Title: Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Act
This bill authorizes competitive grants to enhance services for school-aged youth with mental and behavioral health issues that can lead to poor academic performance, depression, and other negative outcomes.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) may award the grants to state or local educational agencies or Indian tribes. SAMHSA must ensure geographic representation, including with respect to rural areas, in the distribution of grant funds.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3628 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3628

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a 
   grant program to promote comprehensive mental health and suicide 
         prevention efforts in schools, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 10, 2022

  Ms. Rosen (for herself and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a 
   grant program to promote comprehensive mental health and suicide 
         prevention efforts in schools, 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 ``Youth Mental Health and Suicide 
Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. COORDINATED PROMOTION OF SCHOOL COMPREHENSIVE MENTAL HEALTH AND 
              SUICIDE PREVENTION PLANS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the 
Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration, may carry out a program to award 
grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to enhance 
services for school-age youth with mental health and behavioral health 
issues that can lead to low academic proficiency, low rates of school 
attendance and graduation, and other negative outcomes, including 
depression, substance abuse, and suicide attempts.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible for a grant under this section, an 
eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application in such 
form, at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary 
determines appropriate, including, at a minimum--
            (1) a description of identified mental health and 
        behavioral health needs of school-age youth served by such 
        eligible entity;
            (2) a description of revenue from Federal, State, local, 
        private, and institutional sources the eligible entity has 
        available to address the needs described in paragraph (1);
            (3) a description of the eligible entity's proposed plan 
        for using the grant funds to increase access to evidence-based 
        mental and behavioral health services;
            (4) a description of the eligible entity's proposed plan 
        for improving mental health equity and assisting school-age 
        youth most in need of mental health services;
            (5) a description of how such eligible entity will involve, 
        as appropriate, school-age youth and peer representatives in 
        the planning, implementation, and evaluation processes related 
        to the use of grant funds and for purposes of achieving mental 
        health equity;
            (6) a description of how such eligible entity will support 
        other school-age youth and the school community if a school-age 
        youth attempts suicide or dies by suicide;
            (7) a plan to--
                    (A) implement the activities described in 
                subsection (c); and
                    (B) evaluate the outcomes of such activities; and
            (8) an assurance that such eligible entity will submit to 
        the Secretary, for each fiscal year in which grant funds are 
        used, a report with respect to--
                    (A) the activities carried out under subsection 
                (c); and
                    (B) the outcomes of such activities, reported in 
                accordance with the requirements of section 444 of the 
                General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g; 
                commonly known as the ``Family Educational Rights and 
                Privacy Act of 1974'').
    (c) Allowable Uses of Grant Funds.--A grant awarded under this 
section may be used by an eligible entity for--
            (1) evaluating existing program activities and prevention 
        strategies;
            (2) educational seminars;
            (3) educational awareness campaign materials for school-age 
        youth, families of school-age youth, and school staff to 
        increase the awareness of potential mental and behavioral 
        health issues of school-age youth;
            (4) peer-to-peer program support;
            (5) programs that assist schools in adopting a public 
        health approach to mental health;
            (6) social media applications used for mental and 
        behavioral health purposes, such as suicide risk and mental 
        health screenings;
            (7) providing mental health services for school-age youth 
        through telehealth;
            (8) training programs for school-age youth and teachers, 
        school leaders, and other school personnel to learn to respond 
        effectively to school-age youth with mental health and 
        behavioral health issues that can lead to low academic 
        proficiency, low rates of school attendance and graduation, and 
        other negative outcomes, including depression, substance abuse, 
        and suicide attempts; and
            (9) providing culturally specific mental health and 
        substance use education and prevention programs for school-age 
        youth.
    (d) Geographical Representation.--In awarding grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall ensure that grant funds are distributed 
with the greatest possible geographical representation, including to 
State and local educational agencies that serve rural areas.
    (e) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may provide technical 
assistance to grantees in carrying out this section.
    (f) Study and Report.--
            (1) Study.--For each fiscal year during which grants are 
        awarded under this section, the Secretary shall conduct a study 
        on the results of the grant program.
            (2) Report.--For each study conducted under paragraph (1), 
        the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the results 
        of such study, including--
                    (A) an evaluation of the outcomes of the grant 
                program, including a summary of activities carried out 
                by eligible entities and the results of such 
                activities; and
                    (B) recommendations with respect to improving 
                access to mental health and behavioral heath services 
                at schools, including efforts to reduce the occurrence 
                of suicide and substance abuse.
    (g) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a local educational agency;
                    (B) a State educational agency; or
                    (C) an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization.
            (2) ESEA terms.--The terms ``local educational agency'' and 
        ``State educational agency'' have the meanings given such terms 
        in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
        of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (3) Indian tribe; tribal organization.--The terms ``Indian 
        Tribe'' and ``Tribal organization'' have the meanings given the 
        terms ``Indian tribe'' and ``tribal organization'', 
        respectively, in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 
        Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
            (4) School-age youth.--The term ``school-age youth'' 
        means--
                    (A) individuals between the ages of 5 and 17, 
                inclusive; and
                    (B) children with disabilities, as defined in 
                section 602(3) of the Individuals with Disabilities 
                Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401(3)), who receive services 
                under part B of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1411 et seq.).
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Education and the heads of other appropriate 
        agencies.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
            (2) Set-aside.--Of the amount appropriated to carry out 
        this section for a fiscal year, 10 percent shall be reserved 
        for grants to eligible entities that serve Indian Tribes or 
        Tribal organizations.
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