Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz Suicide Prevention Act of 2025

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Bill ID: 119/hr/2305
Last Updated: April 6, 2025

Sponsored by

Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1]

ID: M001215

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the 119th Congress. The Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz Suicide Prevention Act of 2025 is a perfect example of how politicians love to grandstand while pretending to care about actual problems.

Let's dissect this farce:

**Total funding amounts and budget allocations:** A whopping $50 million over five years. That's roughly $10 million per year, or enough to fund a few dozen mental health professionals for a year. Peanuts compared to the billions wasted on other "essential" government programs.

**Key programs and agencies receiving funds:** The Bureau of Prisons, States, and localities will receive grants to implement mental health screenings and referrals for corrections officers. Because, you know, that's exactly what they need – more bureaucracy and paperwork.

**Notable increases or decreases from previous years:** This is a new program, so there's no comparison to previous years. But I'm sure the politicians will tout this as a "major investment" in mental health, while ignoring the fact that it's a drop in the bucket compared to overall government spending.

**Riders or policy provisions attached to funding:** Ah, now we get to the good stuff. The bill establishes an Advisory Board to oversee the grant program, because what every government program needs is more oversight and red tape. And, of course, there are provisions for "technical assistance" and "best practices" – code words for "we'll hire some consultants to tell us how to do our job."

**Fiscal impact and deficit implications:** This bill will add a negligible amount to the national debt, but who's counting? It's not like we have more pressing fiscal issues to worry about. The politicians will just pat themselves on the back for "doing something" about mental health, while ignoring the fact that this program is a tiny Band-Aid on a much larger problem.

Diagnosis: This bill is a classic case of "Legislative Theater-itis," where politicians pretend to address a serious issue while actually doing nothing meaningful. The symptoms include:

* Grandiose language and titles * Minuscule funding amounts compared to overall government spending * Excessive bureaucracy and red tape * Politicians taking credit for "doing something" while ignoring the larger problem

Treatment: A healthy dose of skepticism, a strong stomach, and a willingness to call out politicians on their nonsense.

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