and surviving families of DHS law enforcement personnel who have been lost to suicide; and take certain steps to develop a culture within DHS components that reduces the stigma of seeking mental health assistance through regular messaging and mental health training,”
It also would require DHS to collect data and conduct research on mental health, suicides, and attempted suicides of DHS law enforcement personnel while ensuring privacy and confidentiality.
Large Share of Federal Workforce about to Experience a Payless Pay Period
OPM Details Coverage Changes, Plan Dropouts for FEHB/PSHB in 2026
OMB Says Federal Workforce RIFs are Starting as Shutdown Drags On
Financial Impact of Shutdown Starts to Hit Home; WH Threatens No Back Pay
Surge of Retirement Applications Is in the Pipeline, Says OPM
See also,
TSP Takes Step toward Upcoming In-Plan Roth Conversions
5 Steps to Protect Your Federal Job During the Shutdown
Over 30K TSP Accounts Have Crossed the Million Mark in 2025
The Best Ages for Federal Employees to Retire
