Help for Healing Communities Act
Bill: H.R.7537 | Sponsor: Rep. McBath, Lucy (D-GA)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Help for Healing Communities Act
This bill establishes a program through which the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration may award grants to support mental and behavioral health services for survivors of active shooter events and incidents of targeted violence. Eligible grant recipients include state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and nonprofits located in or serving a community that experienced an active shooter event or incident of targeted violence in the preceding fiscal year.

To amend title V of the Public Health Service Act to direct the 
 Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant 
 Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to establish a program 
  under which the Secretary will award grants to eligible entities to 
provide community-based mental health services in communities in which 
an active shooter event or incident of targeted violence occurred, 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 ``Help for Healing Communities Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR GUN VIOLENCE 
              SURVIVORS.

    Subpart 3 of part B of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 290bb-31 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 520A (42 
U.S.C. 290bb-32) the following:

``SEC. 520A-1. COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR GUN VIOLENCE 
              SURVIVORS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary (referred to in this section as the `Secretary'), shall 
establish a program under which the Secretary may award grants to 
eligible entities, to provide a means for communities in which an 
active shooter event or incident of targeted violence occurs--
            ``(1) to prioritize mental and behavioral health of 
        survivors of active shooter events and incidents of targeted 
        violence through establishing evidence-based, violence 
        prevention, and community engagement programs to support 
        survivors of such an event or incident; and
            ``(2) to ensure equitable access to high-quality trauma-
        informed behavioral health services through the use of 
        evidence-based materials, practices, programs and resources.
    ``(b) Eligible Entities.--An entity is eligible to receive a grant 
under this section if such entity is--
            ``(1)(A) a State, political subdivision of a State, an 
        Indian Tribe, or Tribal organization (as such terms are defined 
        in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education 
        Assistance Act);
            ``(B) a health facility, or a program operated by, or in 
        accordance with, a contract or grant with the Indian Health 
        Service; or
            ``(C) another public or private nonprofit entity; and
            ``(2) located in or serves a community in which an active 
        shooter event or incident of targeted violence has occurred in 
        the preceding fiscal year.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under 
this section may use funds received under such grant to--
            ``(1) provide racially, culturally, linguistically, and 
        gender-appropriate, evidence-based, and trauma-informed and 
        trauma-competent psychological supports to individuals who have 
        survived an active shooter event or incident of targeted 
        violence;
            ``(2) implement evidence-based violence prevention and 
        community engagement programs; and
            ``(3) implement programs to connect such survivors to the 
        supports described in paragraph (1).
    ``(d) Pre-Implementation Report on Selection Process.--Not later 
than 90 days before the date on which the Secretary establishes the 
program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
report detailing the selection process the Secretary shall use in 
making grants under such program.
    ``(e) Application.--An eligible entity seeking a grant under this 
section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
require, including--
            ``(1) an assessment of the need for mental and behavioral 
        health services for survivors of an active shooter event or 
        incident of targeted violence in the community involved;
            ``(2) a plan to implement the activities described in 
        subsection (c) during the period of the grant; and
            ``(3) a cost assessment with respect to implementing such 
        plan.
    ``(f) Consultation and Assistance.--In establishing the program 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) consult with nationally recognized organizations that 
        identify, support, and advocate for evidence-based, trauma-
        informed behavioral health services;
            ``(2) consult with nationally recognized organizations--
                    ``(A) with expertise in trauma-informed behavioral 
                health services, mental and behavioral health, or 
                violence interruption; and
                    ``(B) that identify, support, and advocate for 
                evidence-based prevention of, and intervention for, 
                trauma; and
            ``(3) provide technical assistance to grant recipients with 
        respect to the implementation and execution of activities 
        supported by a grant under this section.
    ``(g) Evaluation and Report.--
            ``(1) Evaluation.--Not later than 1 year after the date on 
        which the first grant is awarded and each year thereafter, the 
        Secretary shall coordinate with the entities described in 
        subsection (f)(2) to provide an evaluation of the success of 
        the grant program.
            ``(2) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the completion 
        of each evaluation under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
        submit to Congress, and make publicly available on the website 
        of the Department of Health and Human Services, a report on 
        such evaluation, including a recommendation on whether to 
        continue or expand the program.
    ``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `active shooter event' means an event in 
        which an individual is actively engaged in the unauthorized 
        killing or attempting to kill a person or persons in a confined 
        and populated area using a firearm.
            ``(2) The term `incident of targeted violence' means an 
        incident of violence in which an assailant identified a 
        particular target prior to such incident of violence, which may 
        be one or more individuals, a class or category of individuals, 
        or an institution, without regard to whether the chosen target 
        was harmed during such incident.
            ``(3) The term `State' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 534.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000, for the each of 
fiscal years 2023 through 2025.''.
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