I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8680 

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through 

the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to award 

grants to train community mental wellness workers. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 11, 2024 

Mr. ESPAILLAT (for himself, Mr. LAWLER, and Mr. THANEDAR) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 

Commerce 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 

acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 

and Substance Use, to award grants to train community 

mental wellness workers. 

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 ‘‘Community Mental 

5 Wellness Worker Training Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. TRAINING COMMUNITY MENTAL WELLNESS WORK2 ERS. 

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

4 Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary 

5 for Mental Health and Substance Use, may award grants 

6 to eligible entities to implement community mental 

7 wellness worker training programs. 

8 (b) USE OF FUNDS.—A community mental wellness 

9 worker training program implemented pursuant to a grant 

10 under this section may include— 

11 (1) supporting training, certification, and su12 pervision during and after training of community 

13 mental wellness workers and community mental 

14 wellness supervisors— 

15 (A) to screen for common mental health 

16 and substance use conditions; and 

17 (B) to deliver evidence-informed, culturally 

18 and linguistically competent counseling and 

19 interviewing interventions addressing basic psy20 chosocial or psychotherapeutic treatment needs 

21 of persons with or at risk for mental and sub22 stance use disorders, including safety planning 

23 and interventions to reduce suicide risk; and 

24 (2) covering costs associated with— 

25 (A) the acquisition and use of digital plat26 forms to provide the screening, training, superVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:09 Jul 30, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8680.IH H8680

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1 vision, and ongoing quality assurance moni2 toring, outcomes evaluation, and delivery of evi3 dence-based treatments; 

4 (B) the delivery of counseling and inter5 viewing interventions described in paragraph 

6 (1)(B); and 

7 (C) the clinical supervision (during and 

8 after training) of community mental wellness 

9 workers and the certification of such workers 

10 upon the completion of required training. 

11 (c) COMMUNITY MENTAL WELLNESS TECHNICAL AS12 SISTANCE CENTER.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

14 Human Services, acting through the Assistant Sec15 retary for Mental Health and Substance Use, may 

16 provide appropriate training and technical assistance 

17 to grantees under this section in meeting the re18 quirements of this section, including by— 

19 (A) consulting with grantees on evidence20 based employment practices for community 

21 mental wellness workers, including assistance 

22 with integrating community wellness workers 

23 into the workflows of the grantees and other eli24 gible entities; 


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1 (B) identifying a diverse array of can2 didates for community mental wellness worker 

3 training; and 

4 (C) identifying behavioral health providers 

5 who may benefit from and employ community 

6 mental wellness workers. 

7 (2) ADDITIONAL DISSEMINATION OF TECH8 NICAL ASSISTANCE.—The information and resources 

9 provided by the Secretary of Health and Human Re10 sources under paragraph (1) shall, as appropriate, 

11 be made available to States, political subdivisions of 

12 States, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations (as 

13 defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 

14 and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)), 

15 outpatient and inpatient substance use treatment 

16 providers, other community-based behavioral health 

17 organizations, and other entities as the Secretary de18 termines appropriate. 

19 (d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec20 tion, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

21 give priority to eligible entities that are— 

22 (1) in a neighborhood with poverty and unem23 ployment rates that exceed the average in the United 

24 States; 

25 (2) in a medically underserved community; 


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1 (3) in a neighborhood with substance use rates 

2 that exceed the average in the United States; or 

3 (4) serving communities with rates of individ4 uals who are dually eligible for both the Medicare 

5 program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act 

6 (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) and the Medicaid program 

7 under title XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et 

8 seq.) that exceed the average in the United States. 

9 (e) REPORT.— 

10 (1) SUBMISSION.—The Secretary of Health and 

11 Human Services shall submit to the appropriate 

12 committees of Congress— 

13 (A) not later than one year after the date 

14 of enactment of this Act, an interim report on 

15 the results of the grant program under this sec16 tion; and 

17 (B) not later than the end of fiscal year 

18 2029, a final report of such results. 

19 (2) CONTENTS.—The reports required by para20 graph (1) shall each include— 

21 (A) the total number of community mental 

22 wellness workers participating in the grant pro23 gram under this section; and 


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1 (B) the total number of community mental 

2 wellness workers who obtained certification 

3 through such participation. 

4 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) The term ‘‘community mental wellness 

6 worker’’ means an individual trained and certified by 

7 an eligible entity to assist with providing basic 

8 screening and evidence-based treatments to persons 

9 with a mild to moderate mental health or substance 

10 use disorder, including depression, anxiety, post11 traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol use disorder. 

12 (2) The term ‘‘culturally and linguistically com13 petent’’ means acknowledging and responsive to cul14 tural differences that might derive from characteris15 tics including— 

16 (A) gender; 

17 (B) sex; 

18 (C) sexual orientation; 

19 (D) race or ethnicity; 

20 (E) nationality; 

21 (F) socioeconomic level; 

22 (G) immigration status; 

23 (H) disability; 

24 (I) Tribal affiliation; and 

25 (J) veteran status. 


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1 (3) The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means— 

2 (A) a certified community behavioral 

3 health clinic (as described in section 223(a) of 

4 the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 

5 (42 U.S.C. 1396a note)); 

6 (B) a community mental health center (as 

7 described in section 1913(c) of the Public 

8 Health Services Act (42 U.S.C. 300x–2(c)); 

9 (C) a hospital that is described in section 

10 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

11 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of 

12 such Code; and 

13 (D) such other community behavioral 

14 health organizations as the Secretary may 

15 specify, in consultation with— 

16 (i) State authorities responsible for 

17 regulating substance use and mental health 

18 providers and facilities identified in an ap19 proved State plan or waiver under section 

20 1115 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

21 1315) or under section 1915 of such Act 

22 (42 U.S.C. 1396n); and 

23 (ii) other State substance abuse and 

24 mental health agencies. 


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1 (4) The term ‘‘medically underserved commu2 nity’’ has the meaning given to such term in section 

3 799B of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

4 295b). 

5 (g) FUNDING.— 

6 (1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

7 carry out this Act, there are authorized to appro8 priated $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

9 through 2029. 

10 (2) ALLOCATION.—Of the funds authorized to 

11 be appropriation to carry out this section for a fiscal 

12 year, $5,000,000 shall be for the provision of train13 ing and technical assistance under subsection (c). 

14 SEC. 3. MALPRACTICE AND NEGLIGENCE SUITS AGAINST 

15 COMMUNITY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINIC 

16 AND COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as inconsistent with this 

18 subsection, the provisions of section 224 of the Public 

19 Health Service Act, (42 U.S.C. 233), including sub20 sections (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), and (l), shall apply with re21 spect to an entity described in subsection (b) of this sec22 tion, and any officer, governing board member, employee, 

23 or contractor described in subsection (c) of this section, 

24 to the same extent and in the same manner as such provi25 sions apply with respect to an entity described in subVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:09 Jul 30, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8680.IH H8680

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1 section (g)(4) of such section 224, and any officer, gov2 erning board member, employee, or contractor of such an 

3 entity. 

4 (b) DESCRIBED ENTITIES.—An entity described in 

5 this paragraph is an entity that— 

6 (1) is an eligible entity (as defined in section 

7 2(f)(3)); and 

8 (2) is in receipt of a grant under section 2. 

9 (c) DESCRIBED OFFICERS, GOVERNING BOARD

10 MEMBERS, EMPLOYEES, AND CONTRACTORS.—An officer, 

11 governing board member, employee, or contractor is de12 scribed in this subsection if the person— 

13 (1) is— 

14 (A) an officer, governing board member, or 

15 employee of an entity described in subsection 

16 (b); or 

17 (B) a contractor of such an entity who is 

18 a physician or other licensed or certified health 

19 care practitioner; and 

20 (2) is participating in the entity’s program 

21 funded through a grant under section 2, as indicated 

22 in a list submitted pursuant to subsection (d). 

23 (d) LIST REQUIRED.—Each entity described in sub24 section (b) shall submit to the Secretary, and update as 

25 necessary, a list of each officer, governing board member, 


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1 employee, or contractor participating in the entity’s pro2 gram funded through a grant under section 2. 

3 (e) PERIOD OF APPLICABILITY.—This subsection ap4 plies with respect to an entity described in subsection (b), 

5 and any officer, governing board member, employee, or 

6 contractor described in subsection (c), only with respect 

7 to acts and omissions occurring during the period of the 

8 grant referred to in subsection (b)(2). 

9 (f) DELAYED APPLICABILITY.—This subsection ap10 plies beginning with respect to fiscal year 2025. 

Æ 


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