Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act

Bill: 117-s-4970
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2022-09-28
Policy area: Education
Latest action: action_date: 2022-09-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-09-28
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act</b></p> <p>This bill requires the Department of Education to encourage institutions of higher education&nbsp;to develop and implement comprehensive campus mental health and suicide prevention plans.</p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 4970 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 28, 2022 Mr. Blumenthal (for himself, Mr. Scott of South Carolina , Mr. Murphy , Mrs. Capito , Mr. Bennet , and Mr. Cassidy ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to promote comprehensive campus mental health and suicide prevention plans, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act . 2. Encouraging campus comprehensive mental health and suicide prevention plans Part L of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1161l et seq. ) is amended— (1) by redesignating section 826 as section 827; and (2) by inserting after section 825 the following new section: 826. Encouraging campus comprehensive mental health and suicide prevention plans (a) In general The Secretary shall make efforts to encourage institutions of higher education to develop and implement comprehensive campus mental health and suicide prevention plans. Such efforts— (1) shall be conducted in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration); (2) shall align with— (A) the efforts of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, specifically the Center’s model of nine strategies that form a comprehensive approach to suicide prevention; (B) the 21st Century Cures Act ( Public Law 114–225 ); and (C) the programs authorized under the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act ( 42 U.S.C. 201 note; Public Law 108–355 ); (3) shall take into consideration existing State efforts to address mental health and suicide prevention at institutions of higher education; and (4) may be carried out in collaboration with nonprofit organizations and other experts and stakeholders in the field of campus mental health and suicide prevention. (b) Reports The Secretary, or a designee of the Secretary, shall report to Congress on the efforts of the Secretary carried out under this section— (1) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act ; and (2) 3 years after the date of enactment of such Act. (c) Construction Nothing in this section shall be construed as creating new statutory requirements for institutions of higher education or granting the Secretary new regulatory authority. .