I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5469 

To address mental health issues for youth, particularly youth of color, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 17, 2019 

Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 

CLEAVER, Ms. OMAR, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. ADAMS, Mrs. 

HAYES, Mr. HORSFORD, and Ms. LEE of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To address mental health issues for youth, particularly youth 

of color, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pursuing Equity in 

5 Mental Health Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

7 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

TITLE I—MENTAL HEALTH OF STUDENTS 


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Sec. 101. Amendments to the Public Health Service Act. 

TITLE II—HEALTH EQUITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY 

Sec. 201. Integrated Health Care Demonstration Program. 

Sec. 202. Addressing racial and ethnic minority mental health disparities research gaps. 

Sec. 203. Health professions competencies to address racial and ethnic minority 

mental health disparities. 

Sec. 204. Racial and ethnic minority behavioral and mental health outreach and 

education strategy. 

Sec. 205. Additional funds for National Institutes of Health. 

Sec. 206. Additional funds for National Institute on Minority Health and 

Health Disparities. 

TITLE III—OTHER PROVISIONS 

Sec. 301. Reauthorization of Minority Fellowship Program. 

Sec. 302. Commission on the Effects of Smartphone and Social Media Use on 

Adolescents. 

Sec. 303. No Federal funds for conversion therapy. 

1 TITLE I—MENTAL HEALTH OF 

2 STUDENTS 

3 SEC. 101. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 

4 ACT. 

5 (a) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—The second part G 

6 (relating to services provided through religious organiza7 tions) of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 

8 U.S.C. 290kk et seq.) is amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating such part as part J; and 

10 (2) by redesignating sections 581 through 584 

11 as sections 596 through 596C, respectively. 

12 (b) SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND CHIL13 DREN.—Section 581 of the Public Health Service Act (42 

14 U.S.C. 290hh) (relating to children and violence) is 

15 amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 581. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH; CHILDREN 

2 AND ADOLESCENTS. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in collaboration 

4 with the Secretary of Education, shall, directly or through 

5 grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements awarded to 

6 eligible entities described in subsection (c), assist local 

7 communities and schools (including schools funded by the 

8 Bureau of Indian Education) in applying a public health 

9 approach to mental health services both in schools and in 

10 the community. Such approach shall provide comprehen11 sive developmentally appropriate services and supports 

12 that are linguistically and culturally appropriate and trau13 ma-informed, and incorporate developmentally appropriate 

14 strategies of positive behavioral interventions and sup15 ports. A comprehensive school-based mental health pro16 gram funded under this section shall assist children in 

17 dealing with traumatic experiences, grief, bereavement, 

18 risk of suicide, and violence. 

19 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—Under the program under sub20 section (a), the Secretary may— 

21 ‘‘(1) provide financial support to enable local 

22 communities to implement a comprehensive cul23 turally and linguistically appropriate, trauma-in24 formed, and developmentally appropriate, school25 based mental health program that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) builds awareness of individual trauma 

2 and the intergenerational, continuum of impacts 

3 of trauma on populations; 

4 ‘‘(B) trains appropriate staff to identify, 

5 and screen for, signs of trauma exposure, men6 tal health disorders, or risk of suicide; and 

7 ‘‘(C) incorporates positive behavioral inter8 ventions, family engagement, student treatment, 

9 and multigenerational supports to foster the 

10 health and development of children, prevent 

11 mental health disorders, and ameliorate the im12 pact of trauma; 

13 ‘‘(2) provide technical assistance to local com14 munities with respect to the development of pro15 grams described in paragraph (1); 

16 ‘‘(3) provide assistance to local communities in 

17 the development of policies to address child and ado18 lescent trauma and mental health issues and violence 

19 when and if it occurs; 

20 ‘‘(4) facilitate community partnerships among 

21 families, students, law enforcement agencies, edu22 cation agencies, mental health and substance use 

23 disorder service systems, family-based mental health 

24 service systems, child welfare agencies, health care 

25 providers (including primary care physicians, mental 


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1 health professionals, and other professionals who 

2 specialize in children’s mental health such as child 

3 and adolescent psychiatrists), institutions of higher 

4 education, faith-based programs, trauma networks, 

5 and other community-based systems; and 

6 ‘‘(5) establish mechanisms for children and ado7 lescents to report incidents of violence or plans by 

8 other children, adolescents, or adults to commit vio9 lence. 

10 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant, 

12 contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection 

13 (a), an entity shall— 

14 ‘‘(A) be a partnership that includes— 

15 ‘‘(i) a State educational agency, as de16 fined in section 8101 of the Elementary 

17 and Secondary Education Act of 1965, in 

18 coordination with one or more local edu19 cational agencies, as defined in section 

20 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

21 Education Act of 1965, or a consortium of 

22 any entities described in subparagraph 

23 (B), (C), (D), or (E) of section 8101(30) 

24 of such Act; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) in accordance with paragraph 

2 (2)(A)(i), appropriate public or private en3 tities that employ interventions that are 

4 evidence-based, as defined in section 8101 

5 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu6 cation Act of 1965; and 

7 ‘‘(B) submit an application, that is en8 dorsed by all members of the partnership, 

9 that— 

10 ‘‘(i) specifies which member will serve 

11 as the lead partner; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) contains the assurances described 

13 in paragraph (2). 

14 ‘‘(2) REQUIRED ASSURANCES.—An application 

15 under paragraph (1) shall contain assurances as fol16 lows: 

17 ‘‘(A) The eligible entity will ensure that, in 

18 carrying out activities under this section, the el19 igible entity will enter into a memorandum of 

20 understanding— 

21 ‘‘(i) with at least 1 community-based 

22 mental health provider, including a public 

23 or private mental health entity, health care 

24 entity, family-based mental health entity, 

25 trauma network, or other community-based 


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1 entity, as determined by the Secretary 

2 (and which may include additional entities 

3 such as a human services agency, law en4 forcement or juvenile justice entity, child 

5 welfare agency, agency, an institution of 

6 higher education, or another entity, as de7 termined by the Secretary); and 

8 ‘‘(ii) that clearly states— 

9 ‘‘(I) the responsibilities of each 

10 partner with respect to the activities 

11 to be carried out, including how fam12 ily engagement will be incorporated in 

13 the activities; 

14 ‘‘(II) how school-employed and 

15 school-based or community-based 

16 mental health professionals will be uti17 lized for carrying out such responsibil18 ities; 

19 ‘‘(III) how each such partner will 

20 be accountable for carrying out such 

21 responsibilities; and 

22 ‘‘(IV) the amount of non-Federal 

23 funding or in-kind contributions that 

24 each such partner will contribute in 

25 order to sustain the program. 


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1 ‘‘(B) The comprehensive school-based men2 tal health program carried out under this sec3 tion supports the flexible use of funds to ad4 dress— 

5 ‘‘(i) universal prevention, through the 

6 promotion of the social, emotional, mental, 

7 and behavioral health of all students in an 

8 environment that is conducive to learning; 

9 ‘‘(ii) selective prevention, through the 

10 reduction in the likelihood of at risk stu11 dents developing social, emotional, mental, 

12 behavioral health problems, suicide, or sub13 stance use disorders; 

14 ‘‘(iii) the screening for, and early 

15 identification of, social, emotional, mental, 

16 behavioral problems, suicide risk, or sub17 stance use disorders and the provision of 

18 early intervention services; 

19 ‘‘(iv) the treatment or referral for 

20 treatment of students with existing social, 

21 emotional, mental, behavioral health prob22 lems, or substance use disorders; 

23 ‘‘(v) the development and implementa24 tion of evidence-based programs to assist 

25 children who are experiencing or have been 


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1 exposed to trauma and violence, including 

2 program curricula, school supports, and 

3 after-school programs; and 

4 ‘‘(vi) the development and implemen5 tation of evidence-based programs to assist 

6 children who are grieving, which may in7 clude training for school personnel on the 

8 impact of trauma and bereavement on chil9 dren, and services to provide support to 

10 grieving children. 

11 ‘‘(C) The comprehensive school-based men12 tal health program carried out under this sec13 tion will provide for in-service training of all 

14 school personnel, including ancillary staff and 

15 volunteers, in— 

16 ‘‘(i) the techniques and supports need17 ed to promote early identification of chil18 dren with trauma histories, children who 

19 are grieving, and children with a mental 

20 health disorder or at risk of developing a 

21 mental health disorder, or who are at risk 

22 of suicide; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the use of referral mechanisms 

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1 tion services in the school and in the com2 munity and to follow-up when services are 

3 not available; 

4 ‘‘(iii) strategies that promote a school5 wide positive environment, including strat6 egies to prevent bullying, which includes 

7 cyber-bullying; 

8 ‘‘(iv) strategies for promoting the so9 cial, emotional, mental, and behavioral 

10 health of all students; and 

11 ‘‘(v) strategies to increase the knowl12 edge and skills of school and community 

13 leaders about the impact of trauma and vi14 olence and on the application of a public 

15 health approach to comprehensive school16 based mental health programs. 

17 ‘‘(D) The comprehensive school-based men18 tal health program carried out under this sec19 tion will include comprehensive training for par20 ents or guardians, siblings, and other family 

21 members of children with mental health dis22 orders, and for concerned members of the com23 munity in— 

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1 dren with trauma histories, children who 

2 are grieving, children with a mental health 

3 disorder or at risk of developing a mental 

4 health disorder, and children who are at 

5 risk of suicide; 

6 ‘‘(ii) the use of referral mechanisms 

7 that effectively link such children to appro8 priate prevention, treatment, and interven9 tion services in the school and in the com10 munity and follow-up when such services 

11 are not available; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) strategies that promote a school13 wide positive environment, including strat14 egies to prevent bullying, including cyber15 bullying. 

16 ‘‘(E) The comprehensive school-based men17 tal health program carried out under this sec18 tion will demonstrate the measures to be taken 

19 to sustain the program (which may include 

20 seeking funding for the program under a State 

21 Medicaid plan under title XIX of the Social Se22 curity Act or a waiver of such a plan, or under 

23 a State plan under subpart 1 of part B or part 

24 E of title IV of the Social Security Act). 


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1 ‘‘(F) The eligible entity is supported by the 

2 State agency with primary responsibility for be3 havioral health to ensure that the comprehen4 sive school-based mental health program carried 

5 out under this section will be sustainable after 

6 funding under this section terminates. 

7 ‘‘(G) The comprehensive school-based men8 tal health program carried out under this sec9 tion will be coordinated with early intervening 

10 activities carried out under the Individuals with 

11 Disabilities Education Act or activities funded 

12 under part A of title IV of the Elementary and 

13 Secondary Education Act of 1965. 

14 ‘‘(H) The comprehensive school-based 

15 mental health program carried out under this 

16 section will be trauma-informed, evidence-based, 

17 and developmentally, culturally, and linguis18 tically appropriate. 

19 ‘‘(I) The comprehensive school-based men20 tal health program carried out under this sec21 tion will include a broad needs assessment of 

22 youth who drop out of school due to policies of 

23 ‘zero tolerance’ with respect to drugs, alcohol, 

24 or weapons and an inability to obtain appro25 priate services. 


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1 ‘‘(J) The mental health services provided 

2 through the comprehensive school-based mental 

3 health program carried out under this section 

4 will be provided by qualified mental and behav5 ioral health professionals who are certified, 

6 credentialed, or licensed in compliance with ap7 plicable Federal and State law and regulations 

8 by the State involved and who are practicing 

9 within their area of expertise. 

10 ‘‘(K) Students will be permitted to self11 refer to the mental health program for mental 

12 health care and self-consent for mental health 

13 crisis care to the extent permitted by State or 

14 other applicable law. 

15 ‘‘(3) COORDINATOR.—Any entity that is a 

16 member of a partnership described in paragraph 

17 (1)(A) may serve as the coordinator of funding and 

18 activities under the grant if all members of the part19 nership agree. 

20 ‘‘(4) COMPLIANCE WITH HIPAA.—A grantee 

21 under this section shall be deemed to be a covered 

22 entity for purposes of compliance with the regula23 tions promulgated under section 264(c) of the 

24 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 


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1 of 1996 with respect to any patient records devel2 oped through activities under the grant. 

3 ‘‘(5) COMPLIANCE WITH FERPA.—Section 444 

4 of the General Education Provisions Act (commonly 

5 known as the ‘Family Educational Rights and Pri6 vacy Act of 1974’) shall apply to any entity that is 

7 a member of the partnership in the same manner 

8 that such section applies to an educational agency or 

9 institution (as that term is defined in such section). 

10 ‘‘(d) PRIORITY FOR SCHOOLS WITH HIGH POVERTY

11 LEVELS.—In awarding grants, contracts, and cooperative 

12 agreements under this section, the Secretary shall give 

13 highest priority to eligible entities that are partnerships 

14 including one or more public elementary or secondary 

15 schools in which 50.1 percent or more of the students are 

16 eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard 

17 B. Russell National School Lunch Act. 

18 ‘‘(e) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary 

19 shall ensure that grants, contracts, or cooperative agree20 ments under subsection (a) will be distributed equitably 

21 among the regions of the country and among urban and 

22 rural areas. 

23 ‘‘(f) DURATION OF AWARDS.—With respect to a 

24 grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under sub25 section (a), the period during which payments under such 


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1 an award will be made to the recipient shall be 5 years, 

2 with options for renewal. 

3 ‘‘(g) EVALUATION AND MEASURES OF OUTCOMES.— 

4 ‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT OF PROCESS.—The Assist5 ant Secretary shall develop a fiscally appropriate 

6 process for evaluating activities carried out under 

7 this section. Such process shall include— 

8 ‘‘(A) the development of guidelines for the 

9 submission of program data by grant, contract, 

10 or cooperative agreement recipients; 

11 ‘‘(B) the development of measures of out12 comes (in accordance with paragraph (2)) to be 

13 applied by such recipients in evaluating pro14 grams carried out under this section; and 

15 ‘‘(C) the submission of annual reports by 

16 such recipients concerning the effectiveness of 

17 programs carried out under this section. 

18 ‘‘(2) MEASURES OF OUTCOMES.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Assistant Sec20 retary shall develop measures of outcomes to be 

21 applied by recipients of assistance under this 

22 section, and the Assistant Secretary, in evalu23 ating the effectiveness of programs carried out 

24 under this section. Such measures shall include 

25 student and family measures as provided for in 


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1 subparagraph (B) and local educational meas2 ures as provided for under subparagraph (C). 

3 ‘‘(B) STUDENT AND FAMILY MEASURES OF

4 OUTCOMES.—The measures for outcomes devel5 oped under paragraph (1)(B) relating to stu6 dents and families shall, with respect to activi7 ties carried out under a program under this 

8 section, at a minimum include provisions to 

9 evaluate whether the program is effective in— 

10 ‘‘(i) increasing social and emotional 

11 competency; 

12 ‘‘(ii) improving academic outcomes, 

13 including as measured by proficiency on 

14 the annual assessments under section 

15 1111(b)(2) of the Elementary and Sec16 ondary Education Act of 1965; 

17 ‘‘(iii) reducing disruptive and aggres18 sive behaviors; 

19 ‘‘(iv) improving child functioning; 

20 ‘‘(v) reducing substance use disorders; 

21 ‘‘(vi) reducing rates of suicide; 

22 ‘‘(vii) reducing suspensions, truancy, 

23 expulsions, and violence; 

24 ‘‘(viii) increasing high school gradua25 tion rates, calculated using the four-year 


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1 adjusted cohort graduation rate or the ex2 tended-year adjusted cohort graduation 

3 rate (as such terms are defined in section 

4 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

5 Education Act of 1965); 

6 ‘‘(ix) improving attendance rates and 

7 rates of chronic absenteeism; 

8 ‘‘(x) improving access to care for men9 tal health disorders, including access to 

10 mental health services that are trauma-in11 formed, and developmentally, linguistically, 

12 and culturally appropriate; 

13 ‘‘(xi) improving health outcomes; and 

14 ‘‘(xii) decreasing disparities among 

15 vulnerable and protected populations in 

16 outcomes described in clauses (i) through 

17 (viii). 

18 ‘‘(C) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES.— 

19 The outcome measures developed under para20 graph (1)(B) relating to local educational sys21 tems shall, with respect to activities carried out 

22 under a program under this section, at a min23 imum include provisions to evaluate— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the effectiveness of comprehensive 

2 school mental health programs established 

3 under this section; 

4 ‘‘(ii) the effectiveness of formal part5 nership linkages among child and family 

6 serving institutions, community support 

7 systems, and the educational system; 

8 ‘‘(iii) the progress made in sustaining 

9 the program once funding under the grant 

10 has expired; 

11 ‘‘(iv) the effectiveness of training and 

12 professional development programs for all 

13 school personnel that incorporate indica14 tors that measure cultural and linguistic 

15 competencies under the program in a man16 ner that incorporates appropriate cultural 

17 and linguistic training; 

18 ‘‘(v) the improvement in perception of 

19 a safe and supportive learning environment 

20 among school staff, students, and parents; 

21 ‘‘(vi) the improvement in case-finding 

22 of students in need of more intensive serv23 ices and referral of identified students to 

24 prevention, early intervention, and clinical 

25 services; 


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1 ‘‘(vii) the improvement in the imme2 diate availability of clinical assessment and 

3 treatment services within the context of 

4 the local community to students posing a 

5 danger to themselves or others; 

6 ‘‘(viii) the increased successful matric7 ulation to postsecondary school; 

8 ‘‘(ix) reduced suicide rates; 

9 ‘‘(x) reduced referrals to juvenile jus10 tice; and 

11 ‘‘(xi) increased educational equity. 

12 ‘‘(3) SUBMISSION OF ANNUAL DATA.—An eligi13 ble entity described in subsection (c) that receives a 

14 grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this 

15 section shall annually submit to the Assistant Sec16 retary a report that includes data to evaluate the 

17 success of the program carried out by the entity 

18 based on whether such program is achieving the pur19 poses of the program. Such reports shall utilize the 

20 measures of outcomes under paragraph (2) in a rea21 sonable manner to demonstrate the progress of the 

22 program in achieving such purposes. 

23 ‘‘(4) EVALUATION BY ASSISTANT SECRETARY.— 

24 Based on the data submitted under paragraph (3), 

25 the Assistant Secretary shall annually submit to 


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1 Congress a report concerning the results and effec2 tiveness of the programs carried out with assistance 

3 received under this section. 

4 ‘‘(5) LIMITATION.—An eligible entity shall use 

5 not more than 20 percent of amounts received under 

6 a grant under this section to carry out evaluation 

7 activities under this subsection. 

8 ‘‘(h) INFORMATION AND EDUCATION.—The Sec9 retary shall establish comprehensive information and edu10 cation programs to disseminate the findings of the knowl11 edge development and application under this section to the 

12 general public and to health care professionals. 

13 ‘‘(i) AMOUNT OF GRANTS AND AUTHORIZATION OF

14 APPROPRIATIONS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.—A grant under this 

16 section shall be in an amount that is not more than 

17 $2,000,000 for each of the first 5 fiscal years fol18 lowing the date of enactment of the Pursuing Equity 

19 in Mental Health Act of 2019. The Secretary shall 

20 determine the amount of each such grant based on 

21 the population of children up to age 21 of the area 

22 to be served under the grant. 

23 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

24 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

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1 cal years following the date of enactment of the Pur2 suing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019.’’. 

3 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Part G of title V of 

4 the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290hh et seq.), 

5 as amended by subsection (b), is further amended by strik6 ing the part designation and heading and inserting the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘PART G—SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH’’. 

9 TITLE II—HEALTH EQUITY AND 

10 ACCOUNTABILITY 

11 SEC. 201. INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE DEMONSTRATION 

12 PROGRAM. 

13 Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act 

14 (42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by adding at the 

15 end the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 550. INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTH CARE TEAMS FOR 

17 PROVISION OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE 

18 IN PRIMARY CARE SETTINGS. 

19 ‘‘(a) GRANTS.—The Secretary, acting through the 

20 Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 

21 Abuse, shall award grants to eligible entities for the pur22 pose of establishing interprofessional health care teams 

23 that provide behavioral health care. 

24 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive 

25 a grant under this section, an entity shall be a Federally 


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1 qualified health center (as defined in section 1861(aa) of 

2 the Social Security Act), rural health clinic, or behavioral 

3 health program, serving a high proportion of individuals 

4 from racial and ethnic minority groups (as defined in sec5 tion 1707(g)). 

6 ‘‘(c) SCIENTIFICALLY BASED.—Integrated health 

7 care funded through this section shall be scientifically 

8 based, taking into consideration the results of the most 

9 recent peer-reviewed research available. 

10 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

11 carry out this section, there is authorized to be appro12 priated $20,000,000 for each of the first 5 fiscal years 

13 following the date of enactment of the Pursuing Equity 

14 in Mental Health Act of 2019.’’. 

15 SEC. 202. ADDRESSING RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY 

16 MENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH 

17 GAPS. 

18 Not later than 6 months after the date of the enact19 ment of this Act, the Director of the National Institute 

20 on Minority Health and Health Disparities shall enter into 

21 an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences 

22 (or, if the National Academy of Sciences declines to enter 

23 into such an arrangement, an arrangement with the Insti24 tute of Medicine, the Patient Centered Outcomes Research 


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1 Institute, the Agency for Healthcare Quality, or another 

2 appropriate entity)— 

3 (1) to conduct a study with respect to mental 

4 health disparities in racial and ethnic minority 

5 groups (as defined in section 1707(g) of the Public 

6 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u–6(g))); and 

7 (2) to submit to the Congress a report on the 

8 results of such study, including— 

9 (A) a compilation of information on the dy10 namics of mental disorders in such racial and 

11 ethnic minority groups; and 

12 (B) a compilation of information on the 

13 impact of exposure to community violence, ad14 verse childhood experiences, and other psycho15 logical traumas on mental disorders in such ra16 cial and minority groups. 

17 SEC. 203. HEALTH PROFESSIONS COMPETENCIES TO AD18 DRESS RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY MEN19 TAL HEALTH DISPARITIES. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

21 Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary 

22 for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall award grants 

23 to qualified national organizations for the purposes of— 

24 (1) developing, and disseminating to health pro25 fessional educational programs curricula or core 


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1 competencies addressing mental health disparities 

2 among racial and ethnic minority groups for use in 

3 the training of students in the professions of social 

4 work, psychology, psychiatry, marriage and family 

5 therapy, mental health counseling, and substance 

6 abuse counseling; and 

7 (2) certifying community health workers and 

8 peer wellness specialists with respect to such cur9 ricula and core competencies and integrating and ex10 panding the use of such workers and specialists into 

11 health care to address mental health disparities 

12 among racial and ethnic minority groups. 

13 (b) CURRICULA; CORE COMPETENCIES.—Organiza14 tions receiving funds under subsection (a) may use the 

15 funds to engage in the following activities related to the 

16 development and dissemination of curricula or core com17 petencies described in subsection (a)(1): 

18 (1) Formation of committees or working groups 

19 comprised of experts from accredited health profes20 sions schools to identify core competencies relating 

21 to mental health disparities among racial and ethnic 

22 minority groups. 

23 (2) Planning of workshops in national fora to 

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1 sociated with mental health disparities among racial 

2 and ethnic minority groups. 

3 (3) Dissemination and promotion of the use of 

4 curricula or core competencies in undergraduate and 

5 graduate health professions training programs na6 tionwide. 

7 (4) Establishing external stakeholder advisory 

8 boards to provide meaningful input into policy and 

9 program development and best practices to reduce 

10 mental health disparities among racial and ethnic 

11 minority groups. 

12 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

13 (1) QUALIFIED NATIONAL ORGANIZATION.—The 

14 term ‘‘qualified national organization’’ means a na15 tional organization that focuses on the education of 

16 students in programs of social work, psychology, 

17 psychiatry, and marriage and family therapy. 

18 (2) RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY GROUP.— 

19 The term ‘‘racial and ethnic minority group’’ has the 

20 meaning given to such term in section 1707(g) of 

21 the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u– 

22 6(g)). 

23 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 


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1 such sums as may be necessary for each of the first 5 

2 fiscal years following the date of enactment of this Act. 

3 SEC. 204. RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY BEHAVIORAL 

4 AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH AND EDU5 CATION STRATEGY. 

6 Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act 

7 (42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by adding at the 

8 end the following new section: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 553. BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH 

10 AND EDUCATION STRATEGY. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

12 the Assistant Secretary, shall, in coordination with advo13 cacy and behavioral and mental health organizations serv14 ing racial and ethnic minority groups, develop and imple15 ment an outreach and education strategy to promote be16 havioral and mental health and reduce stigma associated 

17 with mental health conditions and substance abuse among 

18 racial and ethnic minority groups. Such strategy shall— 

19 ‘‘(1) be designed to— 

20 ‘‘(A) meet the diverse cultural and lan21 guage needs of the various racial and ethnic mi22 nority groups; and 

23 ‘‘(B) be developmentally and age-appro24 priate; 


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1 ‘‘(2) increase awareness of symptoms of mental 

2 illnesses common among such groups, taking into 

3 account differences within subgroups, such as gen4 der, gender identity, age, or sexual orientation, of 

5 such groups; 

6 ‘‘(3) provide information on evidence-based, cul7 turally and linguistically appropriate and adapted 

8 interventions and treatments; 

9 ‘‘(4) ensure full participation of, and engage, 

10 both consumers and community members in the de11 velopment and implementation of materials; and 

12 ‘‘(5) seek to broaden the perspective among 

13 both individuals in these groups and stakeholders 

14 serving these groups to use a comprehensive public 

15 health approach to promoting behavioral health that 

16 addresses a holistic view of health by focusing on the 

17 intersection between behavioral and physical health. 

18 ‘‘(b) REPORTS.—Beginning not later than 1 year 

19 after the date of the enactment of this section and annu20 ally thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the Assistant 

21 Secretary, shall submit to Congress, and make publicly 

22 available, a report on the extent to which the strategy de23 veloped and implemented under subsection (a) increased 

24 behavioral and mental health outcomes associated with 


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1 mental health conditions and substance abuse among ra2 cial and ethnic minority groups. 

3 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘racial 

4 and ethnic minority group’ has the meaning given to that 

5 term in section 1707(g). 

6 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

7 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

8 $10,000,000 for the first fiscal year following the date of 

9 enactment of the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act 

10 of 2019.’’. 

11 SEC. 205. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTES 

12 OF HEALTH. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to amounts otherwise 

14 authorized to be appropriated to the National Institutes 

15 of Health, there is authorized to be appropriated to such 

16 Institutes $100,000,000 for each of the first 5 fiscal years 

17 following the date of enactment of this Act to build rela18 tions with communities and conduct or support clinical re19 search, including clinical research on racial or ethnic dis20 parities in physical and mental health. 

21 (b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘clinical 

22 research’’ has the meaning given to such term in section 

23 409 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284d). 


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1 SEC. 206. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTE 

2 ON MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARI3 TIES. 

4 In addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be ap5 propriated to the National Institute on Minority Health 

6 and Health Disparities, there is authorized to be appro7 priated to such Institute $650,000,000 for each of the 

8 first 5 fiscal years following the date of enactment of this 

9 Act. 

10 TITLE III—OTHER PROVISIONS 

11 SEC. 301. REAUTHORIZATION OF MINORITY FELLOWSHIP 

12 PROGRAM. 

13 Section 597(c) of the Public Health Service Act (42 

14 U.S.C. 297ll(c)) is amended by striking ‘‘$12,669,000 for 

15 each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘$25,000,000 for each of the first 5 fiscal years following 

17 the date of enactment of the Pursuing Equity in Mental 

18 Health Act of 2019’’. 

19 SEC. 302. COMMISSION ON THE EFFECTS OF SMARTPHONE 

20 AND SOCIAL MEDIA USE ON ADOLESCENTS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 

22 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 

23 Human Services shall establish a commission, to be known 

24 as the Commission on the Effects of Smartphone and So25 cial Media Usage on Adolescents, to examine— 


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1 (1) the extent of smartphone and social media 

2 use in schools; and 

3 (2) the effects of such use on— 

4 (A) the emotional and physical health of 

5 students; and 

6 (B) the academic performance of students. 

7 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

8 (1) NUMBER.—The Commission shall consist of 

9 15 members appointed by the Secretary. 

10 (2) COMPOSITION.—The members of the Com11 mission— 

12 (A) shall not include any government offi13 cials or employees; and 

14 (B) shall include representatives of aca15 demia, technology companies, and advocacy 

16 groups. 

17 (c) GUIDELINES.—The Secretary shall authorize the 

18 Commission to establish guidelines for its operation. 

19 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after its estab20 lishment, the Commission shall submit to the Congress, 

21 and make publicly available, a report on the findings and 

22 conclusions of the Commission. 

23 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

24 (1) The term ‘‘Commission’’ means the Com25 mission on the Effects of Smartphone and Social 


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1 Media Usage on Adolescents established under sub2 section (a). 

3 (2) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

4 of Health and Human Services. 

5 (f) SUNSET.—Not later than 6 months after the 

6 Commission submits the report required by subsection (c), 

7 the Secretary shall terminate the Commission. 

8 SEC. 303. NO FEDERAL FUNDS FOR CONVERSION THERAPY. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—No Federal funds may be used 

10 for conversion therapy. 

11 (b) DISCOURAGING STATES FROM FUNDING CON12 VERSION THERAPY.—Beginning on the date that is 180 

13 days after the date of enactment of this Act, any State 

14 that funds conversion therapy shall be ineligible to be 

15 awarded a grant or other financial assistance under any 

16 program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Serv17 ices Administration, including any program under title V 

18 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa et 

19 seq.). 

20 (c) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

21 (1) CONVERSION THERAPY.—The term ‘‘conver22 sion therapy’’— 

23 (A) means any practice or treatment by 

24 any person that seeks to change another indi25 vidual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, 


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1 including efforts to change behaviors or gender 

2 expressions, or to eliminate or reduce sexual or 

3 romantic attractions or feelings toward individ4 uals of the same gender, if such person receives 

5 monetary compensation in exchange for any 

6 such practice or treatment; and 

7 (B) does not include any practice or treat8 ment, which does not seek to change sexual ori9 entation or gender identity, that— 

10 (i) provides assistance to an individual 

11 undergoing a gender transition; or 

12 (ii) provides acceptance, support, and 

13 understanding of a client or facilitation of 

14 a client’s coping, social support, and iden15 tity exploration and development, including 

16 sexual orientation-neutral interventions to 

17 prevent or address unlawful conduct or un18 safe sexual practices. 

19 (2) GENDER IDENTITY.—The term ‘‘gender 

20 identity’’ means the gender-related identity, appear21 ance, mannerisms, or other gender-related character22 istics of an individual, regardless of the individual’s 

23 designated sex at birth. 


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1 (3) PERSON.—The term ‘‘person’’ means any 

2 individual, partnership, corporation, cooperative, as3 sociation, or any other entity. 

4 (4) SEXUAL ORIENTATION.—The term ‘‘sexual 

5 orientation’’ means homosexuality, heterosexuality, 

6 or bisexuality. 

7 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean8 ing given to such term in section 2 of the Public 

9 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 201). 

Æ 


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