I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7924 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to support graduate programs 

in mental and behavioral health professions at minority-serving institutions, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 10, 2024 

Mr. BOWMAN (for himself, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. GOLDMAN of New York, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. LEE

of Pennsylvania, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. MOULTON, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. OMAR, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. 

THANEDAR, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to support 

graduate programs in mental and behavioral health professions at minority-serving institutions, 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 ‘‘Advancing Culturally 

5 Competent and Equitable Supportive Services in Mental 

6 Health Act’’ or the ‘‘ACCESS in Mental Health Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of this Act is to increase the number, 

3 size, and quality of accredited graduate training programs 

4 for mental and behavioral health professions at minority5 serving institutions to address shortages in the mental and 

6 behavioral health professional workforce and diversify 

7 such workforce. 

8 SEC. 3. GRANTS TO SUPPORT GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN 

9 MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROFES10 SIONS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES 

11 AND UNIVERSITIES, TRIBAL COLLEGES AND 

12 UNIVERSITIES, AND OTHER MINORITY-SERV13 ING INSTITUTIONS. 

14 Part A of title VII of the Higher Education Act of 

15 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070) is amended— 

16 (1) by redesignating subpart 5 as subpart 6; 

17 (2) in section 731— 

18 (A) in the section heading, by striking 

19 ‘‘SUBPARTS 1 THROUGH 4’’ and inserting 

20 ‘‘SUBPARTS 1 THROUGH 5’’; 

21 (B) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘sub22 parts 1 through 4’’ and inserting ‘‘subparts 1 

23 through 5’’; 

24 (C) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘subparts 

25 1 through 4’’ and inserting ‘‘subparts 1 

26 through 5’’; and 


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1 (D) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘subpart 

2 1, 2, 3, or 4’’ and inserting ‘‘subpart 1, 2, 3, 

3 4, or 5’’; and 

4 (3) by inserting after subpart 4 the following: 

5 ‘‘Subpart 5—Grants To Support Graduate Programs 

6 in Mental and Behavioral Health Professions at 

7 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 

8 Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Other Mi9 nority-Serving Institutions 

10 ‘‘SEC. 727. DEFINITIONS. 

11 ‘‘In this subpart: 

12 ‘‘(1) COST OF ATTENDANCE.—The term ‘cost of 

13 attendance’ has the meaning given that term in sec14 tion 472. 

15 ‘‘(2) CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE CARE.—The 

16 term ‘culturally responsive care’ means care that is 

17 conducted or provided in a manner that is responsive 

18 to the beliefs, backgrounds, customs, interpersonal 

19 styles, lived experiences, language, and behaviors of 

20 individuals who are receiving the care, and in a man21 ner that has the greatest likelihood of ensuring max22 imum benefit and participation in the treatment pro23 vided. 

24 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi25 ble institution’ means— 


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1 ‘‘(A) an institution of higher education 

2 that is— 

3 ‘‘(i) a part B institution (as defined in 

4 section 322); 

5 ‘‘(ii) a Hispanic-serving institution (as 

6 defined in section 502); 

7 ‘‘(iii) a Tribal College or University 

8 (as defined in section 316); 

9 ‘‘(iv) an Alaska Native-serving institu10 tion (as defined in section 317(b)); 

11 ‘‘(v) a Native Hawaiian-serving insti12 tution (as defined in section 317(b)); 

13 ‘‘(vi) a Predominantly Black Institu14 tion (as defined in section 318); 

15 ‘‘(vii) an Asian American and Native 

16 American Pacific Islander-serving institu17 tion (as defined in section 320(b)); or 

18 ‘‘(viii) a Native American-serving, 

19 nontribal institution (as defined in section 

20 319); 

21 ‘‘(B) a consortium of institutions described 

22 in subparagraph (A); or 

23 ‘‘(C) an institution described in subpara24 graph (A), or a consortium described in sub25 paragraph (B), in partnership with any other 


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1 institution of higher education, but only if the 

2 program supported with a grant under this sub3 part is carried out at an institution described in 

4 subparagraph (A). 

5 ‘‘(4) HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE

6 AREA.—The term ‘health professional shortage area’ 

7 means an area designated as a health professional 

8 shortage area by the Administrator of the Health 

9 Resources and Services Administration of the De10 partment of Health and Human Services. 

11 ‘‘(5) MENTAL OR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PRO12 FESSIONAL.—The term ‘mental or behavioral health 

13 professional’ means an individual with a graduate 

14 degree from an institution of higher education with 

15 an accredited program that prepares students for 

16 State licensing or certification in fields such as psy17 chiatry, psychology, school psychology, behavioral pe18 diatrics, psychiatric nursing, social work, school so19 cial work, substance use disorder prevention and 

20 treatment, marriage and family counseling, school 

21 counseling, professional counseling, child and adoles22 cent psychiatry, or any other provider that is a State 

23 licensed or certified mental health professional quali24 fied under State law to provide mental health serv25 ices. 


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1 ‘‘(6) SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERV2 ICES PROVIDER.—The term ‘school-based mental 

3 health services provider’ has the meaning given the 

4 term in section 4102 of the Elementary and Sec5 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7112). 

6 ‘‘(7) TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE.—The term 

7 ‘trauma-informed care’ means care received by indi8 viduals who have experienced or witnessed trauma 

9 that is healing-centered and culturally responsive in 

10 accordance with professional standards of practice 

11 and accounting for patients’ experiences and that 

12 recognizes the emotional, behavioral, and develop13 mental challenges that can accompany trauma expo14 sure in order to eliminate or mitigate triggers that 

15 may cause re-traumatization of the patient. 

16 ‘‘SEC. 728. GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS FOR GRADUATE 

17 TRAINING PROGRAMS IN MENTAL OR BEHAV18 IORAL HEALTH PROFESSIONS. 

19 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From amounts made 

20 available to carry out this section for each fiscal year and 

21 not reserved under subsection (b), the Secretary is author22 ized to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 

23 institutions— 

24 ‘‘(1) to establish, expand, or improve graduate 

25 programs in mental and behavioral health profesVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 Apr 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7924.IH H7924

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1 sions, including programs that train school-based 

2 mental service providers; or 

3 ‘‘(2) to engage in planning activities necessary 

4 for the establishment of new graduate programs in 

5 mental and behavioral health professions, including 

6 programs that train school-based mental health serv7 ice providers. 

8 ‘‘(b) RESERVATION.—The Secretary may reserve not 

9 more than two percent of the funds made available to 

10 carry out this section for a fiscal year to provide technical 

11 assistance to eligible institutions on matters relating to the 

12 grant program under this section and the implementation 

13 of programs supported by such grants. 

14 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) REQUIRED USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible 

16 institution that receives a grant under subsection 

17 (a)(1) shall use at least five percent of grant funds 

18 to award scholarships or stipends, based on financial 

19 need, to cover all or part of a student’s cost of at20 tendance for the mental or behavioral health grad21 uate program. Scholarships and stipends awarded 

22 under this subsection shall prioritize students who 

23 are from health professional shortage areas. 

24 ‘‘(2) ALLOWABLE USE OF FUNDS.—After ful25 filling the requirement in paragraph (1), an eligible 


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1 institution that receives a grant under subsection 

2 (a)(1) shall use any remaining grant funds to carry 

3 out one or more of the following activities: 

4 ‘‘(A) Establish new accredited graduate 

5 programs that prepare students for State li6 censing and certification to serve as mental or 

7 behavioral health professionals or school-based 

8 mental health services providers, including 

9 through hiring and compensating faculty, pur10 chasing or developing culturally responsive 

11 course materials, or other activities necessary to 

12 establish such programs. 

13 ‘‘(B) Ensure that graduate programs in 

14 mental or behavioral health professions offered 

15 by the institution are preparing professionals 

16 who are highly qualified, are able to provide 

17 culturally responsive and trauma-informed be18 havioral health care, and are equipped to serve 

19 in health professional shortage areas or other 

20 high-need areas or schools, which may in21 clude— 

22 ‘‘(i) recruiting, training, retraining, or 

23 retaining faculty for such programs; 

24 ‘‘(ii) designing or redesigning such 

25 programs— 


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1 ‘‘(I) to prepare mental or behav2 ioral health professionals to serve in 

3 health professional shortage areas or 

4 other high-need areas or schools, pro5 vide culturally responsive and trauma6 informed care to diverse patients, and 

7 meet the needs of the whole child or 

8 person; 

9 ‘‘(II) to incorporate rigorous aca10 demic content and scientifically valid 

11 research; and 

12 ‘‘(III) to adequately prepare stu13 dents to meet State licensure and cer14 tification standards; and 

15 ‘‘(iii) developing or implementing high 

16 quality course materials, which may in17 clude purchasing necessary educational 

18 materials or other academic resources, to 

19 support the design or redesign of the pro20 gram as described in clause (ii). 

21 ‘‘(C) Provide students with sustained and 

22 high-quality preservice and clinical experience 

23 that is aligned with graduate education stand24 ards for their respective fields, which may in25 clude— 


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1 ‘‘(i) arranging for exemplary mental 

2 or behavioral health professionals in rel3 evant fields or work settings to mentor stu4 dents who are prospective mental or behav5 ioral health professionals; or 

6 ‘‘(ii) substantially increasing the level 

7 of interaction between faculty at institu8 tions of higher education and new and ex9 perienced mental and behavioral health 

10 professionals, and providing support, in11 cluding preparation time, for such inter12 actions. 

13 ‘‘(D) Establish partnerships with other in14 stitutions of higher education with accredited 

15 programs that prepare students for State li16 censing or certification in mental or behavioral 

17 health fields to allow cross registration or other 

18 forms of program collaboration determined eli19 gible by the Secretary for the purposes of ex20 panding access to classes, certificate programs, 

21 or degree programs in mental or behavioral 

22 health fields for students from racial or ethnic 

23 minority communities. 

24 ‘‘(E) Develop and implement supportive 

25 services for former students of the institution 


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1 who work as mental or behavioral health profes2 sionals or partnerships with school districts, 

3 State or local agencies, or other places of em4 ployment for former students to promote reten5 tion in those professions, including services 

6 such as— 

7 ‘‘(i) mental or behavioral health pro8 fessional mentoring from exemplary mental 

9 or behavioral health professionals in rel10 evant fields or work settings, including 

11 those working in schools or home-based 

12 care settings; 

13 ‘‘(ii) materials, resources, and support 

14 for mental or behavioral health profes15 sionals during their first three years of em16 ployment in such profession; or 

17 ‘‘(iii) services to prevent or mitigate 

18 secondary trauma or burnout associated 

19 with working in mental health professional 

20 shortage areas or other high-need areas or 

21 schools. 

22 ‘‘(F) Disseminate information on effective 

23 practices for the preparation of mental or be24 havioral health professionals, including prac25 tices for obtaining any certifications or licenses 


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1 needed to practice as a mental or behavioral 

2 health professional or a school mental health 

3 services provider in a State. 

4 ‘‘(G) Develop strategies to increase aware5 ness, interest, and experiential learning oppor6 tunities in mental and behavioral health ca7 reers, especially among racial and ethnic minor8 ity communities, including through partnerships 

9 with State educational agencies, local edu10 cational agencies, or other institutions of higher 

11 education to increase awareness of and interest 

12 in such careers among elementary school stu13 dents, secondary school students, or under14 graduate students. 

15 ‘‘(3) PLANNING GRANTS.—An eligible institu16 tion that receives a grant under subsection (a)(2) 

17 shall use the grant to engage in planning activities 

18 necessary for the establishment of at least one new 

19 graduate program in mental or behavioral health 

20 professions. 

21 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

22 under this section, an eligible institution shall submit an 

23 application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 

24 and containing such information as the Secretary may re25 quire. An eligible institution applying for a grant under 


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1 subsection (a)(2) shall include in the institution’s applica2 tion for such grant information demonstrating evidence 

3 of— 

4 ‘‘(1) an institutional commitment to opening 

5 and sustaining a graduate program that prepares 

6 students to work as a mental or behavioral health 

7 professional; and 

8 ‘‘(2) a relationship with the relevant profes9 sional organization, accreditation agency or associa10 tion, or regulatory body to ensure that planning 

11 aligns with professional standards and State 

12 credentialing requirements. 

13 ‘‘(e) GRANT AMOUNT.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The minimum amount of 

15 each grant under subsection (a)(1) shall be 

16 $500,000. 

17 ‘‘(2) PLANNING GRANTS.—The amount of each 

18 grant under subsection (a)(2) shall be an amount 

19 determined by the Secretary. 

20 ‘‘(f) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 

21 An eligible institution that receives a grant under this sec22 tion may use not more than three percent of funds pro23 vided to administer the grant, not including salary and 

24 benefits for faculty and staff. 


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1 ‘‘(g) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 

2 such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this 

3 section. 

4 ‘‘(h) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the 

5 date of the enactment of this section, and not less fre6 quently than once every two years thereafter, the Sec7 retary shall submit to the authorizing committees a report 

8 on the grant program under this section. Each report shall 

9 include— 

10 ‘‘(1) descriptions of the programs supported 

11 with grants under this section; 

12 ‘‘(2) demographic information about the stu13 dents served by such programs; and 

14 ‘‘(3) such other information as the Secretary 

15 determines appropriate. 

16 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

17 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

18 such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 729. GRANTS TO STUDENTS FOR GRADUATE STUDY IN 

20 MENTAL OR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROFES21 SIONS. 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to 

23 carry out a program under which the Secretary shall pay 

24 to an eligible institution such sums as may be necessary 

25 to enable the institution to provide each eligible student 


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1 with a grant in the amount of $10,000 for each year dur2 ing which the student attends an eligible graduate pro3 gram at the institution. 

4 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

5 under this section, a student shall submit to the institution 

6 an application at such time, in such manner, and con7 taining such information as the Secretary, in consultation 

8 with the institution, may require. 

9 ‘‘(c) DISTRIBUTION TO STUDENTS.—Subject to sub10 section (d), grants to students under this section shall be 

11 made in accordance with a process determined by the Sec12 retary for such purpose, in such manner as will best ac13 complish the purpose of this section. 

14 ‘‘(d) LIMITATION ON SECRETARIAL AND INSTITU15 TIONAL AUTHORITY.—In carrying out the grant program 

16 under this section, the Secretary and any institution par17 ticipating in the program may not— 

18 ‘‘(1) convert a grant into a loan or otherwise 

19 require a student to repay any portion of the grant 

20 amount; or 

21 ‘‘(2) require a student to complete a service ob22 ligation as a condition of receiving such a grant. 

23 ‘‘(e) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the 

24 date of the enactment of this section, and not less fre25 quently than once every two years thereafter, the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:49 Apr 21, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7924.IH H7924

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1 retary shall submit to the authorizing committees a report 

2 on the grant program under this section. Each report shall 

3 include information on the following: 

4 ‘‘(1) The number and demographic information 

5 of students who received grants under this section. 

6 ‘‘(2) The degrees obtained by such recipients. 

7 ‘‘(3) Such other information as the Secretary 

8 determines appropriate. 

9 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE GRADUATE PROGRAM.—The 

11 term ‘eligible graduate program’ means a graduate 

12 degree program in a mental or behavioral health 

13 profession, including school-based mental health 

14 services, offered by an eligible institution. 

15 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—The term ‘eligible 

16 student ’ means a student who— 

17 ‘‘(A) is enrolled in an eligible graduate 

18 program at a eligible institution participating in 

19 the program under this section; 

20 ‘‘(B) is in good academic standing, as de21 termined by the institution; and 

22 ‘‘(C) has submitted an application to the 

23 institution in accordance with subsection (b). 


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1 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

3 such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year.’’. 

Æ 


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