I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4025 
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 
JULY 25, 2019 
Mr. FITZPATRICK (for himself and Ms. WILD) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
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 2019’’. 
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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) 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 to students who are eligi-
ble for Federal Pell Grants to inform such students 
of the program under this section. 
(e) PARTICIPATING STUDENTS.— 
(1) REPAYMENT.—A participating student that 
accepts a contribution under this section shall reim-
burse the Department of Education and the eligible 
graduate school for all contributions made by such 
entities to such student as if such contributions were 
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a loan under part D of title IV of the Higher Edu-
cation Act (20 U.S.C. 1087a) if the student— 
(A) withdraws or is removed from the 
graduate degree program for which the student 
received such contributions; or 
(B) except as provided in paragraph (2) 
and subject to paragraph (3), graduates, but is 
not employed as a school-based mental health 
services provider in the 5-year period after 
graduation. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—For purposes of calculating 
the 5-year period after graduation under paragraph 
(1)(C), the Secretary may not count any period of 
less than 2 years in which the participating stu-
dent— 
(A) takes leave under the Family and Med-
ical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et 
seq.); 
(B) serves under active duty in the Armed 
Forces; 
(C) takes maternity or paternity leave; or 
(D) any combination of subparagraphs (A) 
through (C). 
(3) RATABLE
REDUCTION.—A participating 
student described in paragraph (1)(C) who was em-
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ployed as a school-based mental health services pro-
vider for less than 5 years during the 5-year period 
after graduation shall reimburse the Department of 
Education and the eligible graduate school the 
amount that bears the same proportion to all con-
tributions made by such entities as the amount of 
time such participating student was employed as a 
school-based mental health services provider during 
such 5-year period bears to such 5-year period. 
(f) 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— 
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(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 
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 
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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-
rolled in a graduate degree in a school-based mental 
health field from a participating eligible graduate in-
stitution. 
(5) SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH FIELD.— 
The term ‘‘school-based mental health field’’ means 
each of the following fields: 
(A) School counseling. 
(B) School social work. 
(C) School psychology. 
(D) Any other field of study that leads to 
employment as a school-based mental health 
services provider, as determined by the Sec-
retary. 
(6) SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES 
PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘school-based mental health 
services provider’’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 4102 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7112). 
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(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
Æ 
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