I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3548 
To address mental health issues for youth, particularly youth of color, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 18, 2023 
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. BROWN, Ms. 
NORTON, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. CROCKETT, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. 
PAYNE, Mr. THANEDAR, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. LEE 
of California, Ms. OMAR, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. TONKO, Mr. TRONE, Ms. 
WILSON of Florida, Mr. MAGAZINER, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Ms. 
ESCOBAR, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. KIM of New 
Jersey, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, and Ms. BUDZINSKI) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce 
A BILL 
To address mental health issues for youth, particularly youth 
of color, 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 ‘‘Pursuing Equity in 
Mental Health Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. PRIMARY AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE GRANT 
PROGRAM. 
Section 520K of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290bb–42) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (d) through (i) 
as subsections (e) through (j), respectively; 
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION REGARDING SERV-
ICES FOR RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY GROUPS.—In 
awarding grants under subsection (b), the Secretary may, 
as appropriate, give special consideration to eligible enti-
ties serving a high proportion of racial and ethnic minority 
groups.’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)(2)(G), by striking ‘‘sub-
section (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (f)’’; 
(4) in subsection (h)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘subsection (g)’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘subsection (d)(2)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subsection (e)(2)’’; and 
(5) in subsection (j)(1) (as redesignated by 
paragraph (1)), by striking ‘‘$60,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2023 through 2027’’ and inserting 
‘‘$60,000,000 for fiscal year 2023 and $80,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029’’. 
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SEC. 3. ADDRESSING RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY MEN-
TAL HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH GAPS. 
Not later than 9 months after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Director of the National Institutes 
of Health, in consultation with the Director of the Na-
tional Institute of Mental Health and the Assistant Sec-
retary of Substance Use and Mental Health, shall enter 
into an arrangement with the National Academies of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (or, if the National 
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine decline 
to enter into such an arrangement, the Patient-Centered 
Outcomes Research Institute, the Agency for Healthcare 
Research and Quality, or another appropriate entity)— 
(1) to conduct a study with respect to mental 
health disparities research gaps in racial and ethnic 
minority groups (as defined in section 1707(g) of 
the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u– 
6(g))); and 
(2) to submit to the Congress a report on the 
results of such study, including— 
(A) a compilation of information on the 
prevalence of mental health outcomes in such 
racial and ethnic minority groups; and 
(B) an assessment of information on the 
impact of exposure to community violence, ad-
verse childhood experiences, structural bias, and 
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other psychological traumas on mental health 
outcomes in such racial and minority groups. 
SEC. 4. HEALTH PROFESSIONS COMPETENCIES TO AD-
DRESS RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY MEN-
TAL HEALTH DISPARITIES. 
Section 597 of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290ll) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 
subsections (c) and (d), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) BEST PRACTICES; CORE COMPETENCIES.—An 
individual or entity receiving a grant under subsection (a) 
may use the funds to engage in the following activities 
related to the development and dissemination of best prac-
tices or core competencies addressing mental health dis-
parities among racial and ethnic minority groups for use 
in the training of students in the professions of social 
work, psychology, psychiatry, addiction medicine, mar-
riage and family therapy, mental health counseling, and 
substance misuse counseling: 
‘‘(1) Formation of committees or working 
groups comprised of experts from accredited health 
professions schools to identify best practices and 
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core competencies relating to mental health dispari-
ties among racial and ethnic minority groups. 
‘‘(2) Planning of workshops in national fora to 
allow for public input into the educational needs as-
sociated with mental health disparities among racial 
and ethnic minority groups. 
‘‘(3) Dissemination and promotion of the use of 
best practices or core competencies in undergraduate 
and graduate health professions training programs 
nationwide. 
‘‘(4) Establishing external advisory boards to 
provide meaningful input into policy and program 
development and best practices to reduce mental 
health disparities among racial and ethnic minority 
groups.’’. 
SEC. 5. RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY BEHAVIORAL AND 
MENTAL 
HEALTH 
OUTREACH 
AND 
EDU-
CATION STRATEGY. 
Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 290dd et seq.) is amended by inserting after 
section 552 (42 U.S.C. 290ee–7) of such Act the following: 
‘‘SEC. 554. BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH 
AND EDUCATION STRATEGY. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, in consulta-
tion with advocacy and behavioral and mental health orga-
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nizations serving racial and ethnic minority groups, de-
velop and implement an outreach and education strategy 
to promote behavioral and mental health and reduce stig-
ma associated with mental health conditions and sub-
stance use among racial and ethnic minority groups. Such 
strategy shall— 
‘‘(1) be designed to— 
‘‘(A) meet the diverse cultural and lan-
guage needs of the various racial and ethnic mi-
nority groups; and 
‘‘(B) be developmentally and age-appro-
priate; 
‘‘(2) increase awareness of symptoms of mental 
illnesses common among such groups, taking into 
account differences within at-risk subgroups; 
‘‘(3) provide information on evidence-based, cul-
turally and linguistically appropriate and adapted 
interventions and treatments; 
‘‘(4) ensure full participation of, and engage, 
both consumers and community members, which 
may include adolescents and young adults, in the de-
velopment and implementation of materials; and 
‘‘(5) seek to broaden the perspective among 
both individuals in these groups and communities 
serving these groups to use a comprehensive and in-
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tegrated public health approach to promoting behav-
ioral health by focusing on the intersection between 
behavioral and physical health. 
‘‘(b) REPORTS.—Beginning not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of this section and annu-
ally thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress, 
and make publicly available, a report on the extent to 
which the strategy developed and implemented under sub-
section (a) addressed behavioral and mental health out-
comes associated with mental health conditions and sub-
stance use among racial and ethnic minority groups. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘racial 
and ethnic minority group’ has the meaning given to that 
term in section 1707(g). 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029.’’. 
SEC. 6. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF 
HEALTH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to amounts otherwise 
authorized to be appropriated to the National Institutes 
of Health, there is authorized to be appropriated to such 
Institutes $150,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 
through 2029 to— 
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(1) build relations with communities and con-
duct or support clinical research, including clinical 
research on racial or ethnic disparities in physical 
and mental health; and 
(2) to carry out the Strategic Framework For 
Addressing Youth Mental Health Disparities devel-
oped by the National Institute of Mental Health. 
(b) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘clinical 
research’’ has the meaning given to such term in section 
409 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284d). 
SEC. 7. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON 
MINORITY HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARI-
TIES. 
In addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be ap-
propriated to the National Institute on Minority Health 
and Health Disparities, there is authorized to be appro-
priated to such Institute $750,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2024 through 2029. 
SEC. 8. TECHNICAL CORRECTION. 
Title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
290aa et seq.) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating the second section 550 (42 
U.S.C. 290ee–10) (relating to Sobriety Treatment 
And Recovery Teams) as section 553; and 
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