I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5937 
To increase language access to mental health services at certain health 
centers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 9, 2021 
Ms. MENG (for herself, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. NADLER, Ms. BASS, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. TAKANO, 
Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. MFUME, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. LIEU, Ms. 
BARRAGA´N, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. SIRES, Mr. RASKIN, Mrs. FLETCHER, 
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. TRONE, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. MAT-
SUI, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, and Ms. CHU) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce 
A BILL 
To increase language access to mental health services at 
certain health centers, 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 Work-
force and Language Access Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO INCREASE LANGUAGE ACCESS 
AT FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CEN-
TERS. 
(a) LOAN REPAYMENTS
TO QUALIFIED HEALTH 
CARE PROFESSIONALS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose of increas-
ing language access to mental health services, the 
Secretary shall carry out a demonstration project 
under which— 
(A) the Secretary matches qualified mental 
health professionals with Federally qualified 
health centers; 
(B) the qualified mental health profes-
sionals each agree to a period of obligated serv-
ice at a Federally qualified health center with 
which they are so matched; and 
(C) the Secretary agrees to make loan re-
payments under section 338B of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1) on be-
half of such qualified mental health profes-
sionals. 
(2) PREFERENCE.—In matching qualified men-
tal health professionals with Federally qualified 
health centers under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall give preference to placement at Federally quali-
fied health centers at which at least 20 percent of 
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the patients are best served in a language other than 
English, as indicated by data in the Uniform Data 
System (or any successor database). 
(3) ENHANCED
COMPENSATION.—For each 
year of obligated service that a qualified mental 
health professional contracts to serve under para-
graph (1) at a Federally qualified health center at 
which at least 20 percent of the patients are best 
served in a language other than English, as indi-
cated by data in the Uniform Data System (or any 
successor database), the Secretary may pay the 
higher of— 
(A) $10,000 above the maximum amount 
otherwise 
applicable 
under 
section 
338B(g)(2)(A) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 254l–1(g)(2)(A)); or 
(B) if the qualified health professional is 
fluent in a language other than English that is 
needed by such Federally qualified health cen-
ter, $15,000 above such maximum amount. 
(4) ACHIEVING FLUENCY.—A qualified mental 
health professional subject to the pay amount speci-
fied in paragraph (3)(A) at the beginning of the pro-
fessional’s period of obligated service may transition 
to being subject to the higher pay amount specified 
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in paragraph (3)(B) if the professional is determined 
by the Federally qualified health center at which the 
professional serves to have achieved fluency in a lan-
guage other than English needed by that health cen-
ter. 
(b) GRANTS TO HEALTH CENTERS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 
out a demonstration program consisting of awarding 
grants under section 330 of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act (42 U.S.C. 254b) to Federally qualified 
health centers to recruit, hire, employ, and supervise 
qualified mental health professionals who are fluent 
in a language other than English to provide mental 
health services in such other language. 
(2) PREFERENCE.—In selecting grant recipi-
ents under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give 
preference to Federally qualified health centers at 
which at least 20 percent of the patients are best 
served in a language other than English, as indi-
cated by data in the Uniform Data System (or any 
successor database). 
(3) MARKETING.—A Federally qualified health 
center receiving a grant under this subsection shall 
use a portion of the grant funds to disseminate in-
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formation about, and otherwise market, the mental 
health services supported through the grant. 
(c) REPORTS.— 
(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 6 months 
after the first loan repayment awards have been 
made under subsection (a) and the first grants have 
been awarded under subsection (b), the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate, and to 
other appropriate congressional committees, a report 
on the implementation of the programs under this 
section. Such report shall include— 
(A) the languages spoken by the qualified 
mental health professionals receiving loan re-
payments pursuant to subsection (a) or re-
cruited pursuant to a grant under subsection 
(b); 
(B) the Federally qualified health centers 
at which such professionals were placed; 
(C) how many Federally qualified health 
centers received funding through the grant pro-
gram under subsection (b); 
(D) an analysis, conducted in consultation 
with the Federally qualified health centers re-
ceiving grants under section (b), of the effec-
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tiveness of such grants at increasing language 
access to mental health services; and 
(E) best practices, developed in consulta-
tion with Federally qualified health centers re-
ceiving grants under section (b), for the recruit-
ment and retention of mental health profes-
sionals at Federally qualified health centers. 
(2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than the end of 
fiscal year 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate, and to other appro-
priate congressional committees, a final report on 
the implementation of the programs under this sec-
tion, including the information, analysis, and best 
practices listed in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of 
paragraph (1). 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘Federally qualified health cen-
ter’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x(aa)). 
(2) The term ‘‘qualified mental health profes-
sional’’ means— 
(A) physicians, allopathic physicians, osteo-
pathic physicians, nurse practitioners, and phy-
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sician assistants with a specialty in mental 
health and psychiatry; 
(B) health service psychologists; 
(C) licensed clinical social workers; 
(D) psychiatric nurse specialists; 
(E) marriage and family therapists; 
(F) licensed professional counselors; 
(G) substance use disorder counselors; 
(H) occupational therapists; and 
(I) other individuals who— 
(i) have not yet been licensed or cer-
tified to serve as a professional listed in 
any of subparagraphs (A) through (H); 
and 
(ii) will serve at the Federally quali-
fied health center under the supervision of 
a licensed individual or certified profes-
sional so listed. 
(3) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 
of Health and Human Services. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $75,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 
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(2) SUPPLEMENT
NOT
SUPPLANT.—Amounts 
made available to carry out this section shall be in 
addition to amounts otherwise available to provide 
mental health services at Federally qualified health 
centers pursuant to sections 338B and 330 of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254l–1, 254b). 
Æ 
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