Connecting Students with Mental Health Services Act

Subjects: Education


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1689 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1689

   To authorize the Secretary of Education, in coordination with the 
  Secretary of Health and Human Services, to award grants to eligible 
entities to support the mental and behavioral health of elementary and 
           secondary school students, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 21, 2023

    Ms. Spanberger (for herself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
                        the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To authorize the Secretary of Education, in coordination with the 
  Secretary of Health and Human Services, to award grants to eligible 
entities to support the mental and behavioral health of elementary and 
           secondary school students, 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 ``Connecting Students with Mental 
Health Services Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO SUPPORT MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OF ELEMENTARY 
              AND SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Education, in coordination with 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall carry out a program 
consisting of awarding grants to eligible entities to support the 
mental and behavioral health of students in elementary schools and 
secondary schools, especially such students who reside in rural areas 
or lack access to mental and behavioral health services.
    (b) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under this 
section shall use the grant for resources to support the mental and 
behavioral health of students in elementary schools and secondary 
schools, which may include--
            (1) purchasing or upgrading equipment (which may include 
        physical equipment and technology) to implement a telehealth 
        program that includes mental and behavioral health care;
            (2) ensuring sufficient space and personnel to support such 
        a telehealth program in one or more schools; and
            (3) hiring, or providing additional compensation for, staff 
        to help administer such a telehealth program.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) Submission.--To seek a grant under this section, an 
        eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary of 
        Education at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information and assurances as the Secretary may require.
            (2) Contents.--Each such application shall include a plan--
                    (A) detailing the applicant's proposed telehealth 
                program that includes mental and behavioral health 
                care, to be supported through the plan; and
                    (B) providing assurances that any collection, 
                maintenance, or use of student information through such 
                telehealth program will be in accordance with 
                applicable privacy laws.
    (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
of Education shall give priority to eligible entities that--
            (1) submit an application in accordance with subsection 
        (c); and
            (2) serve--
                    (A) high-poverty elementary schools and secondary 
                schools;
                    (B) rural elementary schools and secondary schools; 
                or
                    (C) elementary schools and secondary schools that 
                are located in a health professional shortage area 
                designated under section 332 of the Public Health 
                Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e).
    (e) Timing.--The Secretary of Education shall establish the program 
required by subsection (a) not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act.
    (f) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Funds made available under this 
section shall be used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, 
State, and local funds provided for activities funded under this 
section.
    (g) Report.--Not later than September 30, 2025, the Secretary of 
Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 
jointly, shall submit to the Congress and make publicly available a 
report including--
            (1) analysis on the impact of the program under this 
        section (in a manner that does not include information that 
        would reveal personally identifiable information about an 
        individual student)--
                    (A) on the number of students in elementary schools 
                and secondary schools receiving health care (including 
                behavioral and mental health services) through a 
                telehealth program; and
                    (B) on the number of such students receiving 
                behavioral and mental health services through a 
                telehealth program; and
            (2) recommendations for the reauthorization, expansion, and 
        improvement of the program under this section.
    (h) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``community health care provider''--
                    (A) subject to subparagraph (B), includes a 
                university health care system; and
                    (B) excludes any provider that does not accept 
                payment under a State plan (or waiver of such plan) 
                under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
                1396 et seq.).
            (2) The terms ``educational service agency'', ``elementary 
        school'', ``local educational agency'', and ``secondary 
        school'' have the meanings given to those terms in section 8101 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801).
            (3) The term ``eligible entity'' means a partnership 
        between--
                    (A) a local educational agency or a consortium of 
                any such agencies; and
                    (B) a community health care provider or an 
                educational service agency.
            (4) The term ``telehealth'' means the use of electronic 
        information and telecommunications technologies to support 
        long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional 
        health-related education, public health, and health 
        administration.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2024 through 2027.
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