[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8444 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8444

   To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of 
 Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for 
Mental Health and Substance Use, to establish grant programs to promote 
           mental health in schools, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2024

   Mrs. Napolitano (for herself, Ms. Balint, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Watson 
   Coleman, Mr. Allred, Mr. Connolly, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Soto, Mr. 
   Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Torres of New York, Ms. Chu, Ms. Salinas, Ms. 
   Porter, Mr. Gottheimer, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. 
 Stansbury, and Ms. Barragan) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of 
 Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for 
Mental Health and Substance Use, to establish grant programs to promote 
           mental health in schools, 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 ``Mental Health in Schools Act''.

SEC. 2. SAMHSA MENTAL HEALTH SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAMS.

    Subpart 3 of part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290bb-31 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 520O. MENTAL HEALTH SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) School Mental Health Awareness Grant Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Assistant Secretary, shall establish a program, to be known as 
        the School Mental Health Awareness Grant Program, to award 
        grants to eligible entities to establish or expand eligible 
        mental health education programs in schools served by local 
        educational agencies.
            ``(2) Eligible mental health education programs.--To be 
        eligible for a grant under this subsection, a mental health 
        education program shall--
                    ``(A) serve students by--
                            ``(i) promoting the mental health and well-
                        being of students and destigmatizing mental 
                        health conditions;
                            ``(ii) helping students identify and 
                        recognize the key signs and symptoms of various 
                        mental health conditions;
                            ``(iii) informing students about mental 
                        health services that are available to such 
                        students;
                            ``(iv) providing students with the skills 
                        needed to manage their emotions and establish 
                        and maintain positive relationships;
                            ``(v) using an evidence-based model 
                        effective in changing students' knowledge of 
                        and attitudes toward mental health conditions 
                        and help-seeking behavior; and
                            ``(vi) incorporating family engagement;
                    ``(B) provide educational professionals with the 
                necessary certification, recertification, and 
                professional development to teach mental health-related 
                content; and
                    ``(C) for any courses developed using a grant under 
                this subsection, develop such courses with input from 
                mental health professionals.
            ``(3) Activity requirements.--A grant awarded under this 
        subsection may only be used for activities that--
                    ``(A) are developmentally, linguistically, and 
                culturally appropriate;
                    ``(B) are trauma-informed; and
                    ``(C) promote healthy coping mechanisms for 
                managing stress and other mental health challenges.
    ``(b) Mental Health Career Promotion Grant Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Assistant Secretary, shall establish a program, to be known as 
        the Mental Health Career Promotion Grant Program, to award 
        grants to eligible entities to establish or expand eligible 
        mental health career promotion programs in schools served by 
        local educational agencies.
            ``(2) Eligible mental health career promotion programs.--To 
        be eligible for a grant under this subsection, a mental health 
        career promotion program shall promote careers in mental health 
        to students in grades 9 through 12, such as by--
                    ``(A) providing educational presentations to 
                students that increase exposure to and knowledge of 
                careers in the mental health field;
                    ``(B) coordinating internships and externships for 
                students who demonstrate an interest in mental health;
                    ``(C) providing opportunities for students to 
                interact with and shadow mental health care 
                professionals;
                    ``(D) providing students with mentorships and 
                experiential learning opportunities; or
                    ``(E) partnering with local institutions of higher 
                education and community behavioral health organizations 
                to promote careers in mental health.
            ``(3) Activity requirement.--A grant awarded under this 
        subsection may only be used for activities that are 
        developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate.
            ``(4) Careers in mental health defined.--In this 
        subsection, the term `careers in mental health' means 
        occupations whose primary intent and function is the direct 
        treatment or recovery support of patients with, or in recovery 
        from, a mental health disorder, which may include--
                    ``(A) physicians (including physicians with a 
                degree of doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic 
                medicine);
                    ``(B) psychiatric nurses;
                    ``(C) social workers;
                    ``(D) marriage and family therapists;
                    ``(E) mental health counselors;
                    ``(F) occupational therapists;
                    ``(G) psychologists;
                    ``(H) psychiatrists (including child and adolescent 
                psychiatrists); and
                    ``(I) neurologists.
    ``(c) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, an entity shall be a partnership that includes--
            ``(1) a State educational agency;
            ``(2) 1 or more local educational agencies, or a consortium 
        of such local educational agencies; and
            ``(3) at least 1--
                    ``(A) community-based mental health provider (such 
                as a health care entity, a trauma network, or a 
                nonprofit mental health professional association); or
                    ``(B) other community-based entity, as determined 
                appropriate by the Secretary, acting through the 
                Assistant Secretary (such as a human services agency, a 
                child welfare agency, or an institution of higher 
                education).
    ``(d) Award Duration; Renewal.--A grant awarded under this section 
shall be for a period of 5 years, and may be renewed.
    ``(e) Geographical Diversity.--The Secretary, acting through the 
Assistant Secretary, shall ensure that grants awarded under this 
section cover a diverse range of geographical areas.
    ``(f) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary, acting through the 
Assistant Secretary, may provide technical assistance to high-need 
local educational agencies in seeking grants under this section.
    ``(g) Evaluation and Measures of Outcomes.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Assistant Secretary, shall develop a fiscally appropriate 
        process for evaluating activities carried out through grants 
        awarded under this section. Under such process, the Secretary, 
        acting through the Assistant Secretary, shall--
                    ``(A) provide to recipients of such grants--
                            ``(i) guidelines for the submission to the 
                        Assistant Secretary of data concerning such 
                        activities; and
                            ``(ii) measures of outcomes to be used by 
                        such recipients in evaluating the effectiveness 
                        of such activities (including outcomes related 
                        to the student, family, and local educational 
                        systems supported by such activities);
                    ``(B) require each such recipient to submit to the 
                Assistant Secretary annual reports--
                            ``(i) containing data on such activities 
                        carried out by the recipient; and
                            ``(ii) that use the measures of outcomes 
                        described in subparagraph (A)(ii) to evaluate 
                        the effectiveness of such activities; and
                    ``(C) not later than 1 year after the date of 
                enactment of the Mental Health in Schools Act, and 
                annually thereafter, submit to Congress a report 
                describing the results and effectiveness of the 
                programs under this section.
            ``(2) Limitation.--A recipient of a grant under this 
        section may not use more than 10 percent of the amounts 
        received to prepare and submit the annual reports required 
        under paragraph (1)(B).
    ``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) ESEA terms.--The terms `local educational agency' and 
        `State educational agency' have the meanings given such terms 
        in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
        of 1965.
            ``(2) HEA terms.--The terms `high-need local educational 
        agency' and `institution of higher education' have the meanings 
        given such terms, respectively, in sections 200 and 101(a) of 
        the Higher Education Act of 1965.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 2025 
through 2029--
            ``(1) $50,000,000 with respect to grants awarded under 
        subsection (a); and
            ``(2) $50,000,000 with respect to grants awarded under 
        subsection (b).''.
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