I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 628 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend projects relating 
to children and violence to provide access to school-based comprehensive 
mental health programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 13, 2013 
Mrs. NAPOLITANO (for herself, Mr. BARBER, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, 
Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Ms. CHU, 
Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. COURTNEY, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. ELLI-
SON, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, 
Mr. HINOJOSA, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. KAPTUR, 
Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. MICHELLE 
LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. BEN RAY LUJA´N of New Mexico, 
Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Ms. MOORE, Mrs. NEGRETE MCLEOD, 
Mr. PASTOR of Arizona, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. PETERS of Michigan, 
Mr. RANGEL, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SCHIFF, 
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. SIRES, Ms. SLAUGHTER, 
Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. TONKO, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. 
VARGAS, Mr. VELA, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. WATERS, and Mr. WALZ) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend 
projects relating to children and violence to provide ac-
cess to school-based comprehensive mental health pro-
grams. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mental Health in 
Schools Act of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 
It is the purpose of this Act to— 
(1) revise, increase funding for, and expand the 
scope of the Safe Schools-Healthy Students program 
in order to provide access to more comprehensive 
school-based mental health services and supports; 
(2) provide for comprehensive staff development 
for school and community service personnel working 
in the school; and 
(3) provide for comprehensive training for chil-
dren with mental health disorders, for parents, sib-
lings, and other family members of such children, 
and for concerned members of the community. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE 
ACT. 
(a) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—The second part G 
(relating to services provided through religious organiza-
tions) of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290kk et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating such part as part J; and 
(2) by redesignating sections 581 through 584 
as sections 596 through 596C, respectively. 
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(b) SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND CHIL-
DREN AND VIOLENCE.—Section 581 of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290hh) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘SEC. 581. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND CHIL-
DREN AND VIOLENCE. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in collaboration 
with the Secretary of Education and in consultation with 
the Attorney General, shall, directly or through grants, 
contracts, or cooperative agreements awarded to public en-
tities and local education agencies, assist local commu-
nities and schools in applying a public health approach 
to mental health services both in schools and in the com-
munity. Such approach should provide comprehensive age 
appropriate services and supports, be linguistically and 
culturally appropriate, be trauma-informed, and incor-
porate age appropriate strategies of positive behavioral 
interventions and supports. A comprehensive school men-
tal health program funded under this section shall assist 
children in dealing with trauma and violence. 
‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—Under the program under sub-
section (a), the Secretary may— 
‘‘(1) provide financial support to enable local 
communities to implement a comprehensive cul-
turally and linguistically appropriate, trauma-in-
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formed, and age-appropriate, school mental health 
program that incorporates positive behavioral inter-
ventions, client treatment, and supports to foster the 
health and development of children; 
‘‘(2) provide technical assistance to local com-
munities with respect to the development of pro-
grams described in paragraph (1); 
‘‘(3) provide assistance to local communities in 
the development of policies to address child and ado-
lescent trauma and mental health issues and violence 
when and if it occurs; 
‘‘(4) facilitate community partnerships among 
families, students, law enforcement agencies, edu-
cation systems, mental health and substance use dis-
order service systems, family-based mental health 
service systems, welfare agencies, health care service 
systems (including physicians), faith-based pro-
grams, trauma networks, and other community- 
based systems; and 
‘‘(5) establish mechanisms for children and ado-
lescents to report incidents of violence or plans by 
other children, adolescents, or adults to commit vio-
lence. 
‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant, 
contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection 
(a), an entity shall— 
‘‘(A) be a partnership between a local edu-
cation agency and at least one community pro-
gram or agency that is involved in mental 
health; and 
‘‘(B) submit an application, that is en-
dorsed by all members of the partnership, that 
contains the assurances described in paragraph 
(2). 
‘‘(2) REQUIRED ASSURANCES.—An application 
under paragraph (1) shall contain assurances as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(A) That the applicant will ensure that, 
in carrying out activities under this section, the 
local educational agency involved will enter into 
a memorandum of understanding— 
‘‘(i) with, at least one, public or pri-
vate mental health entity, health care enti-
ty, law enforcement or juvenile justice enti-
ty, child welfare agency, family-based men-
tal health entity, family or family organiza-
tion, trauma network, or other community- 
based entity; and 
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‘‘(ii) that clearly states— 
‘‘(I) the responsibilities of each 
partner with respect to the activities 
to be carried out; 
‘‘(II) how each such partner will 
be accountable for carrying out such 
responsibilities; and 
‘‘(III) the amount of non-Federal 
funding or in-kind contributions that 
each such partner will contribute in 
order to sustain the program. 
‘‘(B) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section supports the flexible use of funds to ad-
dress— 
‘‘(i) the promotion of the social, emo-
tional, and behavioral health of all students 
in an environment that is conducive to 
learning; 
‘‘(ii) the reduction in the likelihood of 
at risk students developing social, emo-
tional, behavioral health problems, or sub-
stance use disorders; 
‘‘(iii) the early identification of social, 
emotional, behavioral problems, or sub-
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stance use disorders and the provision of 
early intervention services; 
‘‘(iv) the treatment or referral for 
treatment of students with existing social, 
emotional, behavioral health problems, or 
substance use disorders; and 
‘‘(v) the development and implementa-
tion of programs to assist children in deal-
ing with trauma and violence. 
‘‘(C) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section will provide for in-service training of all 
school personnel, including ancillary staff and 
volunteers, in— 
‘‘(i) the techniques and supports need-
ed to identify early children with trauma 
histories and children with, or at risk of, 
mental illness; 
‘‘(ii) the use of referral mechanisms 
that effectively link such children to appro-
priate treatment and intervention services 
in the school and in the community and to 
follow-up when services are not available; 
‘‘(iii) strategies that promote a school- 
wide positive environment; 
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‘‘(iv) strategies for promoting the so-
cial, emotional, mental, and behavioral 
health of all students; and 
‘‘(v) strategies to increase the knowl-
edge and skills of school and community 
leaders about the impact of trauma and vi-
olence and on the application of a public 
health approach to comprehensive school- 
based mental health programs. 
‘‘(D) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section will include comprehensive training for 
parents, siblings, and other family members of 
children with mental health disorders, and for 
concerned members of the community in— 
‘‘(i) the techniques and supports need-
ed to identify early children with trauma 
histories, and children with, or at risk of, 
mental illness; 
‘‘(ii) the use of referral mechanisms 
that effectively link such children to appro-
priate treatment and intervention services 
in the school and in the community and 
follow-up when such services are not avail-
able; and 
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‘‘(iii) strategies that promote a school- 
wide positive environment. 
‘‘(E) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section will demonstrate the measures to be 
taken to sustain the program after funding 
under this section terminates. 
‘‘(F) That the local education agency part-
nership involved is supported by the State edu-
cational and mental health system to ensure 
that the sustainability of the programs is estab-
lished after funding under this section termi-
nates. 
‘‘(G) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section will be based on trauma-informed and 
evidence-based practices. 
‘‘(H) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section will be coordinated with early inter-
vening activities carried out under the Individ-
uals with Disabilities Education Act. 
‘‘(I) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
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