[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4812 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4812

 To establish a pilot program to address behavioral health needs among 
    children, adolescents, and young adults, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 25, 2024

  Ms. Butler (for herself 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 pilot program to address behavioral health needs among 
    children, adolescents, and young adults, 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 ``Strengthening Supports for Youth 
Act''.

SEC. 2. BEST PRACTICES FOR PARENTS, CAREGIVERS, AND FAMILIES.

    (a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and 
Substance Use (referred to in this section as the ``Assistant 
Secretary'') shall, within a relevant existing program of the Substance 
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, carry out a pilot 
program under which the Assistant Secretary awards competitive grants 
to eligible entities to support parents, families, and caregivers in 
addressing behavioral health needs among children, adolescents, and 
young adults.
    (b) Eligible Entities.--In this section, the term ``eligible 
entity'' means--
            (1) a nonprofit organization with appropriate expertise in 
        providing evidence-based or evidence-informed services or 
        programs for children, adolescents, young adults, or families;
            (2) a nonprofit organization with an evidence-based or 
        evidence-informed focus on mental health or substance use 
        prevention, including such an organization with a focus on 
        children, adolescents, young adults, or families who have lived 
        experience of a mental health or substance use disorder;
            (3) a child welfare agency;
            (4) a family and youth homeless service provider;
            (5) a local educational agency (as defined in section 8101 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801));
            (6) a State educational agency (as defined in such section 
        8101);
            (7) a State, a political subdivision of a State, or an 
        Indian Tribe or Tribal organization (as defined in section 4 of 
        the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 
        U.S.C. 5304)); or
            (8) a high school or dormitory serving high school students 
        that receives funding from the Bureau of Indian Education.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Grants awarded under subsection (a) shall be 
used by eligible entities to address behavioral health needs and 
bolster behavioral health support services for children, adolescents, 
and young adults by developing and disseminating evidence-based or 
evidence-informed best practices for parents, caregivers, and families 
related to--
            (1) identifying the early warning signs and reducing stigma 
        of mental health and substance use disorder, suicidality, and 
        suicide in children, adolescents, and young adults;
            (2) improving the general understanding of mental health 
        and substance use disorder, suicidality, suicide, and 
        behavioral health needs with respect to children, adolescents, 
        and young adults, including how to provide positive childhood 
        experiences that impact behavioral health outcomes and well-
        being;
            (3) connecting children, adolescents, and young adults with 
        community-based behavioral health providers and trauma-informed 
        crisis response services;
            (4) teaching help-seeking skills and behaviors;
            (5) fostering home environments that encourage behavioral 
        health discussions;
            (6) administering a drug or device approved, cleared, or 
        authorized under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 
        U.S.C. 301 et seq.) for emergency treatment of known or 
        suspected opioid overdose; and
            (7) promoting resiliency in children, adolescents, and 
        young adults.
    (d) Evaluation and Report.--
            (1) Evaluation.--The Assistant Secretary shall carry out an 
        evaluation to measure the efficacy of the best practices under 
        this section at the conclusion of the first grant cycle funded 
        by the pilot program. The evaluation shall include, at a 
        minimum, outcomes information from the pilot program, including 
        any impact on--
                    (A) knowledge and attitudes related to behavioral 
                health with respect to children, adolescents, and young 
                adults among participating parents, caregivers, and 
                families;
                    (B) behavioral health outcomes and well-being 
                measures among participating children, adolescents, and 
                young adults; and
                    (C) help-seeking behaviors, including uptake of 
                behavioral health treatment and trauma-informed crisis 
                response services among participating children, 
                adolescents, and young adults.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the end of the 
        first grant cycle, the Assistant Secretary shall submit to the 
        Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives a report on the results of the evaluation 
        conducted under paragraph (1).
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2028.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE STUDY 
              ON PEER SUPPORT SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS, AND 
              YOUNG ADULTS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 
Use shall contract with the National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine (referred to in this section as the 
``National Academies'') to conduct a study and report on evidence-based 
peer support services for children, adolescents, and young adults.
    (b) Study.--The study and report pursuant to the contract under 
subsection (a) shall address--
            (1) the effectiveness of evidence-based peer support 
        services for children, adolescents, and young adults in the 
        prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery from 
        mental health and substance use disorder, in comparison to 
        other behavioral health interventions for that population;
            (2) whether current evidence-based peer support services 
        available for children, adolescents, and young adults meet the 
        need for such services, and whether such services could help 
        meet the overall demand for behavioral health care;
            (3) the scope of behavioral health provider supervision of 
        evidence-based peer support services for children, adolescents, 
        and young adults, and professional development opportunities 
        for peer support specialists;
            (4) the populations, including underserved populations, 
        with access to evidence-based peer support services for 
        children, adolescents, and young adults;
            (5) challenges associated with implementing or operating 
        evidence-based peer support services for children, adolescents, 
        and young adults, including children, adolescents, and young 
        adults from underserved populations; and
            (6) Federal and State efforts to support the implementation 
        and operation of evidence-based peer support services for 
        children, adolescents, and young adults.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the National Academies shall submit to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report on the 
study pursuant to subsection (a).
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