America's Law Enforcement and Mental Health Project
Public Law 106-515 · S. 1865 · 106th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Nov 13, 2000 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Pete Domenici
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
America's Law Enforcement and Mental Health Project - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to make grants to States, State courts, local courts, units of local government, and Indian tribal governments, acting directly or through agreements with other public or nonprofit entities, for not more than 100 programs that involve: (1) continuing judicial supervision, including periodic review, over preliminarily qualified offenders with mental illness, mental retardation, or co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders who are charged with misdemeanors or non-violent offenses; and (2) the coordinated delivery of services. Provides that the coordinated delivery of services includes: (1) specialized training of law enforcement and judicial personnel to identify and address the unique needs of a mentally ill or mentally retarded offender; (2) voluntary outpatient or inpatient mental health treatment in the least restrictive manner appropriate, as determined by the court, that carries with it the possibility of dismissal of charges or reduced sentencing upon successful completion of treatment; (3) centralized case management involving the consolidation of all of a mentally ill or mentally retarded defendant's cases (including violations of probation) and the coordination of all mental health treatment plans and social services, including life skills training; and (4) continuing supervision of treatment plan compliance for a term not to exceed the maximum allowable sentence or probation for the charged or relevant offense and continuity of psychiatric care at the end of the supervised period..
Defines: (1) "mental illness" as a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder of sufficient duration to meet diagnostic criteria within the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, that has resulted in functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities; and (2) "preliminarily qualified offender with mental illness, mental retardation, or co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders" to mean a person who previously or currently has been diagnosed by a qualified mental health professional as having a mental illness, mental retardation, or co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders or who manifests obvious signs of mental illness, mental retardation, or co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders during arrest or confinement or before any court and is deemed eligible by designated judges.
Directs the Attorney General to issue regulations and guidelines necessary to carry out this Act, including the methodologies and outcome measures proposed for evaluating each applicant program. Includes among grant requirements a requirement that applicants certify that there has been appropriate consultation with all affected agencies and that there will be appropriate coordination with all affected agencies in program implementation, including the State mental health authority.
Sets forth provisions regarding application requirements, the Federal cost share (75 percent), geographic distribution of grants, reporting requirements, and technical assistance, training, and evaluation. Authorizes appropriations.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.
- Nov 13, 2000Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 106-515.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 6, 2000PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 24, 2000FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Scott objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Chabot moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Oct 6, 2000CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Sep 27, 2000CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
- Sep 26, 2000FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 27, 2000CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Nov 5, 1999CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- Nov 4, 1999IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.