I 
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 Work-
force, 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 com-
mittee 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 Representa-
tives 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’’. 
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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 behav-
ioral health of students in elementary schools and sec-
ondary 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 pro-
gram. 
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(B) rural elementary schools and sec-
ondary 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 estab-
lish 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 in-
clude information that would reveal personally iden-
tifiable information about an individual student)— 
(A) on the number of students in elemen-
tary schools and secondary schools receiving 
health care (including behavioral and mental 
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health services) through a telehealth program; 
and 
(B) on the number of such students receiv-
ing 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 pro-
vider’’— 
(A) subject to subparagraph (B), includes 
a university health care system; and 
(B) excludes any provider that does not ac-
cept payment under a State plan (or waiver of 
such plan) under title XIX of the Social Secu-
rity 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 partner-
ship between— 
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(A) a local educational agency or a consor-
tium 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 tech-
nologies 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. 
Æ 
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