I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7159 
To amend the Community Mental Health Service Block Grant to authorize 
a set-aside for crisis care services, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 11, 2020 
Mrs. BUSTOS (for herself and Ms. WILD) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Community Mental Health Service Block 
Grant to authorize a set-aside for crisis care services, 
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 ‘‘Crisis Care Improve-
ment and Suicide Prevention Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) Fragmentation of mental health services 
and limited access to crisis services complicates and 
elongates mental health patient stays in emergency 
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departments and under the custody of law enforce-
ment. 
(2) Emergency departments and the criminal 
justice system do not have the capacity with existing 
resources and health care professional shortages to 
address the needs of the rapidly growing number of 
individuals with mental health conditions, increasing 
the risk of adverse patient outcomes. 
(3) In 2017, 150,000 individuals in the United 
States died from alcohol and drug-induced fatalities 
and suicides. Nearly 1⁄3, or more than 47,000 were 
suicides. 
(4) From 2016 to 2018, more than 1⁄4 of hos-
pital emergency department ‘‘frequent users’’ in Illi-
nois were patients with presenting or underlying 
mental health conditions, underscoring the need for 
additional funding, continued access to real-time 
care and connection to long-term treatment options. 
(5) Fifteen percent of men and 30 percent of 
women in custody of county jails have severe mental 
illnesses. 
(6) Use of appropriate crisis facilities and inter-
ventions in Maricopa County, Arizona, have saved 
emergency departments an estimated $37,000,000 in 
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2016 and saved the equivalent of 37 police officer 
full-time equivalent salaries. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) for patients with mental health issues, co-
ordination of physical and mental health services 
and cooperation with law enforcement are essential 
to ensure timely, appropriate care; and 
(2) crisis care networks established at State 
and local levels have saved resources and shown im-
proved outcomes for patients in crisis. 
SEC. 3. EVIDENCE-BASED CRISIS CARE PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1912(b)(1) of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300x–1(b)(1))— 
(1) in subparagraph (A)— 
(A) by redesignating clauses (vi) and (vii) 
as clauses (vii) and (viii), respectively; and 
(B) by inserting after clause (v), the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(vi) include a description of how the 
State supports evidenced-based programs 
that address the crisis care needs of indi-
viduals with serious mental disorders, and 
children with serious mental and emotional 
disturbances, that include at least one of 
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the core components specified in subpara-
graph (F);’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(F) CORE COMPONENTS FOR CRISIS CARE 
SERVICES.—The core components of a program 
referred to in subparagraph (A)(vi) include the 
following: 
‘‘(i) Crisis call centers. 
‘‘(ii) 24/7 mobile crisis services. 
‘‘(iii) Crisis stabilization programs of-
fering acute care or sub-acute care in a 
hospital or appropriately licensed facility, 
with referrals to inpatient or outpatient 
care, as determined by the Assistant Sec-
retary for Mental Health and Substance 
Use.’’. 
(b) SET-ASIDE FOR EVIDENCE-BASED CRISIS CARE 
SERVICES.—Section 1920 of the Public Health Service 
Act (42 U.S.C. 300x–9) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(d) CRISIS CARE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (3), a State shall expend at least 5 percent of 
the allotment of the State pursuant to a funding 
agreement under section 1911 for each fiscal year to 
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support 
programs 
described 
in 
section 
1912(b)(1)(A)(vi). 
‘‘(2) STATE FLEXIBILITY.—In lieu of expending 
5 percent of the State’s allotment for a fiscal year 
as required by paragraph (1), a State may elect to 
expend not less than 10 percent of such amount by 
the end of two consecutive fiscal years. 
‘‘(3) FUNDING CONTINGENCY.—Paragraph (1) 
shall not apply with respect to a fiscal year unless 
the amount made available to carry out this section 
for that fiscal year exceeds the amount appropriated 
to carry out this section for fiscal year 2020 by at 
least $35,000,000.’’. 
Æ 
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