Peer support bill for law enforcement moves ahead in Mass. house

BOSTON — The House voted Tuesday to close what Rep. Harold Naughton called a "fluke" in health privacy laws that does not protect the confidentiality of law enforcement or other first responders when they seek counseling following traumatic incidents.

The bill, filed by Rep. Ed Coppinger of West Roxbury and unanimously approved by the House, would shield anyone on a critical incident team who provides stress management or crisis intervention services after an incident from having to testify or divulge any information obtained through that work.

The bill evoked strong emotions among a string of speakers, both Democrats and Republicans, who referenced recent police shootings in Yarmouth, Weymouth and Falmouth and the toll that has taken on not just the families of the officers shot, but the departments for which they worked.

Rep. Timothy Whelan, a former state trooper, shared a story from his days as a police officer in western Massachusetts when he responded to a single car accident involving a young woman who struck a tree.

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hen he arrived on the scene, he heard her screaming for help, but as he approached the vehicle burst into flames and he could not save her.

Whelan, of Brewster, said he was lucky and with the help of some colleagues he got help that saved his marriage. But he said there can be a stigma attached to counseling, and some first responders don't get the help they need. Some, he said, wind up committing suicide.

"This bill will make sure that stigma won't follow them," Whelan said.

"These provisions will help these heroes get the confidential help that they need," House Speaker Robert DeLeo said in a statement. "This vote complements two pieces of legislation signed by the Governor this past week approving enhanced training for police and additional benefits for both our men and women firefighters as they recover from work-related chronic illnesses."

The Senate passed a similar bill last week.

MORE: Local police officers push for peer support bill

State House News Service