Critical Incident and Stress Management Services

TMPA believes a support system should be in place for law enforcement professionals; services that provide a process of crisis intervention designed to assist an emergency service provider in coping with critical incident stress.

Thank you to State Representative Mike Hamilton for filing HB 2040 and Senator Tommy Williams for filing SB 1065.

**House Bill 2040 by Representative Mike Hamilton was filed on March 2nd.

**House Bill 2040 was referred to House Committee of Homeland Security and Public Safety on March 7th.

**House Bill 2040 has been set for hearing on March 29th at 2pm or upon adjournment in room E1.026.

**House Bill 2040 is pending in House Committee of Homeland Security and Public Safety after hearing on March 29th.

**House Bill 2040 was voted favorably from the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety on April 11th.

**House Bill 2040 was reported from Committee as substituted on April 15th.

**House Bill 2040 was recommended for Local and Consent Calendar on April 15th.

**House Bill 2040 set on the Local Calendar on April 21st.

**House Bill 2040 laid out before the House at 11:30am on April 21st.

**House Bill 2040 committee substitute adopted on April 21st.

**House Bill 2040 legislative intent read into the record on April 21st.

**House Bill 2040 passed to third reading on local calendar on April 21st.

**House Bill 2040 pass on local calendar (Vote Y:149/N:0) on April 21st.

**House Bill 2040 received in the Senate, not referred on April 26th.

**House Bill 2040 referred to Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security on May 4th.

**House Bill 2040 meeting set in Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security on May 16th at 8:00am, Room E1.012.

**House Bill 2040 voted favorably from Committee on May 16th.

**House Bill 2040 reported favorably from Committee on May 17th.

**House Bill 2040 recommended for Local/Uncontested Calendar on May 17th.

**House Bill 2040 set on Local Calendar for May 24th.

**Senate Bill 1065 by Senator Tommy Williams was filed on March 2nd.

**Senate Bill 1065 was referred to the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security on March 16th.

**Senate Bill 1065 has been set for hearing on April 6th at 8:00am in room E1.016

**Senate Bill 1065 left pending in the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security on April 6th.

**Senate Bill 1065 reported from Committee as substituted on April 13th.

**Senate Bill 1065 place on the Senate Intent Calendars for April 14th.

**Senate Bill 1065 laid out for consideration in the Senate at 12:50pm on April 18th.

**Senate Bill 1065 committee substitute adopted on April 18th.

**Senate Bill 1065 voted and passed in Senate (Vote - Y:31/N:0) on April 18th.

**Senate Bill 1065 was received in the House, not referred on April 19th.

**Senate Bill 1065 referred to House Committee of Homeland Security and Public Safety on April 26th.

**Senate Bill 1065 voted favorably from Committee of Homeland Security and Public Safety on May 3rd.

**Senate Bill 1065 reported favorably from Committee on May 5th.

**Senate Bill 1065 recommended for Local and Consent Calendar on May 5th.

**Senate Bill 1065 set on Local Calendar for May 19th.

**Senate Bill 1065 laid out for consideration in the House on May 19th at 11:23am.

**Senate Bill 1065 passed to third reading on Local Calendar on May 19th.

**Senate Bill 1065 passed on Local Calendar (Vote - Y:148/N:0) on May 19th.

**Senate Bill 1065 sent to our Governor on May 21st.

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and Crisis Response Services are the terms used to describe the process and the individuals that provide counseling services to individuals who, in the course of their duties, respond to critical incidents such as crime scenes, vehicle accidents, fires, natural disasters, etc.

Critical incidents are typically heavily investigated, scrutinized from every angle by many entities and often result in a legal/court case. Emergency responders are de-briefed and questioned on multiple occasions and their answers are often used as testimony in subsequent court cases.

The matter-of-fact nature of performing their duties is not conducive to dealing with the impact the critical event has had on the overall well-being of the first responder. It is important to the counseling process that an emergency service responder be able to speak freely and without constraint to a CISM team member.

Therefore, it is important to protect the conversation and thus the emergency service provider by allowing discussions with the CISM member to be confidential.