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House Democrats are aiming to hold a floor vote Friday on a bill that would provide states funding to replace law enforcement with mental health professionals.
The Mental Health Justice Act would provide grants to states to hire, employ, train and dispatch mental health professionals “in lieu of law enforcement officers” during emergency calls involving at least one person with a mental illness, according to the bill’s text. The legislation was reintroduced last year by Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., who said it would reduce violence against people with mental illnesses.
DEFUNDING POLICE, VILIFYING THEM ‘AT EVERY TURN’ CONTRIBUTING TO OFFICER SUICIDES, EXPERTS SAY
“We should be connecting people in crisis to care, not tossing them in jail,” Porter said in a statement at the time. “Mental illness is not a crime, and we have to stop treating it like one. Most