II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3311 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve mental and behavioral 

health services on college campuses. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 23, 2008 

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

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

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve mental 

and behavioral health services on college campuses. 

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 on 

5 Campus Improvement Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) The 2007 National Survey of Counseling 

9 Center Directors found that the average ratio of 

10 counselors to students on campus is nearly 1 to 


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1 2,000 and is often far higher on large campuses. 

2 The International Association of Counseling Services 

3 accreditation standards recommend 1 counselor per 

4 1,000 to 1,500 students. 

5 (2) College counselors report that 8.5 percent of 

6 enrolled students sought counseling in the past year, 

7 totaling an estimated 1,600,000 students. 

8 (3) Over 90 percent of counseling directors be9 lieve there is an increase in the number of students 

10 coming to campus with severe psychological prob11 lems. The majority of counseling directors report 

12 concern that the demand for services is growing 

13 without an increase in resources. 

14 (4) A 2006 American College Health Associa15 tion survey revealed that 44 percent of students at 

16 colleges and universities report having felt so de17 pressed it was difficult to function, and one out of 

18 every 11 students seriously considered suicide within 

19 the past year. 

20 (5) Research conducted from 1989 to 2002 

21 found that students seen for anxiety disorders dou22 bled, for depression tripled, and for serious suicidal 

23 intention tripled. 

24 (6) Many students who need help never receive 

25 it. Counseling directors report that of the students 


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1 who committed suicide on their campuses, only 22 

2 percent were current or former counseling center cli3 ents. Directors did not know the previous psychiatric 

4 history of 60 percent of these students. 

5 (7) A survey conducted by the University of 

6 Idaho Student Counseling Center (2000) found that 

7 77 percent of students who responded reported that 

8 they were more likely to stay in school because of 

9 counseling and that their school performance would 

10 have declined without counseling. 

11 (8) A 6-year longitudinal study of college stu12 dents found that personal and emotional adjustment 

13 was an important factor in retention and predicted 

14 attrition as well as or better than academic adjust15 ment (Gerdes & Mallinckrodt, 1994). 

16 SEC. 3. IMPROVING MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ON 

17 COLLEGE CAMPUSES. 

18 Title V of the Public Health Service Act is amended 

19 by inserting after section 520E–2 (42 U.S.C. 290bb–36b) 

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 520E–3. GRANTS TO IMPROVE MENTAL AND BEHAV22 IORAL HEALTH ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES. 

23 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section, 

24 with respect to college and university settings, to— 


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1 ‘‘(1) increase access to mental and behavioral 

2 health services; 

3 ‘‘(2) foster and improve the prevention of men4 tal and behavioral health disorders, and the pro5 motion of mental health; 

6 ‘‘(3) improve the identification and treatment 

7 for students at risk; 

8 ‘‘(4) improve collaboration and the development 

9 of appropriate level of mental and behavioral health 

10 care; and 

11 ‘‘(5) improve the efficacy of outreach efforts. 

12 ‘‘(b) GRANTS.—The Secretary, acting through the 

13 Administrator and in consultation with the Secretary of 

14 Education, shall award competitive grants to eligible enti15 ties to improve mental and behavioral health services and 

16 outreach on college and university campuses. 

17 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

18 under subsection (b), an entity shall— 

19 ‘‘(1) be an institution of higher education (as 

20 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act 

21 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)); and 

22 ‘‘(2) submit to the Secretary an application at 

23 such time, in such manner, and containing such in24 formation as the Secretary may require, including 

25 the information required under subsection (d). 


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1 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—An application for a grant 

2 under this section shall include— 

3 ‘‘(1) a description of the population to be tar4 geted by the program carried out under the grant, 

5 the particular mental and behavioral health needs of 

6 the students involved, and the Federal, State, local, 

7 private, and institutional resources available for 

8 meeting the needs of such students at the time the 

9 application is submitted; 

10 ‘‘(2) an outline of the objectives of the program 

11 carried out under the grant; 

12 ‘‘(3) a description of activities, services, and 

13 training to be provided under the program, including 

14 planned outreach strategies to reach students not 

15 currently seeking services; 

16 ‘‘(4) a plan to seek input from community men17 tal health providers, when available, community 

18 groups, and other public and private entities in car19 rying out the program; 

20 ‘‘(5) a plan, when applicable, to meet the spe21 cific mental and behavioral health needs of veterans 

22 attending institutions of higher education; 

23 ‘‘(6) a description of the methods to be used to 

24 evaluate the outcomes and effectiveness of the pro25 gram; and 


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1 ‘‘(7) an assurance that grant funds will be used 

2 to supplement, and not supplant, any other Federal, 

3 State, or local funds available to carry out activities 

4 of the type carried out under the grant. 

5 ‘‘(e) SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding 

6 grants under this section, the Secretary shall give special 

7 consideration to applications that describe programs to be 

8 carried out under the grant that— 

9 ‘‘(1) demonstrate the greatest need for new or 

10 additional mental and behavioral health services, in 

11 part by providing information on current ratios of 

12 students to mental and behavioral health profes13 sionals; 

14 ‘‘(2) propose effective approaches for initiating 

15 or expanding campus services and supports using 

16 evidence-based practices; 

17 ‘‘(3) target traditionally underserved popu18 lations and populations most at risk; 

19 ‘‘(4) where possible, demonstrate an awareness 

20 of and a willingness to coordinate with a community 

21 mental health center or other mental health resource 

22 in the community, to support screening and referral 

23 of students requiring intensive services; 

24 ‘‘(5) identify how the college or university will 

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1 formation will be communicated with families or 

2 other appropriate parties; and 

3 ‘‘(6) demonstrate the greatest potential for rep4 lication and dissemination. 

5 ‘‘(f) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts received under a 

6 grant under this section shall be used to— 

7 ‘‘(1) provide mental and behavioral health serv8 ices to students, including prevention, promotion of 

9 mental health, screening, early intervention, assess10 ment, treatment, management, and education serv11 ices relating to the mental and behavioral health of 

12 students; 

13 ‘‘(2) provide outreach services to notify stu14 dents about the existence of mental and behavioral 

15 health services; 

16 ‘‘(3) educate families, peers, faculty, staff, and 

17 communities to increase awareness of mental health 

18 issues; 

19 ‘‘(4) employ appropriately trained staff; 

20 ‘‘(5) expand mental health training through in21 ternship, post-doctorate, and residency programs; 

22 ‘‘(6) develop and support evidence-based and 

23 emerging best practices; and 

24 ‘‘(7) evaluate and disseminate best practices to 

25 other colleges and universities. 


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1 ‘‘(g) DURATION OF GRANTS.—A grant under this 

2 section shall be awarded for a period of not to exceed 3 

3 years. 

4 ‘‘(h) EVALUATION AND REPORTING.— 

5 ‘‘(1) EVALUATION.—Not later than 18 months 

6 after the date on which a grant is received under 

7 this section, the eligible entity involved shall submit 

8 to the Secretary the results of an evaluation to be 

9 conducted by the entity concerning the effectiveness 

10 of the activities carried out under the grant and 

11 plans for the sustainability of such efforts. 

12 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

13 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 

14 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 

15 report concerning the results of— 

16 ‘‘(A) the evaluations conducted under 

17 paragraph (1); and 

18 ‘‘(B) an evaluation conducted by the Sec19 retary to analyze the effectiveness and efficacy 

20 of the activities conducted with grants under 

21 this section. 

22 ‘‘(i) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 

23 provide technical assistance to grantees in carrying out 

24 this section. 


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

2 is authorized to be appropriated, such sums as may be 

3 necessary to carry out this section. 

4 ‘‘SEC. 520E–4. MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUT5 REACH AND EDUCATION ON COLLEGE CAM6 PUSES. 

7 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 

8 increase access to, and reduce the stigma associated with, 

9 mental health services so as to ensure that college students 

10 have the support necessary to successfully complete their 

11 studies. 

12 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.— 

13 The Secretary, acting through the Administrator and in 

14 collaboration with the Director of the Centers for Disease 

15 Control and Prevention, shall convene an interagency, 

16 public-private sector working group to plan, establish, and 

17 begin coordinating and evaluating a targeted public edu18 cation campaign that is designed to focus on mental and 

19 behavioral health on college campuses. Such campaign 

20 shall be designed to— 

21 ‘‘(1) improve the general understanding of men22 tal health and mental health disorders; 

23 ‘‘(2) encourage help-seeking behaviors relating 

24 to the promotion of mental health, prevention of 


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1 mental health disorders, and treatment of such dis2 orders; 

3 ‘‘(3) make the connection between mental and 

4 behavioral health and academic success; and 

5 ‘‘(4) assist the general public in identifying the 

6 early warning signs and reducing the stigma of men7 tal illness. 

8 ‘‘(c) COMPOSITION.—The working group under sub9 section (b) shall include— 

10 ‘‘(1) mental health consumers and family mem11 bers; 

12 ‘‘(2) representatives of colleges and universities; 

13 ‘‘(3) representatives of national mental and be14 havioral health and college associations; 

15 ‘‘(4) representatives of mental health providers, 

16 including community mental health centers; and 

17 ‘‘(5) representatives of private- and public-sec18 tor groups with experience in the development of ef19 fective public health education campaigns. 

20 ‘‘(d) PLAN.—The working group under subsection (b) 

21 shall develop a plan that shall— 

22 ‘‘(1) target promotional and educational efforts 

23 to the college age population and individuals who are 

24 employed in college and university settings, including 

25 the use of roundtables; 


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1 ‘‘(2) develop and propose the implementation of 

2 research-based public health messages and activities; 

3 ‘‘(3) provide support for local efforts to reduce 

4 stigma by using the National Mental Health Infor5 mation Center as a primary point of contact for in6 formation, publications, and service program refer7 rals; and 

8 ‘‘(4) develop and propose the implementation of 

9 a social marketing campaign that is targeted at the 

10 college population and individuals who are employed 

11 in college and university settings. 

12 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 is authorized to be appropriated, such sums as may be 

14 necessary to carry out this section.’’. 

15 SEC. 4. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON COLLEGE MEN16 TAL HEALTH. 

17 (a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section, pur18 suant to Executive Order 13263 (and the recommenda19 tions issued under section 6(b) of such Order), to provide 

20 for the establishment of a College Campus Task Force 

21 under the Federal Executive Steering Committee on Men22 tal Health, to discuss mental and behavioral health con23 cerns on college and university campuses. 

24 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and 

25 Human Services (referred to in this section as the ‘‘SecVerDate Aug 31 2005 05:01 Jul 24, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3311.IS S3311

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1 retary’’) shall establish a College Campus Task Force (re2 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Task Force’’), under the 

3 Federal Executive Steering Committee on Mental Health, 

4 to discuss mental and behavioral health concerns on col5 lege and university campuses. 

6 (c) MEMBERSHIP.—The Task Force shall be com7 posed of a representative from each Federal agency (as 

8 appointed by the head of the agency) that has jurisdiction 

9 over, or is affected by, mental health and education poli10 cies and projects, including— 

11 (1) the Department of Education; 

12 (2) the Department of Health and Human 

13 Services; 

14 (3) the Department of Veterans Affairs; and 

15 (4) such other Federal agencies as the Adminis16 trator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

17 Services Administration and the Secretary jointly de18 termine to be appropriate. 

19 (d) DUTIES.—The Task Force shall— 

20 (1) serve as a centralized mechanism to coordi21 nate a national effort— 

22 (A) to discuss and evaluate evidence and 

23 knowledge on mental and behavioral heath serv24 ices available to and the prevalence of mental 


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1 health illness among, the college age population 

2 of the United States; 

3 (B) to determine the range of effective, 

4 feasible, and comprehensive actions to improve 

5 mental and behavioral health on college and 

6 university campuses; 

7 (C) to examine and better address the 

8 needs of the college age population dealing with 

9 mental illness; 

10 (D) to survey Federal agencies to deter11 mine which policies are effective in encouraging, 

12 and how best to facilitate outreach without du13 plicating, efforts relating to mental and behav14 ioral health promotion; 

15 (E) to establish specific goals within and 

16 across Federal agencies for mental health pro17 motion, including determinations of account18 ability for reaching those goals; 

19 (F) to develop a strategy for allocating re20 sponsibilities and ensuring participation in men21 tal and behavioral health promotions, particu22 larly in the case of competing agency priorities; 

23 (G) to coordinate plans to communicate re24 search results relating to mental and behavioral 

25 health amongst the college age population to 


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1 enable reporting and outreach activities to 

2 produce more useful and timely information; 

3 (H) to provide a description of evidence4 based best practices, model programs, effective 

5 guidelines, and other strategies for promoting 

6 mental and behavioral health on college and 

7 university campuses; 

8 (I) to make recommendations to improve 

9 Federal efforts relating to mental and behav10 ioral health promotion on college campuses and 

11 to ensure Federal efforts are consistent with 

12 available standards and evidence and other pro13 grams in existence as of the date of enactment 

14 of this Act; and 

15 (J) to monitor Federal progress in meeting 

16 specific mental and behavioral health promotion 

17 goals as they relate to college and university 

18 settings; 

19 (2) consult with national organizations with ex20 pertise in mental and behavioral health, especially 

21 those organizations working with the college age 

22 population; and 

23 (3) consult with and seek input from mental 

24 heath professionals working on college and university 

25 campuses as appropriate. 


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1 (e) MEETINGS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall meet 

3 at least 3 times each year. 

4 (2) ANNUAL CONFERENCE.—The Secretary 

5 shall sponsor an annual conference on mental and 

6 behavioral health in college and university settings 

7 to enhance coordination, build partnerships, and 

8 share best practices in mental and behavioral health 

9 promotion, data collection, analysis, and services. 

10 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

11 are authorized to be appropriated, such sums as may be 

12 necessary to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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