The Secretary shall establish a pilot program under which the Secretary will award competitive grants to States, localities, territories, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations to establish new, or enhance existing, mobile crisis response teams that divert the response for mental health and substance use disorder crises from law enforcement to mobile crisis teams, as described in subsection (b).
In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize applications which account for the specific needs of the communities to be served, including children and families, veterans, rural and underserved populations, and other groups at increased risk of death from suicide or overdose.
Not later than September 30, 2024, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on steps taken by States, localities, territories, Indian Tribes, and Tribal organizations prior to December 29, 2022, to strengthen the partnerships among mental health providers, substance use disorder treatment providers, primary care physicians, mental health and substance use disorder crisis teams, paramedics, law enforcement officers, and other first responders.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.