I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3534 
To establish the Mental Health in Schools Excellence Program to increase 
the recruitment and retention of school-based mental health services 
providers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 21, 2025 
Mr. FITZPATRICK (for himself and Mr. GOLDEN of Maine) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Work-
force 
A BILL 
To establish the Mental Health in Schools Excellence Pro-
gram to increase the recruitment and retention of school- 
based mental health services providers, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mental Health in 
Schools Excellence Program Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. PROGRAM TO ESTABLISH PUBLIC-PRIVATE CON-
TRIBUTIONS TO INCREASE THE AVAILABLE 
WORKFORCE 
OF 
SCHOOL-BASED 
MENTAL 
HEALTH SERVICE PROVIDERS. 
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 
carry out a program under which eligible graduate institu-
tions may enter into an agreement with the Secretary to 
cover a portion of the cost of attendance of a participating 
student, which contributions shall be matched by equiva-
lent contributions towards such cost of attendance by the 
Secretary. 
(b) DESIGNATION
OF
PROGRAM.—The program 
under this section shall be known as the ‘‘Mental Health 
in Schools Excellence Program’’. 
(c) AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary shall enter into an 
agreement with each eligible graduate institution seeking 
to participate in the program under this section. Each 
agreement shall specify the following: 
(1) The manner (whether by direct grant, schol-
arship, or otherwise) in which the eligible graduate 
institution will contribute to the cost of attendance 
of a participating student. 
(2) The maximum amount of the contribution 
to be made by the eligible graduate institution with 
respect to any particular participating student in 
any given academic year. 
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(3) The maximum number of individuals for 
whom the eligible graduate institution will make con-
tributions in any given academic year. 
(4) That the eligible graduate institution, in se-
lecting participating students to receive assistance 
under the program, shall prioritize the participating 
students described in subsection (d)(2). 
(5) Such other matters as the Secretary and 
the eligible graduate institution determine appro-
priate. 
(d) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall— 
(1) make publicly available and periodically up-
date on the internet website of the Department of 
Education a list of the eligible graduate institutions 
participating in the program under this section that 
shall specify, for each such graduate institution, ap-
propriate information on the agreement between the 
Secretary and such college or university under sub-
section (c); and 
(2) conduct outreach about the program under 
this section to participating students who, as under-
graduates— 
(A) received a Federal Pell Grant under 
section 401 of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a); or 
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(B) attended an institution listed in section 
371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). 
(e) MATCHING CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Secretary may 
provide a contribution of up to 50 percent of the cost of 
attendance of a participating student if the eligible grad-
uate institution at which such student is enrolled enters 
into an agreement under subsection (c) with the Secretary 
to match such contribution. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COST OF ATTENDANCE.—The term ‘‘cost of 
attendance’’ has the meaning given the term in sec-
tion 472 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1087ll). 
(2) ELIGIBLE
GRADUATE
INSTITUTION.—The 
term ‘‘eligible graduate institution’’ means an insti-
tution of higher education in that offers a program 
of study that leads to a graduate degree— 
(A) in school psychology that is accredited 
or approved by the National Association of 
School Psychologists’ Program Accreditation 
Board or the Commission on Accreditation of 
the American Psychological Association and 
that prepares students in such program for the 
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State licensing or certification examination in 
school psychology at the specialist level; 
(B) in an accredited school counseling pro-
gram that prepares students in such program 
for the State licensing or certification examina-
tion in school counseling; 
(C) in school social work that is accredited 
by the Council on Social Work Education and 
that prepares students in such program for the 
State licensing or certification examination in 
school social work; 
(D) in another school-based mental health 
field that prepares students in such program 
for the State licensing or certification examina-
tion in such field, if applicable; or 
(E) in any combination of study described 
in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 
(3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 101 of the High-
er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), but ex-
cludes any institution of higher education described 
in section 102(a)(1)(C) of such Act. 
(4) PARTICIPATING STUDENT.—The term ‘‘par-
ticipating student’’ means an individual who is en-
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