II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5248 

To reauthorize the training demonstration program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 13, 2022 

Mr. CASEY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the training demonstration program, 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 ‘‘Mental Health Work5 force for Kids Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF TRAINING DEMONSTRATION 

7 PROGRAM WITH PROVISIONS TO STRENGTH8 EN THE PEDIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH CARE 

9 WORKFORCE. 

10 Section 760 of the Public Health Service Act (42 

11 U.S.C. 294k) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

3 (i) by striking ‘‘nurse practitioners, 

4 physician assistants, health service psy5 chologists, and social workers’’ and insert6 ing ‘‘registered nurses and nurse practi7 tioners, physician assistants, health service 

8 psychologists, counselors, social workers, 

9 and other health care providers (as the 

10 Secretary determines appropriate to pro11 vide trauma-informed, developmentally ap12 propriate care for pediatric mental health, 

13 developmental, and substance use dis14 orders)’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting 

16 a semicolon; 

17 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

18 (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

19 ‘‘or pediatric mental health and substance 

20 use disorder care’’ after ‘‘addiction’’; and 

21 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

22 the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

23 (C) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(4) training for provisionally licensed mental 

2 health and substance use disorder professionals in 

3 underserved community-based settings.’’; 

4 (2) in subsection (b)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)(i)— 

6 (i) in subclause (l), by inserting ‘‘or 

7 child and adolescent psychiatry’’ after ‘‘ad8 diction medicine’’; and 

9 (ii) in subclause (ll), by inserting ‘‘or 

10 child and adolescent psychiatry’’ after ‘‘ad11 diction medicine’’; and 

12 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(4) SUPPORT FOR PROVISIONALLY-LICENSED

14 PROVIDERS.—A recipient of a grant under sub15 section (a)(4)— 

16 ‘‘(A) shall use the grant funds to provide 

17 clinical training or to provide trainee support, 

18 including in the form of stipends, to individuals 

19 pursuing postgraduate supervised clinical train20 ing required for licensure to provide mental and 

21 behavioral health services, public health serv22 ices, or primary care services, as appropriate; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(B) may use the grant funds to provide 

25 additional support for the administration of the 


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1 program or to meet the costs of projects to es2 tablish, maintain, or improve clinical super3 vision or departments, divisions, or other units 

4 necessary to implement such program.’’; 

5 (3) in subsection (c)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (1)(A)(ii)(II), by insert7 ing ‘‘or child and adolescent psychiatry’’ after 

8 ‘‘addiction medicine’’; 

9 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (i) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘; 

11 or’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

12 (ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking 

13 ‘‘nurse practitioners, physician assistants, 

14 health service psychologists, and social 

15 workers.’’ and inserting ‘‘registered nurses 

16 and nurse practitioners, physician assist17 ants, health service psychologists, coun18 selors, social workers, and other health 

19 care providers (as the Secretary determines 

20 appropriate to provide trauma-informed, 

21 developmentally appropriate care for pedi22 atric mental health, developmental, and 

23 substance use disorders); or’’; and 

24 (iii) by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(G) a children’s hospital or children’s 

2 health system providing pediatric health serv3 ices— 

4 ‘‘(i) to a high percentage of children 

5 covered under a State Medicaid program 

6 under title XIX of the Social Security Act 

7 or a State Children’s Health Insurance 

8 program under title XXI of such Act; or 

9 ‘‘(ii) in a rural community.’’; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(4) SUPPORT FOR PROVISIONALLY-LICENSED

12 PROVIDERS.—To be eligible to receive a grant under 

13 subsection (a)(4), an entity shall be— 

14 ‘‘(A) an accredited institution of higher 

15 education that provides clinical training to pro16 visionally licensed professionals; 

17 ‘‘(B) an accredited professional training 

18 program that provides clinical training to provi19 sionally licensed professionals; or 

20 ‘‘(C) a nonprofit private or public organi21 zation that provides clinical training to provi22 sionally licensed professionals, as the Secretary 

23 determines appropriate.’’; 

24 (4) in subsection (d)(1)(A)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘nurse practitioners’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘health service psychologists, coun3 selors, registered nurses, nurse practitioners’’; 

4 and 

5 (B) by inserting ‘‘or pediatric mental 

6 health and substance use disorder care’’ after 

7 ‘‘addiction medicine’’; and 

8 (5) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘$10,000,000 

9 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022’’ and in10 serting ‘‘such sums as may be necessary for each of 

11 fiscal years 2023 through 2027’’. 

Æ 


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