II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4388 

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

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 30, 2020 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. BENNET, Ms. SMITH, Ms. ROSEN, Ms. WARREN, Mr. CARPER, 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. BALDWIN, and Ms. HARRIS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

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 ‘‘Mental Health Equity 

5 Act of 2020’’. 

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—HEALTH EQUITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY 


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Sec. 101. Integrated Health Care Demonstration Program. 

Sec. 102. Addressing racial and ethnic minority mental health disparities research gaps. 

Sec. 103. Health professions competencies to address racial and ethnic minority 

mental health disparities. 

Sec. 104. Racial and ethnic minority behavioral and mental health outreach and 

education strategy. 

Sec. 105. Additional funds for National Institutes of Health. 

Sec. 106. Additional funds for National Institute on Minority Health and 

Health Disparities. 

TITLE II—OTHER PROVISIONS 

Sec. 201. Reauthorization of Minority Fellowship Program. 

Sec. 202. Commission on the Effects of Smartphone and Social Media Use on 

Adolescents. 

Sec. 203. No Federal funds for conversion therapy. 

1 TITLE I—HEALTH EQUITY AND 

2 ACCOUNTABILITY 

3 SEC. 101. INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE DEMONSTRATION 

4 PROGRAM. 

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

6 (42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by adding at the 

7 end the following: 

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

9 PROVISION OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE 

10 IN PRIMARY CARE SETTINGS. 

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

12 Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance 

13 Abuse, shall award grants to eligible entities for the pur14 pose of establishing interprofessional health care teams 

15 that provide behavioral health care. 

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

17 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 Mental Health Eq14 uity Act of 2020.’’. 

15 SEC. 102. 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. 103. 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 

24 allow for public input into the educational needs asVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:16 Aug 13, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4388.IS S4388

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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. 104. 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 Mental Health Equity Act of 2020.’’. 

10 SEC. 105. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTES 

11 OF HEALTH. 

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

13 authorized to be appropriated to the National Institutes 

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

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

16 following the date of enactment of this Act to build rela17 tions with communities and conduct or support clinical re18 search, including clinical research on racial or ethnic dis19 parities in physical and mental health. 

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

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

22 409 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284d). 


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1 SEC. 106. 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 II—OTHER PROVISIONS 

11 SEC. 201. 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 Mental Health Equity Act 

18 of 2020’’. 

19 SEC. 202. 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. 203. 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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