C.A.R.E. for Mental Health Professionals Act
Bill: S.4058 | Sponsor: Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. (I-ME)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Compacts, Access, and Responsible Expansion for Mental Health Professionals Act or the C.A.R.E. for Mental Health Professionals Act
This bill establishes a grant program to promote interstate licensure compacts for mental health professionals. These are licensure agreements enacted by two or more states to mutually recognize the licenses of counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, or pediatric mental health professionals.
The Health Resources and Services Administration must award grants to interstate compact commissions or professional licensing boards. Recipients may use grants for projects to (1) incentivize mental health professionals to practice in states with interstate licensure compacts, and (2) develop or maintain interstate compact commissions.

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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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 Act'' or the ``C.A.R.E. for 
Mental Health Professionals Act''.

SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH LICENSURE PORTABILITY PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Administrator, 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 ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 
        Administration.
            (2) Commission.--The term ``commission'' means a joint 
        interstate governmental agency comprised of States that have 
        entered into an interstate compact for the purpose of 
        implementing, facilitating, and effectuating provisions of such 
        interstate compact.
            (3) Counselor.--The term ``counselor'' means a licensed 
        professional that is trained to give guidance to individuals, 
        families, and groups with respect to personal, social, or 
        psychological problems.
            (4) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        professional, psychiatric, psychological, or pediatric 
        counseling interstate compact commission or licensure board of 
        a State that is participating in an occupational licensure 
        interstate compact.
            (5) Interstate compact.--The term ``compact'' 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 meaning given the 
        term in section 6501 of title 31, United States Code.
    (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.
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