II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1075 

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

the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, 

to establish a grant program to be known as the Mental Health Licensure 

Portability Program to award grants to eligible entities, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 30, 2023 

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

the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 

acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to establish a grant 

program to be known as the Mental Health Licensure 

Portability Program to award grants to eligible entities, 

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 ‘‘Compacts, Access, and 

5 Responsible Expansion for Mental Health Professionals 

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘CARE for Mental Health Professionals Act’’. 


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•S 1075 IS

1 SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH LICENSURE PORTABILITY PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

4 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

5 Health and Human Services, acting through the Adminis6 trator, shall establish a grant program to be known as the 

7 Mental Health Licensure Portability Program to award 

8 grants to eligible entities for projects to— 

9 (1) incentivize counselors to practice in States 

10 that have entered into interstate compacts for the 

11 purpose of expanding the workforce of credentialed 

12 mental health professionals; and 

13 (2) develop, operate, or maintain interstate 

14 compact commissions authorized to effectuate the 

15 provisions of interstate compacts entered into by 

16 such States. 

17 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 

18 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis19 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Health Re20 sources and Services Administration. 

21 (2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘commission’’ 

22 means a joint interstate governmental agency com23 prised of States that have entered into an interstate 

24 compact for the purpose of implementing, facili25 tating, and effectuating provisions of such interstate 

26 compact. 


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•S 1075 IS

1 (3) COUNSELOR.—The term ‘‘counselor’’ means 

2 a licensed professional that is trained to give guid3 ance to individuals, families, and groups with respect 

4 to personal, social, or psychological problems. 

5 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti6 ty’’ means a professional, psychiatric, psychological, 

7 social work, or pediatric counseling interstate com8 pact commission or licensure board of a State that 

9 is participating in an occupational licensure inter10 state compact. 

11 (5) INTERSTATE COMPACT.—The term ‘‘com12 pact’’ means an occupational licensure agreement 

13 enacted by 2 or more States that is based on the 

14 mutual recognition of professional qualifications 

15 through criteria stipulated in such agreement, in 

16 which a State agrees to recognize the issuance of a 

17 license by another State to a counselor, psychiatrist, 

18 psychologist, or pediatric mental health professional. 

19 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean20 ing given the term in section 6501 of title 31, 

21 United States Code. 

22 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

23 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 

24 $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2027. 

Æ 


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