[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 81 (Tuesday, May 11, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2165-H2167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR STUDENTS ACT OF 2021
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 721) 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. 721
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 2021''.
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--
[[Page H2166]]
``(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 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 2021. 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 2022 through 2025.''.
(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 Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) 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. 721.
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.
I rise today in support of H.R. 721, the Mental Health Services for
Students Act of 2021.
Mental illness, Madam Speaker, affects millions of Americans. With
youth in particular, 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, data from Mental Health America shows
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
or behavioral health support, and 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 see on the well-being of students across the
country.
This data, and the effect of the pandemic, make clear that we must do
more to invest in preventative mental and behavioral 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, ``School-based mental health services offer
the potential for prevention efforts as well as intervention
strategies.''
Madam Speaker, H.R. 721 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. This
funding would support prevention screening, treatment, and development
of evidence-based programs for social, emotional, mental, and
behavioral issues among students. H.R. 721 would also help us better
understand the student, family, and educational outcomes of services
provided to the students.
I want to thank the lead sponsors of this bill, Representatives
Napolitano and Katko, for their leadership and tireless work.
Madam Speaker, it is critical that we support preventative mental and
behavioral 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 this bill. I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 721, the Mental Health Services for
Students Act of 2021, spearheaded by Representative Napolitano.
This bill authorizes the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration Project AWARE grants. 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 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 reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers at this
time. I reserve the balance of my time.
[[Page H2167]]
Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, as with all the other bills before us
today, it is so important to reach out to our youth and to prevent
suicide and violence as a result of mental health disorders. We all
know, as young as we can reach them, the better.
I support this bill and ask my colleagues to do so. I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, as my colleague from Kentucky points out,
with these bills today, we are trying to reach out and deal with these
mental and behavioral health problems in various settings. In this
case, it is the school-based setting, which I think is one of the most
effective.
So for that reason, I would ask my colleagues to support this
legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Jackson Lee). 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. 721, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion
are postponed.
____________________