I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6076 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through 
the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, 
to establish a grant program to be known as the Mental Health Licensure 
Portability Program to award grants to eligible entities, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 23, 2021 
Mr. NEGUSE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Administrator of the Health Re-
sources and Services Administration, to establish a grant 
program to be known as the Mental Health Licensure 
Portability Program to award grants to eligible entities, 
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 ‘‘Compacts, Access, and 
Responsible Expansion for Mental Health Professionals 
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Act’’ or the ‘‘C.A.R.E. for Mental Health Professionals 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH LICENSURE PORTABILITY PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, acting through the Adminis-
trator, shall establish a grant program to be known as the 
Mental Health Licensure Portability Program to award 
grants to eligible entities for projects to— 
(1) incentivize counselors to practice in States 
that have entered into interstate compacts for the 
purpose of expanding the workforce of credentialed 
mental health professionals; and 
(2) develop, operate, or maintain interstate 
compact commissions authorized to effectuate the 
provisions of interstate compacts entered into by 
such States. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Health Re-
sources and Services Administration. 
(2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘commission’’ 
means a joint interstate governmental agency com-
prised of States that have entered into an interstate 
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compact for the purpose of implementing, facili-
tating, and effectuating provisions of such interstate 
compact. 
(3) COUNSELOR.—The term ‘‘counselor’’ means 
a licensed professional that is trained to give guid-
ance to individuals, families, and groups with respect 
to personal, social, or psychological problems. 
(4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means a professional, psychiatric, psychological, 
or pediatric counseling interstate compact commis-
sion or licensure board of a State that is partici-
pating in an occupational licensure interstate com-
pact. 
(5) INTERSTATE COMPACT.—The term ‘‘com-
pact’’ means an occupational licensure agreement 
enacted by 2 or more States that is based on the 
mutual recognition of professional qualifications 
through criteria stipulated in such agreement, in 
which a State agrees to recognize the issuance of a 
license by another State to a counselor, psychiatrist, 
psychologist, or pediatric mental health professional. 
(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 6501 of title 31, 
United States Code. 
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(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 
carry out this Act such sums as may be necessary for each 
of fiscal years 2023 through 2026. 
Æ 
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