[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3453 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3453

 To establish a grant program to facilitate peer-to-peer mental health 
support programs for secondary school students, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 7, 2023

    Mr. Hickenlooper (for himself and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a grant program to facilitate peer-to-peer mental health 
support programs for secondary school students, 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 ``Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Support 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PEER-TO-PEER MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
        means the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 
        Use.
            (2) ESEA terms.--The terms ``evidence-based'', ``local 
        educational agency'', and ``secondary school'' have the 
        meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a local educational agency;
                    (B) an Indian Tribe or a Tribal organization (as 
                such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-
                Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
                5304)) or a Tribal educational agency; and
                    (C) the Bureau of Indian Education.
            (4) Peer-to-peer mental health support program.--The term 
        ``peer-to-peer mental health support program'' means an 
        evidence-based intervention that trains students to become peer 
        support specialists and provide mental health support to other 
        students.
            (5) School-based mental health services provider.--The term 
        ``school-based mental health services provider'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 4102 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7112).
    (b) Grant Program.--
            (1) In general.--Beginning not later than 1 year after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary, in 
        consultation with the Secretary of Education, as part of the 
        Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) 
        program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
        Administration, or a similar program, shall award grants, on a 
        competitive basis, to eligible entities to carry out evidence-
        based peer-to-peer mental health support programs for students 
        enrolled in secondary schools.
            (2) Sufficient size and scope.--Grants awarded under this 
        section shall be of sufficient size and scope to allow 
        recipients to carry out the activities described in this 
        section.
            (3) Duration.--A grant awarded under this section shall be 
        for a period of not more than 5 years.
    (c) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the 
Assistant Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Assistant Secretary may reasonably require.
    (d) Use of Amounts.--
            (1) In general.--An eligible entity shall use grant amounts 
        provided under this section only to--
                    (A) implement new or operate existing evidence-
                based peer-to-peer mental health support programs that 
                meet the requirements of paragraph (2) in 1 or more 
                secondary schools served by the eligible entity; or
                    (B) provide training to students, adult 
                supervisors, and school-based mental health services 
                providers in implementing the evidence-based peer-to-
                peer mental health support programs that meet the 
                requirements of paragraph (2).
            (2) Program requirements.--Each peer-to-peer mental health 
        support program funded by a grant under this section shall 
        include, at a minimum, the following components:
                    (A) Training.--Peer support specialists and 
                participating school staff overseeing the peer-to-peer 
                mental health support program shall receive training 
                in--
                            (i) empathic listening;
                            (ii) enhancing protective mental health 
                        factors;
                            (iii) recognizing and appropriately 
                        responding to risk factors and warning signs of 
                        mental health challenges, including suicidal 
                        ideation and depression;
                            (iv) connecting students with professional 
                        mental health services and recovery supports, 
                        as necessary;
                            (v) recognizing and appropriately 
                        responding to risk factors and warning signs 
                        associated with mental health and substance use 
                        challenges, including co-occurring challenges; 
                        and
                            (vi) other areas included in the National 
                        Model Standards for Peer Support Certification 
                        of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
                        Services Administration.
                    (B) Program oversight.--Each peer-to-peer mental 
                health support program shall--
                            (i) be overseen by a trained and certified 
                        youth peer support supervisor; and
                            (ii) receive guidance from a school-based 
                        mental health services provider.
                    (C) FERPA.--Any education record of a student 
                collected or maintained under subsection (d) shall have 
                the protections required for education records under 
                section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 
                U.S.C. 1232g).
    (e) Relationship to Other Federal Programs.--An eligible entity 
that receives a grant under this section may combine such grant funds 
with other Federal funds to support the activities carried out under 
this section.
    (f) Priority; Amounts.--
            (1) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
        Assistant Secretary shall give priority to applications 
        submitted by eligible entities that--
                    (A) propose to use grant amounts to establish new 
                peer-to-peer mental health support programs in a 
                majority of secondary schools served by such eligible 
                entity;
                    (B) propose to use grant amounts to establish a new 
                peer-to-peer mental health support program in 1 or more 
                secondary schools without such programs;
                    (C) propose to use grant amounts for peer-to-peer 
                mental health support programs that have a suicide 
                prevention component; or
                    (D) are located in areas that have high rates of 
                suicide or have experienced recent traumatic events.
            (2) Grant amounts.--A grant awarded to an eligible entity 
        under the Program may not exceed $250,000.
    (g) Evaluation; Report.--
            (1) Evaluation.--The Assistant Secretary shall carry out an 
        evaluation to measure the efficacy of the program under this 
        section. The evaluation shall measure--
                    (A) student participation in the peer-to-peer 
                mental health support program and include a demographic 
                analysis;
                    (B) the efficacy of the training provided to peer 
                support specialists and school staff in increasing 
                their knowledge of protective factors, risk factors, 
                and warning signs of mental health challenges; and
                    (C) the percentage of students participating in the 
                peer-to-peer mental health support program who report 
                improved mental health outcomes or are connected to 
                professional mental health services.
            (2) Report.--The Assistant Secretary shall prepare and 
        submit a report to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
        and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and 
        Commerce and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of 
        the House of Representatives containing the results of the 
        evaluation conducted under paragraph (1).
    (h) Technical Assistance.--The Assistant Secretary, in coordination 
with the Secretary of Education, shall provide technical assistance to 
eligible entities applying for and receiving grants under this section, 
which shall include the development and dissemination of best practices 
for evidence-based peer-to-peer mental health support programs.
    (i) Rule of Construction.--Section 4001 of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7101) (not including the 
exception under subsection (a)(2)(B)(i) of such section) shall apply to 
an entity receiving a grant under this section in the same manner as 
such section applies to an entity receiving funding under title IV of 
such Act.
    (j) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
        carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
        from 2024 through 2028.
            (2) Reservations.--From the total amount appropriated under 
        paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Assistant Secretary shall 
        reserve--
                    (A) not more than 2 percent for awards to eligible 
                entities described in subsection (a)(3)(C);
                    (B) not less than 2 percent for technical 
                assistance and administration; and
                    (C) not more than 2 percent for evaluation, in 
                accordance with subsection (g).
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