2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 41
BY SENATORS WHITE, BARROW, CARTER, HENSGENS AND MILLS
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To create and provide for the Law Enforcement Officer PTSD Study Commission to study
the short-term and long-term effects of post traumatic stress disorder on law
enforcement officers and to recommend any action or legislation that the commission
deems necessary or appropriate.
WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana is served by over eighteen thousand law
enforcement officers at the state and local level; and
WHEREAS, the diagnosis known as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was first
defined by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 in order to more accurately
understand and treat veterans who had endured severe, traumatic combat stress; and
WHEREAS, PTSD can occur as a result of severely traumatic events including but
not limited to sexual assault, child abuse, high-impact collisions and crashes, natural
disasters, acts of terrorism, and military combat; and
WHEREAS, policing often necessitates exposure to traumatic, violent, and horrific
events, which trauma can have negative effects on law enforcement officers' health and
well-being, and can lead to an increased risk for developing PTSD; and
WHEREAS, studies have found that law enforcement officers experience
approximately 3.5 traumatic events in a six-month period, most often involving being
witness to tragic and depressing events, such as adults and children who have been severely
injured or died from abuse, assault, or traffic accidents; and
WHEREAS, studies have also found that more than three-quarters of law
enforcement officers reported a traumatic event occurring in the previous month; and
WHEREAS, although PTSD is typically associated with a single incident, it is often
Page 1 of 4 SCR NO. 41 ENROLLED
caused by exposure to numerous traumatic incidents over several years or, in some cases,
an entire career; and
WHEREAS, it is in the public interest to identify and diagnose PTSD in law
enforcement officers, with the ultimate goal of those law enforcement officers suffering from
PTSD being able to receive treatment, retain employment, and remain productive employees
of their agencies; and
WHEREAS, it is imperative that PTSD suffered by law enforcement officers be
recognized as compensable under worker's compensation, as an invaluable part of the
treatment of this disorder.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana hereby creates
the Law Enforcement Officer PTSD Study Commission to study the conditions, needs,
issues, and problems relative to the short-term and long-term effects of post traumatic stress
disorder on law enforcement officers and to recommend any action or legislation that the
commission deems necessary or appropriate.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission created herein shall consist of
the following fifteen members:
(1) The chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary C, or his designee.
(2) The chairman of the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice, or
his designee.
(3) Two sheriffs selected by the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association, or their designees.
(4) Two chiefs of police selected by the Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police,
or their designees.
(5) Two persons selected by the Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police, or their
designees.
(6) A person selected by the Louisiana Municipal Association, or his designee.
(7) A psychologist selected by the Louisiana Psychological Association, or his
designee.
(8) A psychiatrist selected by the Louisiana Psychiatric Medical Association, or his
designee.
(9) A physician selected by the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians, or his
Page 2 of 4 SCR NO. 41 ENROLLED
designee.
(10) A person selected by the Ochsner Health System, or his designee.
(11) A person selected by the Louisiana State Police, or his designee.
(12) A person selected by Tulane University, or his designee.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in conducting such study, the commission shall
review causes of PTSD among law enforcement officers in Louisiana and identify the
estimated prevalence of PTSD among law enforcement officers in Louisiana. The
commission also shall identify and analyze methods, practices, and programs to prevent and
treat PTSD in police officers. The commission also shall make recommendations for which
methods, practices, and programs, including existing programs in the state, are most
effective in preventing and treating PTSD in law enforcement officers.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all selections of members to the commission
shall be made and submitted to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary C within
sixty days after adjournment of the 2019 Regular Session. Vacancies shall be filled in the
same manner as the original appointments. The members of the commission shall serve
without compensation, except per diem or expense reimbursement to which they may be
individually entitled as members of the constituent organizations.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a majority of the total membership shall
constitute a quorum of the commission, and any official action by the commission shall
require an affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum present and voting.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the commission may conduct such meetings at
such times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and
effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and purposes of this
Resolution. The first meeting of the commission shall be held on or before September 1,
2019, at the call of the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary C, at which meeting
its members shall elect from the membership a chairperson and vice chairperson, and such
other officers as the commission may deem advisable.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in the event that the commission makes a report
of its findings and recommendations with suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, such
report shall be made to the legislature no later than January 9, 2020.
Page 3 of 4 SCR NO. 41 ENROLLED
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this commission shall terminate on January 10,
2020.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Page 4 of 4