[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3593 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3593

 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide funds for campus 
             mental and behavioral health service centers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 21, 2003

  Mr. Davis of Illinois (for himself and Mr. Osborne) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                             the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide funds for campus 
             mental and behavioral health service centers.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Campus Care and Counseling Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) In a recent report, a startling 85 percent of college 
        counseling centers revealed an increase in the number of 
        students they see with psychological problems. Furthermore, the 
        American College Health Association found that 61 percent of 
        college students reported feeling hopeless, 45 percent said 
        they felt so depressed they could barely function, and 9 
        percent felt suicidal.
            (2) There is clear evidence of an increased incidence of 
        depression among college students. According to a survey 
        described in the Chronicle of Higher Education (February 1, 
        2002), depression among freshmen has nearly doubled (from 8.2 
        percent to 16.3 percent). Without treatment, researchers 
        recently noted that ``depressed adolescents are at risk for 
        school failure, social isolation, promiscuity, self medication 
        with drugs and alcohol, and suicide--now the third leading 
        cause of death among 10-24 year olds.''
            (3) Researchers who conducted the study ``Changes in 
        Counseling Center Client Problems Across 13 Years'' (1989-2001) 
        at Kansas State University stated that ``students are 
        experiencing more stress, more anxiety, more depression than 
        they were a decade ago.'' (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 
        February 14, 2003).
            (4) According to a 1999 UCLA study, more than 30 percent of 
        college freshmen reported feeling overwhelmed a great deal of 
        the time during the beginning of college and may benefit from 
        psychological services.
            (5) According to the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug 
        Abuse, the highest prevalence of both binge and heavy drinking 
        was found in young adults ages 18 to 25 (especially on college 
        campuses). In addition, the results of a Harvard School of 
        Public Health College Alcohol Study Survey printed in the 
        Journal of American Health show that 44.4 percent of college 
        students describe themselves as binge drinkers.
            (6) The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 
        in 2002 reported that 1400 college students die each year from 
        alcohol-related injuries. In addition, it is stated that 
        college students who drink are more likely to assault, sexually 
        abuse, and vandalize others. Furthermore, it is reported that 
        25 percent of college students attribute academic problems to 
        excessive drinking.
            (7) According to the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug 
        Abuse, 20 percent of full-time undergraduate college students 
        use illicit drugs.
            (8) The 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse also 
        reported that 18.4 percent of adults aged 18 to 24 are 
        dependent on or abusing illicit drugs or alcohol. In addition, 
        the study found that ``serious mental illness is highly 
        correlated with substance dependence or abuse. Among adults 
        with serious mental illness in 2001, 20.3 percent were 
        dependent on or abused alcohol or illicit drugs, while the rate 
        among adults without serious mental illness was only 6.3 
        percent.''
            (9) In 2001, there were 249,000 victims of rape in the 
        United States, according to statistics from the Rape, Abuse and 
        Incest National Network. 36 percent of victims of rape and 
        sexual assault are between the ages of 18 and 30.
            (10) The National Victim's Center in 2001 reported that 
        13.3 percent of college women say they have been forced to have 
        sex in a dating situation.
            (11) According to the National Eating Disorders 
        Association, 5-10 million women and 1 million men struggle with 
        eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating 
        disorder, or borderline conditions after puberty.

SEC. 3. MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ON CAMPUS.

    Part B of title I of the Higher Education Act of 1965 is amended by 
inserting after section 120 (20 U.S.C. 1011i) the following new 
section:

``SEC. 120A. MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ON CAMPUS.

    ``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to increase 
access to, and enhance the range of, mental and behavioral health 
services for students at centers on campus that provide such services 
so as to ensure that college students have the support necessary to 
successfully complete their studies.
    ``(b) Program Authorized.--From the funds appropriated under 
subsection (g), the Secretary shall award competitive grants to centers 
on campus that provide mental and behavioral health services to 
students to provide such services and develop best practices for the 
delivery of such services. Such grants shall, subject to the 
availability of such appropriations, be for a period of 3 years.
    ``(c) Eligible Entities.--Any mental health service center located 
on the campus of an institution of higher education that provides 
mental and behavioral health services to students is eligible to apply 
for a grant under this section. Eligible entities may include entities 
such as college counseling centers; college and university 
psychological service centers; mental health units; and psychology 
training clinics.
    ``(d) Applications.--Each eligible entity seeking to obtain a grant 
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary. Each 
such application shall include--
            ``(1) an outline of program objectives and anticipated 
        program outcomes;
            ``(2) outreach strategies (including ways in which the 
        applicant proposes to reach students, promote access to 
        services, and address the range of needs of university 
        students);
            ``(3) a proposed plan for reaching those students most in 
        need of the center's services;
            ``(4) a program evaluation plan to assess program outcomes; 
        and
            ``(5) such additional information as is required by the 
        Secretary.
    ``(e) Use of Funds.--Funds provided by a grant under this section 
may be used for one or more of the following activities:
            ``(1) Intervention program for developmental, transitional, 
        and adjustment issues that affect students as they matriculate 
        and graduate from college.
            ``(2) Addressing issues related to binge and heavy alcohol 
        consumption and the associated behavioral health risks.
            ``(3) Providing services for students with mental and 
        behavioral health problems that impede academic performance 
        (such as test anxiety).
            ``(4) Self-management skills (for behavioral and emotional 
        self regulation).
            ``(5) Management of chronic mental illness.
            ``(6) Assessment and intervention for depressive disorders, 
        and suicidal and self-harm behaviors.
            ``(7) Assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders.
            ``(8) Prevention programs for depression, anxiety, suicide, 
        and domestic violence.
            ``(9) Assessment, treatment, and education for eating 
        disorders.
            ``(10) Treatment of sexual trauma.
            ``(11) Psychological education for parents of college 
        students.
            ``(12) Hire appropriately trained staff.
            ``(13) Strengthen and expand psychology doctoral internship 
        and postdoctoral residency programs and opportunities.
            ``(14) Supporting the use of evidence-based and emerging 
        best practices and evaluate outcomes in centers on campus that 
        provide mental and behavioral health services so as to provide 
        information and training to other centers around the nation.
    ``(f) Additional Required Elements.--Each eligible entity that 
receives a grant under this section shall--
            ``(1) provide annual reports to the Secretary describing 
        the use of funds, the program's objectives, and how the 
        objectives were met (description of program outcomes);
            ``(2) perform such additional evaluation as the Secretary 
        may require, which may include measures such as increase in 
        range of services provided; increase in the quality of services 
        provided; increase in access to services; college continuation 
        rates; decrease in college dropout rates; increase in college 
        graduation rates; and
            ``(3) shall coordinate its program under this section with 
        other related efforts on campus by entities concerned with the 
        mental, health, and behavioral health needs of students.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated for grants under this section $10,000,000 for fiscal year 
2005 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding 
fiscal years.''.
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