[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5014-H5016]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR STUDENTS ACT OF 2020
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1109) to amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and
extend projects relating to children and to provide access to school-
based comprehensive mental health programs, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1109
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 Services for
Students Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.
(a) Technical Amendments.--The second part G (relating to
services provided through religious organizations) of title V
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290kk et seq.) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating such part as part J; and
(2) by redesignating sections 581 through 584 as sections
596 through 596C, respectively.
(b) School-Based Mental Health and Children.--Section 581
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290hh) (relating
to children and violence) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 581. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH; CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENTS.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Education, shall, through grants, contracts, or
cooperative agreements awarded to eligible entities described
in subsection (c), provide comprehensive school-based mental
health services and supports to assist children in local
communities and schools (including schools funded by the
Bureau of Indian Education) dealing with traumatic
experiences, grief, bereavement, risk of suicide, and
violence. Such services and supports shall be--
``(1) developmentally, linguistically, and culturally
appropriate;
``(2) trauma-informed; and
``(3) incorporate positive behavioral interventions and
supports.
``(b) Activities.--Grants, contracts, or cooperative
agreements awarded under subsection (a), shall, as
appropriate, be used for--
``(1) implementation of school and community-based mental
health programs that--
``(A) build awareness of individual trauma and the
intergenerational, continuum of impacts of trauma on
populations;
``(B) train appropriate staff to identify, and screen for,
signs of trauma exposure, mental health disorders, or risk of
suicide; and
``(C) incorporate positive behavioral interventions, family
engagement, student treatment, and multigenerational supports
to foster the health and development of children, prevent
mental health disorders, and ameliorate the impact of trauma;
``(2) technical assistance to local communities with
respect to the development of programs described in paragraph
(1);
``(3) facilitating community partnerships among families,
students, law enforcement agencies, education agencies,
mental health and substance use disorder service systems,
family-based mental health service systems, child welfare
agencies, health care providers (including primary care
physicians, mental health professionals, and other
professionals who specialize in children's mental health such
as child and adolescent psychiatrists), institutions of
higher education, faith-based programs, trauma networks, and
other community-based systems to address child and adolescent
trauma, mental health issues, and violence; and
``(4) establishing mechanisms for children and adolescents
to report incidents of violence or plans by other children,
adolescents, or adults to commit violence.
``(c) Requirements.--
``(1) In general.--To be eligible for a grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall
be a partnership that includes--
``(A) a State educational agency, as defined in section
8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,
in coordination with one or more local educational agencies,
as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965, or a consortium of any entities
described in subparagraph (B), (C), (D), or (E) of section
8101(30) of such Act; and
``(B) at least 1 community-based mental health provider,
including a public or private mental health entity, health
care entity, family-based mental health entity, trauma
network, or other community-based entity, as determined by
the Secretary (and which may include additional entities such
as a human services agency, law enforcement or juvenile
justice entity, child welfare agency, agency, an institution
of higher education, or another entity, as determined by the
Secretary).
``(2) Compliance with hipaa.--Any patient records developed
by covered entities through activities under the grant shall
meet the regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
``(3) Compliance with ferpa.--Section 444 of the General
Education Provisions Act (commonly known as the `Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974') shall apply to
any entity that is a member of the partnership in the same
manner that such section applies to an educational agency or
institution (as that term is defined in such section).
``(d) Geographical Distribution.--The Secretary shall
ensure that grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements
under subsection (a) will be distributed equitably among the
regions of the country and among urban and rural areas.
``(e) Duration of Awards.--With respect to a grant,
contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection (a), the
period during which payments under such an award will be made
to the recipient shall be 5 years, with options for renewal.
``(f) Evaluation and Measures of Outcomes.--
``(1) Development of process.--The Assistant Secretary
shall develop a fiscally appropriate process for evaluating
activities carried out under this section. Such process shall
include--
``(A) the development of guidelines for the submission of
program data by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement
recipients;
``(B) the development of measures of outcomes (in
accordance with paragraph (2)) to be applied by such
recipients in evaluating programs carried out under this
section; and
``(C) the submission of annual reports by such recipients
concerning the effectiveness of programs carried out under
this section.
``(2) Measures of outcomes.--The Assistant Secretary shall
develop measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients of
assistance under this section to evaluate the effectiveness
of programs carried out under this section, including
outcomes related to the student, family, and local
educational systems supported by this Act.
``(3) Submission of annual data.--An eligible entity
described in subsection (c) that receives a grant, contract,
or cooperative agreement under this section shall annually
submit to the Assistant Secretary a report that includes data
to evaluate the success of the program carried out by the
entity based on whether such program is achieving the
purposes of the program. Such reports shall utilize the
measures of outcomes under paragraph (2) in a reasonable
manner to demonstrate the progress of the program in
achieving such purposes.
``(4) Evaluation by assistant secretary.--Based on the data
submitted under paragraph (3), the Assistant Secretary shall
annually submit to Congress a report concerning the results
and effectiveness of the programs carried out with assistance
received under this section.
``(5) Limitation.--An eligible entity shall use not more
than 20 percent of amounts received under a grant under this
section to carry out evaluation activities under this
subsection.
``(g) Information and Education.--The Secretary shall
disseminate best practices based on the findings of the
knowledge development and application under this section.
``(h) Amount of Grants and Authorization of
Appropriations.--
``(1) Amount of grants.--A grant under this section shall
be in an amount that is not more
[[Page H5015]]
than $2,000,000 for each of the first 5 fiscal years
following the date of enactment of the Mental Health Services
for Students Act of 2019. The Secretary shall determine the
amount of each such grant based on the population of children
up to age 21 of the area to be served under the grant.
``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section, $130,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2024.''.
(c) Conforming Amendment.--Part G of title V of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290hh et seq.), as amended by
subsection (b), is further amended by striking the part
designation and heading and inserting the following:
``PART G--SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 1109.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1109, the Mental
Health Services for Students Act of 2020.
Research shows that half of all lifetime mental illness begins by the
age of 14. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
about three in four children between the ages of 3 and 17 suffer from
depression and anxiety, and nearly half have behavioral problems. In
fact, recent data from Mental Health America show that youth between
the ages of 11 and 17 are now at higher risk of moderate to severe
anxiety and depression.
For many students, schools are a critical place to get mental health
support. Now, with added public health concerns, economic pressures,
online learning, and the social isolation that comes with these things,
experts worry about the added repercussions we will be seeing on the
well-being of students across the country.
The data and the effect of the pandemic make clear that we must do
more to invest in preventative mental health services and training in
schools to give our kids and teens a brighter future.
The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on School Health
recognized the increasing mental health needs of children and
adolescents when it said that ``school-based mental health services
offer the potential for prevention efforts as well as intervention
strategies.'' H.R. 1109 does just that.
This bill would support comprehensive mental health programs at
schools across the Nation by encouraging partnerships between State and
local educational agencies and mental health providers. Funding would
be made available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration to support prevention screening, treatment, and
development of evidence-based programs for social, emotional, and
mental and behavioral issues among students. This bill will also help
us better understand the student, family, and educational outcomes of
services provided to students.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the lead sponsors of this bill,
Representatives Grace Napolitano and John Katko, for their leadership
and their work. I also thank, of course, Ranking Member Walden and the
members of our committee for their bipartisan support for this bill.
Madam Speaker, it is critical that we support preventative mental
health services and training in schools for our kids and teens,
particularly at a time when mental health risks are exacerbated by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support today of H.R. 1109.
This is the Mental Health Services for Students Act, and it is
sponsored by Representatives Napolitano and Katko. This bill authorizes
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Project
AWARE grants.
Madam Speaker, these grants support State educational agencies, in
partnership with State mental health agencies, in increasing awareness
of mental health issues among school-aged youth, providing training for
school personnel to detect and respond to mental health issues, and
connecting students with behavioral health issues and their families to
needed services.
By supporting partnerships between the State and local systems to
promote the healthy development of students, these grants increase
access to mental health services for school-aged youth, ultimately
reducing youth violence, substance use disorder, and suicide.
I am glad we are addressing mental health services for children.
Their schooling and whole worlds have changed so much over this year.
It is important that they can easily access mental health services.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
I don't believe we have any other speakers, Madam Speaker, so I yield
back the balance of my time.
{time} 1545
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I urge support for the bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my
bill, H.R. 1109, the Mental Health Services for Students Act. I am
honored to have authored this bill for over a decade. Although it
should not have taken this long, today is a historic day in recognizing
the need for school based mental health resources.
A mental health crisis is currently unfolding as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Fear and anxiety about the coronavirus can be
overwhelming and cause strong emotions for our constituents, especially
children. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that one in
five youth already experience some type of mental health disorder. Yet,
prior to this public health emergency, only 10 percent of children and
adolescents ages 3 to 17 years old received any treatment or counseling
from a mental health professional.
H.R. 1109 acknowledges this problem by providing $130 million in
competitive grants per year for 5 years for 100 school-based mental
health programs nationwide. It expands the scope of the Project
Advancing Wellness and Resilience Education (AWARE) program by
providing on-site licensed mental health professionals in schools
across the country.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases, testified in May before the Senate HELP
Committee on the prospect of reopening school buildings and said, ``We
don't know everything about this virus, and we really better be very
careful, particularly when it comes to children''. While schools work
to navigate this pandemic, it is critical that we provide them with the
resources to create a mental health plan to reach their students during
this stressful time.
H.R. 1109 is based on the successful Youth Suicide Prevention Program
that I helped establish with Pacific Clinics in Los Angeles County in
2001. Regular classes will eventually resume, and according to the CDC,
children may feel upset or have other strong emotions after an
emergency. How a child reacts can vary depending on their age, previous
experiences, and how that child typically copes with stress. We need to
ensure the long-term availability of mental health services to ensure a
bright future for our students, which my bill would help accomplish.
I would like to thank the many advocates in and outside of Congress
who have played an integral role in this legislation. H.R. 1109 has 135
bipartisan co-sponsors and has the support of over 50 mental health
organizations, as well as local governments and teacher unions.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 1109, the Mental
Health Services for Students Act, which will help address this ongoing
children's mental health crisis. It is now time to act on this bill,
which has had broad support for decades.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1109, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
[[Page H5016]]
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