[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2617-S2618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 456. Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mr. Cornyn) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2226, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle F of title V, insert the following:
SEC. 565. PILOT PROGRAM FOR ROUTINE MENTAL HEALTH CHECK-UPS
IN SCHOOLS OPERATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE EDUCATION ACTIVITY.
(a) In General.--Beginning not later than one year after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Defense shall establish and implement a pilot program to
provide routine metal health check-ups for students in
covered DODEA schools.
(b) Program Activities.--Under the pilot program
established under subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
(1) subject to subsection (d), ensure that students at
covered DODEA schools receive routine mental health check-
ups, conducted by military medical treatment facility
behavioral health providers assigned to such schools, and
which may include the use of mental health screening tools,
such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 or the Patient
Health Questionnaire-9;
(2) ensure that such mental health check-ups--
(A) consist of biannual or semesterly mental and behavioral
health screenings for disorders common in children aged 3 to
17, including--
(i) an initial virtual screening test for all students; and
(ii) a follow-up screening carried out by a school
psychologist or school nurse for students with specific needs
identified through the initial screening; and
(B) include questions about a student's mood, emotional
state, habits, and behaviors to help diagnose conditions such
as--
(i) depression;
(ii) suicidal ideation;
(iii) anxiety;
(iv) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD);
(v) eating disorders;
(vi) substance abuse; and
(vii) dual diagnosis conditions;
(3) train licensed mental and behavioral health
professionals to conduct mental health check-ups, including
training in--
(A) recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses;
and
(B) safely de-escalating crises involving individuals with
a mental illness;
(4) establish a streamlined diagnosis-to-treatment process,
including a comprehensive process through which a student
with needs identified through a mental health check-up--
(A) may be referred to a certified community behavioral
health clinic in the community in which the school is
located; and
(B) may receive additional care or treatment through
comprehensive school-based services;
(5) mobilize school nurses and counselors to facilitate
screening in collaboration with administrators and teachers;
(6) conduct awareness-building educational efforts in
conjunction with the screening process; and
(7) make resources available to the communities surrounding
schools for individuals with a mental illness through a
coordinated referral process with local community-based
health clinics and school-based mental health clinics if such
school-based mental health clinics are available and have the
capacity and expertise to handle complex mental health
situations.
(c) Selection of Schools.--
(1) Initial selection.--For the one-year period beginning
on the date on which the pilot program established under
subsection (a) commences, the Secretary shall select 10
covered DODEA schools at which to carry out the pilot
program.
(2) Subsequent years.--For the one-year period beginning
after the end of the one-year period described in paragraph
(1), and each one-year period thereafter until the
termination of the pilot program under subsection (h), the
Secretary shall select an additional 10 covered DODEA schools
at which to carry out the pilot program relative to the
number of schools at which the pilot program is carried out
in the preceding one-year period.
(3) Selection of schools overseas.--In selecting covered
DODEA schools under paragraph (1) or (2) for any one-year
period, the Secretary shall select not fewer than 2 such
schools located outside the United States.
(d) Referral Process Requirements.--
(1) Agreements with behavioral health clinics.--For
purposes of the comprehensive referral process described in
subsection (b)(4), the Secretary of Defense shall seek to
enter into memoranda of understanding or other agreements
with federally funded community behavioral health clinics in
communities in which covered DODEA schools are located
pursuant to which a school may refer students to such a
clinic and make appointments for students at the clinic. The
requirement to establish such a referral process may not be
satisfied solely by providing a list of nearby community
behavioral health clinics to parents of students at covered
DODEA schools.
(2) Exception.--In a case in which the Secretary of Defense
is unable to meet the requirements of paragraph (1) because
there is no federally funded community behavioral health
clinic in a community in which a covered DODEA school is
located, the Secretary of Defense shall develop and make
available a comprehensive guide to the mental health
resources that are available to students and parents in that
community.
(e) Student Privacy Protections.--In carrying out the pilot
program established under subsection (a), the Secretary shall
ensure that a parent or guardian of a student at a covered
DODEA school--
[[Page S2618]]
(1) is provided with--
(A) notice that a student may receive a mental health
check-up under the pilot program; and
(B) an opportunity to opt the student out of any such
mental health check-up before it is administered; and
(2) gives informed consent before--
(A) the referral of a student to a community-based health
clinic as described in subsection (b)(4)(A); or
(B) the disclosure of any information concerning such
student to such a clinic.
(f) Evaluations.--Not later than 180 days after commencing
the pilot program under subsection (a), and not less
frequently than every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of
Defense shall conduct an evaluation of the pilot program,
which shall include evaluation of--
(1) processes under the pilot program; and
(2) student outcomes under the pilot program.
(g) Report.--Not later than one year before the pilot
program terminates under subsection (h), the Secretary of
Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of
the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the
progress of the pilot program. The report shall include--
(1) the results of the evaluations conducted under
subsection (f);
(2) an assessment of whether the pilot program should be
continued;
(3) a strategy for expanding the pilot program to all DODEA
schools; and
(4) such other information as the Secretary determines
appropriate.
(h) Termination.--The pilot program established under
subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is 4 years
after the commencement of the pilot program.
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this Act such sums as may be
necessary for fiscal years 2024 through 2029.
(j) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Certified community behavioral health clinic.--The term
``certified community behavioral health clinic'' means a
certified community behavioral health clinic as such term is
used in section 223 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act
of 2014 (42 U.S.C. 1396a note).
(2) Covered dodea school.--The term ``covered DODEA
school'' means an elementary school or secondary school--
(A) operated by the Department of Defense Education
Activity within or outside the United States; and
(B) that the Secretary determines has adequate mental
health infrastructure in place to provide mental health
check-ups under the pilot program established under
subsection (a).
(3) Elementary school; secondary school.--The terms
``elementary school'' 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).
(4) Military medical treatment facility.--The term
``military medical treatment facility'' means a facility
described in subsection (b), (c), or (d) of section 1073d of
title 10, United States Code.
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