1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Mental Health Justice Act of 2023 . 2. Grants for mental health professionals to act as first responders Subpart 3 of part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 290bb–31 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: 520O. Grants for mental health professionals to act as first responders (a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, and in consultation with the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, shall award grants to States, Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, and political subdivisions thereof to establish or expand programs— (1) to hire, employ, train, and dispatch mental health professionals to respond in lieu of law enforcement officers in emergencies in which— (A) an individual calling 911, 988, or another emergency hotline states that a person— (i) is in a mental health crisis; (ii) may have a mental illness, a substance use disorder, a co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder, or an intellectual or developmental disability; or (iii) otherwise appears to need the immediate support of mental health professionals; (B) a law enforcement officer or other first responder identifies a person as having (or possibly having) a mental illness or an intellectual or developmental disability (or otherwise appears to need the support of mental health professionals); or (C) a law enforcement officer or other first responder identifies a person as being (or possibly being) under the influence of a legal or illegal substance; (2) to include in the training for mental health professionals pursuant to paragraph (1) training in— (A) the principles of deescalation; and (B) developmentally appropriate techniques; (3) to ensure that such mental health professionals link persons described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1) with voluntary community-based services where appropriate