I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2904 
To address mental health issues for youth, particularly youth of color, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 10, 2025 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. FIELDS, Mr. 
THANEDAR, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. 
MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. CARSON, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mrs. 
MCIVER, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, and Mr. BELL) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce 
A BILL 
To address mental health issues for youth, particularly youth 
of color, 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 ‘‘Pursuing Equity in 
Mental Health Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PRIMARY AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE GRANT 
PROGRAM. 
Section 520K of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290bb–42) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (d) through (i) 
as subsections (e) through (j), respectively; 
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION REGARDING SERV-
ICES FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS.—In 
awarding grants under subsection (b), the Secretary may, 
as appropriate, give special consideration to eligible enti-
ties serving a high proportion of racial and ethnic minority 
groups.’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)(2)(G), by striking ‘‘sub-
section (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (f)’’; 
(4) in subsection (i) (as redesignated by para-
graph (1))— 
(A) by striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘subsection (g)’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘subsection (d)(2)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subsection (e)(2)’’; and 
(5) in subsection (j)(1) (as redesignated by 
paragraph (1)), by striking ‘‘$60,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2023 through 2027’’ and inserting 
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‘‘$60,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and $80,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031’’. 
SEC. 3. ADDRESSING RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY MEN-
TAL HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH GAPS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 9 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National 
Institutes of Health, in consultation with the Director of 
the National Institute of Mental Health, the Director of 
the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Dis-
parities, and the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 
and Substance Use, shall seek to enter into an arrange-
ment with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineer-
ing, and Medicine (or, if the National Academies of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine decline to enter into 
such an arrangement, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Re-
search Institute or another appropriate entity) under 
which the National Academies (or such other appropriate 
entity, as the case may be) agrees— 
(1) to conduct a study with respect to mental 
health disparities research gaps in racial and ethnic 
minority groups (as defined in section 1707(g) of 
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u– 
6(g))); and 
(2) to submit to Congress a report on the re-
sults of such study, including— 
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(A) a compilation of information on the 
prevalence of mental health outcomes in such 
racial and ethnic minority groups; 
(B) an assessment of information on the 
impact of exposure to community violence, ad-
verse childhood experiences, structural bias, and 
other psychological traumas on mental health 
outcomes in such racial and minority groups; 
and 
(C) a selection of potential recommenda-
tions that can remedy the research gap in such 
racial and ethnic minority groups. 
(b) STUDY AND REPORT CONDUCTED BY AHRQ.— 
If no arrangement can be made with an entity specified 
in subsection (a), the Director of the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality shall conduct the study 
and submit the report, as described in paragraphs (1) and 
(2) of such subsection. 
SEC. 4. HEALTH PROFESSIONS COMPETENCIES TO AD-
DRESS RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY MEN-
TAL HEALTH DISPARITIES. 
Section 597 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290ll) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 
subsections (c) and (d), respectively; 
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(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) BEST PRACTICES; CORE COMPETENCIES.—An 
individual receiving a fellowship under subsection (a), or 
an entity selected by the Assistant Secretary to administer 
the program under this section, may use amounts awarded 
under this section to engage in the following activities re-
lated to the development and dissemination of best prac-
tices or core competencies addressing mental health dis-
parities among racial and ethnic minority groups for use 
in the training of students in the professions of social 
work, psychology, psychiatry, addiction medicine, mar-
riage and family therapy, mental health counseling, and 
substance misuse counseling: 
‘‘(1) Formation of committees or working 
groups comprised of experts from accredited health 
professions schools to identify best practices and 
core competencies relating to mental health dispari-
ties among racial and ethnic minority groups. 
‘‘(2) Planning of workshops in national fora to 
allow for public input into the educational needs as-
sociated with mental health disparities among racial 
and ethnic minority groups. 
‘‘(3) Dissemination and promotion of the use of 
best practices or core competencies in undergraduate 
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and graduate health professions training programs 
nationwide. 
‘‘(4) Establishing external advisory boards to 
provide meaningful input into policy and program 
development and best practices to reduce mental 
health disparities among racial and ethnic minority 
groups.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘2027’’ and inserting ‘‘2031’’. 
SEC. 5. RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY BEHAVIORAL AND 
MENTAL 
HEALTH 
OUTREACH 
AND 
EDU-
CATION STRATEGY. 
Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by inserting after 
section 553 (42 U.S.C. 290ee–10) of such Act the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 554. BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH 
AND EDUCATION STRATEGY. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, in consulta-
tion with advocacy and behavioral and mental health orga-
nizations serving racial and ethnic minority groups, de-
velop and implement an outreach and education strategy 
to promote behavioral and mental health and reduce stig-
ma associated with mental health conditions and sub-
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stance use among racial and ethnic minority groups. Such 
strategy shall— 
‘‘(1) be designed to— 
‘‘(A) meet the diverse cultural and lan-
guage needs of the various racial and ethnic mi-
nority groups; and 
‘‘(B) be developmentally and age-appro-
priate; 
‘‘(2) increase awareness of symptoms of mental 
illnesses common among such groups, taking into 
account differences within at-risk subgroups; 
‘‘(3) provide information on evidence-based, cul-
turally and linguistically appropriate and adapted 
interventions and treatments; 
‘‘(4) ensure full participation of, and engage, 
both individuals receiving behavioral and mental 
health services and other community members, 
which may include adolescents and young adults, in 
the development and implementation of materials; 
and 
‘‘(5) seek to broaden the perspective among 
both individuals in racial and ethnic minority groups 
and communities serving such groups to use a com-
prehensive and integrated public health approach to 
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promoting behavioral health by focusing on the 
intersection between behavioral and physical health. 
‘‘(b) REPORTS.—Beginning not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this section, and annu-
ally thereafter for 5 years, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress, and make publicly available, a report on the ex-
tent to which the strategy developed and implemented 
under subsection (a) addressed behavioral and mental 
health outcomes associated with mental health conditions 
and substance use among racial and ethnic minority 
groups. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘racial 
and ethnic minority group’ has the meaning given to that 
term in section 1707(g). 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031.’’. 
SEC. 6. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF 
HEALTH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to amounts otherwise 
authorized to be appropriated to the National Institutes 
of Health, there is authorized to be appropriated to such 
Institutes $150,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 
through 2031 to— 
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(1) build relations with communities and con-
duct or support clinical research, including clinical 
research on racial or ethnic disparities in physical 
and mental health; and 
(2) to carry out the Strategic Framework For 
Addressing Youth Mental Health Disparities devel-
oped by the National Institute of Mental Health. 
(b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘clinical 
research’’ has the meaning given to such term in section 
409 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284d). 
SEC. 7. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON 
MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARI-
TIES. 
In addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be ap-
propriated to the National Institute on Minority Health 
and Health Disparities, there is authorized to be appro-
priated to such Institute $750,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2026 through 2031. 
Æ 
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