[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3727 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3727

 To require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to carry 
  out a study to add to the scientific knowledge on reducing teacher 
 stress and increasing teacher retention and well-being, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 2023

  Ms. Porter (for herself, Mr. Courtney, and Mr. Soto) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to carry 
  out a study to add to the scientific knowledge on reducing teacher 
 stress and increasing teacher retention and well-being, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Teacher Health and Wellness Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) High levels of stress are adversely affecting teachers' 
        health.
            (2) Stress is contributing to the high turnover rate among 
        teachers, which causes instability for students and 
        communities. This leads to higher costs for school districts to 
        train new teachers and hinders students' academic success.
            (3) School organization, low job autonomy, and a lack of 
        ability to access teacher leadership opportunities are main 
        sources of teacher stress. If teachers are not provided with 
        opportunities and tools to manage their stress levels, student 
        well-being can also suffer.

SEC. 3. STUDY ON REDUCING TEACHER STRESS AND INCREASING TEACHER 
              RETENTION AND WELL-BEING.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the National Institutes of Health 
shall carry out a five-year study on reducing teacher stress and 
increasing teacher retention and well-being by implementing and 
analyzing the results of any of the following programs:
            (1) Workplace wellness programs that are designed to 
        improve teacher health, attendance, and engagement.
            (2) Social emotional learning programs that help teachers 
        improve student engagement in the classroom.
            (3) Teacher stress management programs that improve teacher 
        performance.
            (4) Mentoring and induction programs during the school year 
        and teacher pre-service programs that improve teacher well-
        being.
            (5) Organizational interventions, such as principal 
        training programs, that reduce stress through supervisor/peer 
        support and increased opportunities for teachers to participate 
        in professional learning communities, teacher leadership 
        positions, and decision making regarding school interventions 
        and management.
            (6) Teacher residency programs that provide mental health 
        and psychological support.
            (7) Complementary health approaches, such as mindfulness 
        meditation, that improve teacher performance.
            (8) School reorganization that creates the conditions to 
        facilitate the transmission and sharing of knowledge among 
        teachers.
            (9) Other innovative evidence-based approaches that reduce 
        stress and increase well-being in the teaching profession, 
        which may include increased compensation.
    (b) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the end of 
        the study carried out under subsection (a), the Director shall 
        submit to the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
        and Pensions of the Senate a report including--
                    (A) the results of the study carried out under 
                subsection (a); and
                    (B) recommendations for--
                            (i) decreasing teacher stress and 
                        increasing teacher retention and well-being; 
                        and
                            (ii) lowering stress-related health care 
                        costs for teachers.
            (2) Availability.--The Director shall make publicly 
        available the report submitted under paragraph (1).
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Complementary health approach.--The term 
        ``complementary health approach'' includes integrative health 
        care, adjunctive health care, and functional medicine.
            (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Institutes of Health.
            (3) Teacher.--The term ``teacher'' means a teacher teaching 
        in any of kindergarten through grade 12.
    (d) No Additional Funds Authorized.--No additional funds are 
authorized to carry out the requirements of this Act. Such requirements 
shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized.
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