[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2215 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

  2d Session
                                S. 2215

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 12, 2004

    Mr. Reed (for himself, Mr. DeWine, Mrs. Clinton, and Mr. Smith) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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.

    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 the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug 
        Abuse, 20 percent of full-time undergraduate college students 
        use illicit drugs.
            (5) 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.''.
            (6) A 2003 Gallagher's Survey of Counseling Center 
        Directors found that 81 percent were concerned about the 
        increasing number of students with more serious psychological 
        problems, 67 percent reported a need for more psychiatric 
        services, and 63 percent reported problems with growing demand 
        for services without an appropriate increase in resources.
            (7) The International Association of Counseling Services 
        accreditation standards recommend 1 counselor per 1,000 to 
        1,500 students. According to the 2003 Gallagher's Survey of 
        Counseling Center Directors, the ratio of counselors to 
        students is as high as 1 counselor per 2,400 students at 
        institutions of higher education with more than 15,000 
        students.

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

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

``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 so as to ensure that college students have the 
support necessary to successfully complete their studies.
    ``(b) Program Authorized.--From funds appropriated under subsection 
(j), the Secretary shall award competitive grants to institutions of 
higher education to create or expand mental and behavioral health 
services to students at such institutions, to provide such services, 
and to 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 Grant Recipients.--Any institution of higher 
education that seeks to provide, or provides, mental and behavioral 
health services to students is eligible to apply, on behalf of such 
institution's treatment provider, for a grant under this section. 
Treatment providers may include entities such as--
            ``(1) college counseling centers;
            ``(2) college and university psychological service centers;
            ``(3) mental health centers;
            ``(4) psychology training clinics;
            ``(5) institution of higher education supported, evidence-
        based, mental health and substance abuse screening programs; 
        and
            ``(6) any other entity that provides mental and behavioral 
        health services to students at an institution of higher 
        education.
    ``(d) Applications.--Each institution of higher education seeking 
to obtain a grant under this section shall submit an application to the 
Secretary. Each such application shall include--
            ``(1) a description of identified mental and behavioral 
        health needs of students at the institution of higher 
        education;
            ``(2) a description of currently available Federal, State, 
        local, private, and institutional resources to address the 
needs described in paragraph (1) at the institution of higher 
education;
            ``(3) an outline of program objectives and anticipated 
        program outcomes, including an explanation of how the treatment 
        provider at the institution of higher education will coordinate 
        activities under this section with existing programs and 
        services;
            ``(4) the anticipated impact of funds provided under this 
        section in improving the mental and behavioral health of 
        students attending the institution of higher education;
            ``(5) outreach strategies, including ways in which the 
        treatment provider at the institution of higher education 
        proposes to reach students, promote access to services, and 
        address the range of needs of students;
            ``(6) a proposed plan for reaching those students most in 
        need of services;
            ``(7) a plan to evaluate program outcomes and assess the 
        services provided with funds under this section; and
            ``(8) such additional information as is required by the 
        Secretary.
    ``(e) Peer Review of Applications.--
            ``(1) Panel.--The Secretary shall provide the applications 
        submitted under this section to a peer review panel for 
        evaluation. With respect to each application, the peer review 
        panel shall recommend the application for funding or for 
        disapproval.
            ``(2) Composition of panel.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The peer review panel shall be 
                composed of--
                            ``(i) experts who are competent, by virtue 
                        of their training, expertise, or experience, to 
                        evaluate applications for grants under this 
                        section; and
                            ``(ii) mental and behavioral health 
                        professionals and higher education 
                        professionals.
                    ``(B) Non-federal government employees.--A majority 
                of the members of the peer review panel shall be 
                individuals who are not employees of the Federal 
                Government.
            ``(3) Evaluation and priority.--The peer review panel 
        shall--
                    ``(A) evaluate the applicant's proposal to improve 
                current and future mental and behavioral health at the 
                institution of higher education; and
                    ``(B) give priority in recommending applications 
                for funding to proposals that--
                            ``(i) provide direct service to students, 
                        as described in subsection (f)(1);
                            ``(ii) improve the mental and behavioral 
                        health of students at institutions of higher 
                        education with a counselor to student ratio 
                        greater than 1 to 1,500; or
                            ``(iii) will best serve students based on 
                        the projected impact of the proposal on mental 
                        and behavioral health at the institution of 
                        higher education as well as the level of 
                        coordination of other resources to aid in the 
                        improvement of mental and behavioral health.
    ``(f) Use of Funds.--Funds provided by a grant under this section 
may be used for 1 or more of the following activities:
            ``(1) Prevention, screening, early intervention, 
        assessment, treatment, management, and education of mental and 
        behavioral health problems of students enrolled at the 
        institution of higher education.
            ``(2) Education of families to increase awareness of 
        potential mental and behavioral health issues of students 
        enrolled at the institution of higher education.
            ``(3) Hiring appropriately trained staff, including 
        administrative staff.
            ``(4) Strengthening and expanding mental and behavioral 
        health training opportunities in internship and residency 
        programs, such as psychology doctoral and post-doctoral 
        training.
            ``(5) Supporting the use of evidence-based and emerging 
        best practices.
            ``(6) Evaluating and disseminating outcomes of mental and 
        behavioral health services so as to provide information and 
        training to other mental and behavioral health entities around 
        the Nation that serve students enrolled in institutions of 
        higher education.
    ``(g) Additional Required Elements.--Each institution of higher 
education 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, including a description of program 
        outcomes;
            ``(2) perform such additional evaluation as the Secretary 
        may require, which may include measures such as--
                    ``(A) increase in range of services provided;
                    ``(B) increase in the quality of services provided;
                    ``(C) increase in access to services;
                    ``(D) college continuation rates;
                    ``(E) decrease in college dropout rates; and
                    ``(F) increase in college graduation rates; and
            ``(3) coordinate such institution's program under this 
        section with other related efforts on campus by entities 
        concerned with the mental, health, and behavioral health needs 
        of students.
    ``(h) Supplement Not Supplant.--Grant funds provided under this 
section shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, Federal and non-
Federal funds available for carrying out the activities described in 
this section.
    ``(i) Limitations.--
            ``(1) Percentage limitations.--Not more than--
                    ``(A) 5 percent of grant funds received under this 
                section shall be used for administrative costs; and
                    ``(B) 20 percent of grant funds received under this 
                section shall be used for training costs.
            ``(2) Prohibition on use for construction or renovation.--
        Grant funds received under this section shall not be used for 
        construction or renovation of facilities or buildings.
    ``(j) 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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