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H.R. 8444House118th Congress (2023-2025)In Committee

Mental Health in Schools Act

Sponsored by Grace F. NapolitanoRep. Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA)
Introduced May 17, 2024

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 4:47 PM UTC

The Mental Health in Schools Act amends the Public Health Service Act to create two new grant programs administered by HHS. One program funds schools to provide mental‑health education and awareness, and the other funds programs that promote mental‑health careers to high‑school students. The grants are awarded to partnerships of state and local education agencies with community mental‑health providers and are funded at $50 million per program for fiscal years 2025‑2029.

Key Provisions

  • Establishes the School Mental Health Awareness Grant Program to fund mental‑health education that promotes well‑being, reduces stigma, teaches symptom recognition, informs about services, builds coping skills, uses evidence‑based models, and involves families.
  • Requires grant activities to be developmentally, linguistically, culturally appropriate, trauma‑informed, and to teach mental‑health content with certified educators.
  • Creates the Mental Health Career Promotion Grant Program to fund programs that expose grades 9‑12 students to mental‑health careers through presentations, internships, shadowing, mentorships, and partnerships with higher‑education and community organizations.
  • Grants may be awarded only to partnerships that include a state education agency, one or more local education agencies, and at least one community‑based mental‑health provider or similar entity.
  • Grants are awarded for five‑year periods and may be renewed; the Secretary must ensure geographic diversity and may provide technical assistance to high‑need agencies.
  • Recipients must submit annual reports with outcome data; no more than 10 % of grant funds can be used for reporting.
  • The Secretary must submit an annual report to Congress on program results starting one year after enactment.
  • Authorizes $50 million annually for each grant program (total $100 million) for FY2025‑2029.

Legislative Activity

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2 earlier actions
HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Health Subcommittee

May 24, 2024

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

May 17, 2024

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Energy and Commerce Committee

May 17, 2024

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Health Subcommittee

May 24, 2024

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued May 17, 2024

I

118th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 8444

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 17, 2024

Mrs. Napolitano (for herself, Ms. Balint, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Allred, Mr. Connolly, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Soto, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Torres of New York, Ms. Chu, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Porter, Mr. Gottheimer, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Ms. Stansbury, and Ms. Barragán) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

A BILL

To amend 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 grant programs to promote mental health in schools, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Mental Health in Schools Act.

2.

SAMHSA mental health school grant programs

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 adding at the end the following:

520O.

Mental health school grant programs

(a)

School Mental Health Awareness Grant Program

(1)

In general

The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, shall establish a program, to be known as the School Mental Health Awareness Grant Program, to award grants to eligible entities to establish or expand eligible mental health education programs in schools served by local educational agencies.

(2)

Eligible mental health education programs

To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, a mental health education program shall—

(A)

serve students by—

(i)

promoting the mental health and well-being of students and destigmatizing mental health conditions;

(ii)

helping students identify and recognize the key signs and symptoms of various mental health conditions;

(iii)

informing students about mental health services that are available to such students;

(iv)

providing students with the skills needed to manage their emotions and establish and maintain positive relationships;

(v)

using an evidence-based model effective in changing students’ knowledge of and attitudes toward mental health conditions and help-seeking behavior; and

(vi)

incorporating family engagement;

(B)

provide educational professionals with the necessary certification, recertification, and professional development to teach mental health-related content; and

(C)

for any courses developed using a grant under this subsection, develop such courses with input from mental health professionals.

(3)

Activity requirements

A grant awarded under this subsection may only be used for activities that—

(A)

are developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate;

(B)

are trauma-informed; and

(C)

promote healthy coping mechanisms for managing stress and other mental health challenges.

(b)

Mental Health Career Promotion Grant Program

(1)

In general

The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, shall establish a program, to be known as the Mental Health Career Promotion Grant Program, to award grants to eligible entities to establish or expand eligible mental health career promotion programs in schools served by local educational agencies.

(2)

Eligible mental health career promotion programs

To be eligible for a grant under this subsection, a mental health career promotion program shall promote careers in mental health to students in grades 9 through 12, such as by—

(A)

providing educational presentations to students that increase exposure to and knowledge of careers in the mental health field;

(B)

coordinating internships and externships for students who demonstrate an interest in mental health;

(C)

providing opportunities for students to interact with and shadow mental health care professionals;

(D)

providing students with mentorships and experiential learning opportunities; or

(E)

partnering with local institutions of higher education and community behavioral health organizations to promote careers in mental health.

(3)

Activity requirement

A grant awarded under this subsection may only be used for activities that are developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate.

(4)

Careers in mental health defined

In this subsection, the term careers in mental health means occupations whose primary intent and function is the direct treatment or recovery support of patients with, or in recovery from, a mental health disorder, which may include—

(A)

physicians (including physicians with a degree of doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine);

(B)

psychiatric nurses;

(C)

social workers;

(D)

marriage and family therapists;

(E)

mental health counselors;

(F)

occupational therapists;

(G)

psychologists;

(H)

psychiatrists (including child and adolescent psychiatrists); and

(I)

neurologists.

(c)

Eligible entities

To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall be a partnership that includes—

(1)

a State educational agency;

(2)

1 or more local educational agencies, or a consortium of such local educational agencies; and

(3)

at least 1—

(A)

community-based mental health provider (such as a health care entity, a trauma network, or a nonprofit mental health professional association); or

(B)

other community-based entity, as determined appropriate by the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary (such as a human services agency, a child welfare agency, or an institution of higher education).

(d)

Award duration; renewal

A grant awarded under this section shall be for a period of 5 years, and may be renewed.

(e)

Geographical diversity

The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, shall ensure that grants awarded under this section cover a diverse range of geographical areas.

(f)

Technical assistance

The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, may provide technical assistance to high-need local educational agencies in seeking grants under this section.

(g)

Evaluation and measures of outcomes

(1)

In general

The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, shall develop a fiscally appropriate process for evaluating activities carried out through grants awarded under this section. Under such process, the Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary, shall—

(A)

provide to recipients of such grants—

(i)

guidelines for the submission to the Assistant Secretary of data concerning such activities; and

(ii)

measures of outcomes to be used by such recipients in evaluating the effectiveness of such activities (including outcomes related to the student, family, and local educational systems supported by such activities);

(B)

require each such recipient to submit to the Assistant Secretary annual reports—

(i)

containing data on such activities carried out by the recipient; and

(ii)

that use the measures of outcomes described in subparagraph (A)(ii) to evaluate the effectiveness of such activities; and

(C)

not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Mental Health in Schools Act, and annually thereafter, submit to Congress a report describing the results and effectiveness of the programs under this section.

(2)

Limitation

A recipient of a grant under this section may not use more than 10 percent of the amounts received to prepare and submit the annual reports required under paragraph (1)(B).

(h)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

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.

(2)

HEA terms

The terms high-need local educational agency and institution of higher education have the meanings given such terms, respectively, in sections 200 and 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

(i)

Authorization of appropriations

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029—

(1)

$50,000,000 with respect to grants awarded under subsection (a); and

(2)

$50,000,000 with respect to grants awarded under subsection (b).

.