I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3817 
To increase language access to behavioral health services at eligible health 
centers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 5, 2023 
Ms. MENG (for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Ms. CLARKE of New York) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To increase language access to behavioral health services 
at eligible 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 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM TO INCREASE LAN-
GUAGE ACCESS AT ELIGIBLE HEALTH CEN-
TERS. 
(a) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall carry out a dem-
onstration program consisting of awarding grants to eligi-
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ble health centers to recruit, hire, employ, and supervise 
qualified behavioral health professionals who— 
(1) are proficient in speaking and under-
standing both spoken English and at least one other 
spoken language, including any necessary specialized 
vocabulary, terminology, and phraseology; 
(2) are able to effectively, accurately, and im-
partially communicate directly with limited English 
proficient individuals in their primary language; and 
(3) are, or will be, employed— 
(A) directly by the eligible health center; or 
(B) through a contract between the eligible 
health center and the qualified behavioral 
health professional under which such profes-
sional provides services as part of the eligible 
health center’s workforce or under supervision 
by the health center, in order to provide behav-
ioral health services in another language. 
(b) PREFERENCE.—In selecting grant recipients 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give preference 
to eligible health centers at which at least 10 percent of 
the patients are best served in a language other than 
English, as indicated by data in the Uniform Data System 
of the Health Resources and Services Administration (or 
any successor database). 
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(c) OUTREACH.—An eligible health center receiving 
a grant under this section shall use a portion of the grant 
funds to disseminate information about the behavioral 
health services supported through the grant. 
(d) REPORTS.— 
(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 6 months 
after the first grants are awarded under subsection 
(a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Appropriations and the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Sen-
ate, and other appropriate congressional committees, 
a report on the implementation of the program 
under this section. Such report shall include— 
(A) the languages spoken by the qualified 
behavioral health professionals recruited pursu-
ant to a grant under subsection (a); 
(B) the eligible health center at which each 
such professional was placed; 
(C) how many eligible health centers re-
ceived grants under subsection (a); 
(D) an analysis, conducted in consultation 
with the eligible health centers receiving grants 
under subsection (a), of the effectiveness of 
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