I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2647 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve mental health and 
substance abuse services for juveniles. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 11, 2007 
Mr. JEFFERSON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve mental 
health and substance abuse services for juveniles. 
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 and 
Substance Abuse Juvenile Services Improvement Act of 
2007’’. 
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SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, ADO-
LESCENTS, AND THEIR FAMILIES. 
Title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
290aa et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 520A 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 520B. MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, 
ADOLESCENTS, AND THEIR FAMILIES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In cooperation with the Sec-
retary of Education, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services shall support either directly or through grants, 
contracts, or cooperative agreements with public entities 
programs to promote mental health among all children, 
from birth through adolescence, and their families and to 
provide early intervention services to ameliorate identified 
mental health problems in such children. 
‘‘(b) EQUITABLE
DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary 
shall provide for an equitable distribution of grants, con-
tracts, and cooperative agreements by region, to include 
urban, suburban, and rural regions, including Native 
American communities. 
‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants, contracts, and 
cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to those applicants who— 
‘‘(1) provide a comprehensive, community- 
based, culturally competent and developmentally ap-
propriate prevention and early intervention program 
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that provides for the identification of early mental 
health problems and promotes the mental health and 
enhances the resiliency of children from birth 
through adolescence and of their families; 
‘‘(2) incorporate families, schools, and commu-
nities in an integral role in the program; 
‘‘(3) coordinate behavioral health care services, 
interventions, and supports in traditional and non- 
traditional settings and provide a continuum of care 
for children from birth through adolescence and for 
their families; 
‘‘(4) provide public health education to improve 
the public’s understanding of healthy emotional de-
velopment; 
‘‘(5) provide training, technical assistance, con-
sultation, and support for community service pro-
viders, school personnel, families, and children to 
promote healthy emotional development and enhance 
resiliency in children from birth through adolescence; 
‘‘(6) increase the resources available to such 
programs and provide for their sustainability by re-
quiring a commitment on the part of local commu-
nities in which the programs provide services; 
‘‘(7) provide for the evaluation of programs op-
erating under this section to ensure that they are 
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providing intended services in an efficient and effec-
tive manner; and 
‘‘(8) provide school-based mental health assess-
ment and treatment services conducted by a mental 
health professional (who may be a school counselor, 
school nurse, school psychologist, clinical psycholo-
gist, or school social worker) in public elementary or 
secondary schools. 
‘‘(d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—A condition for an 
award under subsection (a) is that the entity involved 
agrees that the entity will, with respect to the costs to 
be incurred by the entity in carrying out the purpose de-
scribed in such subsection, make available (directly or 
through donations from public or private entities) non- 
Federal contributions toward such costs in an amount that 
is not less than $1 for each $3 of Federal funds provided 
in the award. 
‘‘(e) DURATIONS OF GRANTS.—With respect to an 
award under subsection (a), the period during which pay-
ments under such award are made to the recipient may 
not exceed 5 years. 
‘‘(f) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall ensure that 
entities receiving awards under subsection (a) carry out 
an evaluation of the project, including an evaluation of the 
effectiveness of program strategies, and short, inter-
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mediate, and long-term outcomes including the program’s 
overall impact on strengthening families with young chil-
dren and creating environments in home, school, and com-
munity settings that promote healthy emotional develop-
ment and reduce incipient mental health and substance 
abuse problems. Local educational agencies receiving such 
awards shall ensure that the schools receiving these funds 
maintain an average ratio of one certified or licensed— 
‘‘(1) school counselor for every 150 students; 
‘‘(2) school nurse for every 350 students; 
‘‘(3) school psychologist for every 500 students; 
and 
‘‘(4) school social worker for every 400 stu-
dents. 
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘mental health’ means a state of 
successful performance of mental function, resulting 
in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with 
other people, and the ability to adapt to change and 
cope with adversity. 
‘‘(2) The term ‘mental illness’ refers to all 
diagnosable mental disorders (health conditions 
characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or 
behavior or some combination thereof) associated 
with distress or impaired functioning or both. 
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‘‘(3) The term ‘mental health problem’ refers to 
symptoms of insufficient intensity or duration to 
meet the criteria for any mental disorder. 
‘‘(4)(A) The term ‘mental health professional’ 
refers to a qualified counselor, nurse, psychologist, 
or social worker. 
‘‘(B) The terms ‘school counselor’, ‘school 
nurse’, ‘school psychologist’, and ‘school social work-
er’ mean an individual who possesses licensure or 
certification in the State involved, and who meets 
professional standards for practice in schools and re-
lated settings, as a school counselor, school nurse, 
school psychologist, or school social worker, respec-
tively. 
‘‘(5) The term ‘public entity’ means any State, 
any political subdivision of a State, including any 
local educational agency, and any Indian tribe or 
tribal organization (as defined in section 4(b) and 
section 4(c) of the Indian Self-Determination and 
Education Assistance Act). 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATION.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$300,000,000 for fiscal year 2008 and such sums as are 
necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 and 2010. These 
funds are authorized to be used to carry out the provisions 
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of this section and cannot be utilized to supplement or 
supplant funding provided for other mental health services 
programs.’’. 
SEC. 3. INITIATIVE FOR COMPREHENSIVE, INTERSYSTEM 
MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE 
TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR JUVENILES. 
Subpart 3 of part B of title V of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb–31 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 520K INITIATIVE FOR COMPREHENSIVE, INTER-
SYSTEM MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE 
ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAMS FOR JUVE-
NILES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Attorney General of the 
United States and the Secretary, acting through the Di-
rector of the Center for Mental Health Services, shall 
award competitive grants to eligible entities for programs 
that address the service needs of juveniles, including juve-
niles with serious mental illnesses, by requiring the State 
or local juvenile justice system, the mental health system, 
and the substance abuse treatment system to work col-
laboratively to ensure— 
‘‘(1) the appropriate diversion of such juveniles 
from incarceration; 
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‘‘(2) the provision of appropriate mental health 
and substance abuse services as an alternative to in-
carceration, including for those juveniles on proba-
tion or parole; and 
‘‘(3) the provision of follow-up services for juve-
niles who are discharged from the juvenile justice 
system. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, an entity shall— 
‘‘(1) be a State or local juvenile justice agency, 
mental health agency, or substance abuse agency 
(including community diversion programs); 
‘‘(2) prepare and submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may re-
quire, including— 
‘‘(A) an assurance that the applicant has 
the consent of all entities described in para-
graph (1) in carrying out and coordinating ac-
tivities under the grant; and 
‘‘(B) with respect to services for juveniles, 
an assurance that the applicant has collabo-
rated with the State or local educational agency 
and the State or local welfare agency in car-
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rying out and coordinating activities under the 
grant; 
‘‘(3) be given priority if the entity submits its 
application jointly with juvenile justice and sub-
stance abuse or mental health agencies; and 
‘‘(4) ensure that funds from non-Federal 
sources are available to match amounts provided 
under the grant in an amount that is not less 
than— 
‘‘(A) with respect to the first 3 years 
under the grant, 10 percent of the amount pro-
vided under the grant; and 
‘‘(B) with respect to the fourth and fifth 
years under the grant, 30 percent of the 
amount provided under the grant. 
‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) INITIAL YEAR.—An entity that receives a 
grant under this section shall, in the first fiscal year 
in which amounts are provided under the grant, use 
such amounts to develop a collaborative plan— 
‘‘(A) describing how the entity will insti-
tute a system to provide intensive community 
services— 
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‘‘(i) to prevent high-risk juveniles 
from coming in contact with the justice 
system; and 
‘‘(ii) to meet the mental health and 
substance abuse treatment needs of juve-
niles on probation or recently discharged 
from the justice system; and 
‘‘(B) providing for the exchange by agen-
cies of information to enhance the provision of 
mental health or substance abuse services to ju-
veniles. 
‘‘(2) SECOND THROUGH FIFTH YEARS.—With 
respect to the second through fifth fiscal years in 
which amounts are provided under the grant, the 
grantee shall use amounts provided under the 
grant— 
‘‘(A) to furnish services, such as assertive 
community treatment, wrap-around services for 
juveniles, multisystemic therapy, outreach, inte-
grated mental health and substance abuse 
treatment, case management, health care, edu-
cation and job training, assistance in securing 
stable housing, finding a job or obtaining in-
come support, other benefits, access to appro-
priate school-based services, transitional and 
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