S. 1194, the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act, was unanimously approved by the Senate
and sent to the White House on Tuesday, October 12. Supporters of the bill are confident the President will sign the bill into law.

The Senate originally approved S. 1194 in October 2003 and sent it to the House, which last month approved the
bill with a reduced authorization level. Yesterday, the Senate approved the House's version.

S. 1194 would authorize $50 million in federal funding for grants to states to support collaborative efforts between criminal justice and mental health agencies at the state and local level to improve the response to people with mental illness in the criminal justice system. These efforts include pre and post-booking interventions, such as
crisis intervention teams and law enforcement training, diversion programs, mental health courts, and re-entry and transitional programming. The bill establishes one-year planning and five-year implementation grants requiring states to increase their share of funding in later grant years.

Click here to read a copy of the bill.