Title: Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Assistance Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Assistance Act of 2020
This bill provides emergency funds for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to award grants to establish a network of entities that provide mental health and substance use disorder programs during, or in connection with, the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Eligible entities include tribes, qualified nonprofit organizations, and partnerships of two or more eligible entities. Grant funds may be used for initiating or expanding telehealth services, support groups, and other activities to provide individuals with counseling and other resources to assist in the management of mental health or substance use disorders.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6999 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6999

  To establish the Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Assistance 
                    Network, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2020

  Mr. Ryan (for himself and Mr. Katko) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
      addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish the Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Assistance 
                    Network, 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 ``Coronavirus Mental Health and 
Addiction Assistance Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. CORONAVIRUS MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION ASSISTANCE NETWORK.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary''), acting through the 
Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall make 
competitive grants to eligible entities described in subsection (c) to 
establish a Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Assistance Network 
that provides programs for assisting individuals in managing mental 
health and substance use disorders during or in connection to the 
COVID-19 pandemic.
    (b) Eligible Programs.--Grants awarded under subsection (a) may be 
used--
            (1) to initiate, expand, or sustain programs that provide 
        professional mental health and substance use disorder 
        counseling and referral for other forms of assistance as 
        necessary to assist in the management of mental health and 
        substance use disorders during or in connection to the COVID-19 
        pandemic, through--
                    (A) telephone helplines and websites;
                    (B) training, including training programs and 
                workshops;
                    (C) support groups;
                    (D) outreach and support activities, including the 
                dissemination of information, materials, and equipment 
                to clients for remote access to mental health and 
                substance use disorder services; and
                    (E) telehealth services; or
            (2) to enter into contracts, on a multiyear basis, with 
        community-based, direct-service organizations to initiate, 
        expand, or sustain programs described in paragraph (1) and 
        subsection (a).
    (c) Eligible Entities.--The Secretary may award a grant under this 
section to an entity that provides evidence-based services and is--
            (1) an Indian tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian 
        Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
        5304)) or an urban Indian organization (as defined in section 4 
        of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603));
            (2) a qualified nonprofit organization, as determined by 
        the Secretary;
            (3) an entity providing appropriate services, as determined 
        by the Secretary, in 1 or more States; or
            (4) a partnership carried out by 2 or more entities 
        described in any of paragraphs (1) through (3).
    (d) Funding.--
            (1) In general.--There is appropriated, out of amounts in 
        the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $100,000,000, for the 
        fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, to remain available 
        until expended, or until the date that is 1 year after the 
        conclusion of the public health emergency declared by the 
        Secretary under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 247d) on January 30, 2020, with respect to COVID-19, 
        whichever is earlier, for the purpose of carrying out this 
        section.
            (2) Emergency designation.--
                    (A) In general.--The amounts provided by paragraph 
                (1) are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant 
                to section 4(g) of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 
                2010 (2 U.S.C. 933(g)).
                    (B) Designation in senate.--In the Senate, this 
                subsection is designated as an emergency requirement 
                pursuant to section 4112(a) of H. Con. Res. 71 (115th 
                Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for 
                fiscal year 2018.
    (e) Report to Congress, Agencies, and Public.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the amount 
        appropriated under subsection (d) is no longer available, the 
        Secretary shall submit to Congress and any other relevant 
        Federal department or agency, and make publicly available, a 
        report describing the success of the Coronavirus Mental Health 
        and Addiction Assistance Network under this section in 
        assisting in managing mental health and substance use disorders 
        during or in connection to the COVID-19 pandemic.
            (2) Contents.--The report under paragraph (1) shall 
        include--
                    (A) an inventory and assessment of efforts, to 
                support individuals seeking to manage mental health and 
                substance use disorders during or in connection to the 
                COVID-19 pandemic, by--
                            (i) the Federal Government, States, and 
                        units of local government;
                            (ii) communities comprised of individuals 
                        seeking to manage mental health and substance 
                        use disorders during or in connection to the 
                        COVID-19 pandemic;
                            (iii) health care providers; and
                            (iv) other appropriate entities, as 
                        determined by the Secretary;
                    (B) a description of the challenges faced by 
                individuals seeking to manage mental health and 
                substance use disorders during or in connection to the 
                COVID-19 pandemic;
                    (C) a description of how the Secretary can improve 
                coordination and cooperation with other Federal health 
                departments and agencies, including other subagencies 
                of the Department of Health and Human Services such as 
                the Health Resources and Services Administration, the 
                Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the 
                National Institutes of Health, to best address the 
                mental health and substance use disorders of 
                individuals who are seeking to manage mental health and 
                substance use disorders during or in connection to the 
                COVID-19 pandemic; and
                    (D) an evaluation of the impact that mental health 
                and substance use disorder challenges and health 
                outcomes (including suicide) experienced during or in 
                connection to the COVID-19 pandemic have on--
                            (i) the health care workforce and 
                        occupations related to pandemic preparedness 
                        and response;
                            (ii) workforce readiness in new occupations 
                        for employees whose jobs became obsolete; and
                            (iii) community resilience.
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