A new bill is being introduced to Congress called the People’s Response Act which focuses on mental health. The bill will create a federal agency that would limit law enforcement responses by increasing the amount of community systems led by health officials. This will lead to mental health experts responding to mental health emergencies instead of police.

The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Cori Bush, was a mental health nurse for over ten years. She said her work exposed her to the disparities and struggles her patients endured. She witnessed the punitive responses to people with bipolar disorder or paranoid schizophrenia when they’re in crisis, she said. Now, as the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress, Bush plans to do something about it. More on this story here.