Mental Health Workforce and Language Access Act of 2023

Subjects: Health


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3189 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3189

 To increase language access to behavioral health services at eligible 
                health centers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2023

  Ms. Meng (for herself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, and Ms. Clarke of New York) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To increase language access to behavioral health services at eligible 
                health centers, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mental Health Workforce and Language 
Access Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM TO INCREASE LANGUAGE ACCESS AT ELIGIBLE 
              HEALTH CENTERS.

    (a) Grants.--The Secretary shall carry out a demonstration program 
consisting of awarding supplemental grants under section 330 of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b) to eligible health centers 
to recruit, hire, employ, and supervise qualified behavioral health 
professionals who--
            (1) are proficient in speaking and understanding both 
        spoken English and at least one other spoken language, 
        including any necessary specialized vocabulary, terminology, 
        and phraseology;
            (2) are able to effectively, accurately, and impartially 
        communicate directly with limited English proficient 
        individuals in their primary language; and
            (3) are, or will be, employed--
                    (A) directly by the eligible health center; or
                    (B) through a contract between the eligible health 
                center and the qualified behavioral health professional 
                that provides for supervision of the professional by 
                the health center in order to provide behavioral health 
                services in another language.
    (b) Preference.--In selecting grant recipients under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall give preference to eligible health centers at 
which at least 10 percent of the patients are best served in a language 
other than English, as indicated by data in the Uniform Data System (or 
any successor database).
    (c) Marketing.--An eligible health center receiving a grant under 
this section shall use a portion of the grant funds to disseminate 
information about, and otherwise market, the behavioral health services 
supported through the grant.
    (d) Reports.--
            (1) Initial report.--Not later than 6 months after the 
        first grants are awarded under subsection (a), the Secretary 
        shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and Energy and 
        Commerce of the House of Representatives, the Committees on 
        Appropriations and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 
        the Senate, and other appropriate congressional committees, a 
        report on the implementation of the program under this section. 
        Such report shall include--
                    (A) the languages spoken by the qualified 
                behavioral health professionals recruited pursuant to a 
                grant under subsection (a);
                    (B) the eligible health center at which each such 
                professional was placed;
                    (C) how many eligible health centers received 
                grants under subsection (a);
                    (D) an analysis, conducted in consultation with the 
                eligible health centers receiving grants under 
                subsection (a), of the effectiveness of such grants at 
                increasing language access to behavioral health 
                services; and
                    (E) best practices, developed in consultation with 
                eligible health centers receiving grants under 
                subsection (a), for the recruitment and retention of 
                qualified behavioral health professionals at such 
                health centers.
            (2) Final report.--Not later than the end of fiscal year 
        2026, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 
        Appropriations and Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives, the Committees on Appropriations and Health, 
        Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and other 
        appropriate congressional committees, a final report on the 
        implementation of the program under this section, including the 
        information, analysis, and best practices described in 
        subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1).
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``eligible health center'' means a health 
        center (as defined in section 330 of the Public Health Service 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 254b)) that is already receiving assistance 
        pursuant to one or more grants under such section 330 at the 
        time of the award to such health center of a supplemental grant 
        under subsection (a).
            (2) The term ``qualified behavioral health professional'' 
        means--
                    (A) a behavioral and mental health professional (as 
                defined in section 331(a)(3)(E)(i) of the Public Health 
                Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254d(a)(3)(E)(i)));
                    (B) substance use disorder counselor;
                    (C) an occupational therapist; or
                    (D) an individual who--
                            (i) has not yet been licensed or certified 
                        to serve as a professional listed in any of 
                        subparagraphs (A) through (C); and
                            (ii) will serve at the eligible health 
                        center under the supervision of a licensed 
                        individual or certified professional so listed.
            (3) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--To carry out this section, there is 
        authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
        years 2024 through 2029.
            (2) Supplement not supplant.--Amounts made available to 
        carry out this section shall be in addition to amounts 
        otherwise available to carry out section 330 of the Public 
        Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254b).
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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