[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3783 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3783

   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 a Mental and Behavioral 
     Health Career Promotion Grant Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 5, 2026

   Mr. Padilla (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Booker, and Mr. Merkley) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 a Mental and Behavioral 
     Health Career Promotion Grant Program, 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 ``Mental Health Career Promotion 
Act''.

SEC. 2. MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CAREER PROMOTION GRANT PROGRAM.

    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:

``SEC. 520O. MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CAREER PROMOTION GRANT 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary (referred to in this section as the `Secretary'), shall 
establish a program, to be known as the `Mental and Behavioral Health 
Career Promotion Grant Program', to award grants to eligible entities 
to establish or expand eligible mental and behavioral health career 
promotion programs in schools served by local educational agencies or 
in public junior or community colleges.
    ``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
this section, an entity shall be a partnership that includes--
            ``(1)(A) 1 or more local educational agencies, or a 
        consortium of such local educational agencies; or
            ``(B) a State educational agency;
            ``(2) 1 or more public junior or community colleges, or a 
        consortium of such public junior or community colleges; and
            ``(3) at least 1--
                    ``(A) community-based mental or behavioral health 
                provider (such as a certified community behavioral 
                health clinic, a community mental health center, an 
                opioid treatment program, or a nonprofit mental health 
                or substance use professional association); or
                    ``(B) other community-based entity, as determined 
                appropriate by the Secretary (such as a State or local 
                behavioral health authority, a human service agency, a 
                child welfare agency, or an institution of higher 
                education, such as a historically Black college or 
                university).
    ``(c) Eligible Mental and Behavioral Health Career Promotion 
Programs.--To be eligible for a grant under this section, a mental and 
behavioral health career promotion program shall promote careers in 
mental and behavioral health to students in grades 9 through 12 or in 
public junior or community colleges, such as by--
            ``(1) providing educational presentations to students that 
        increase exposure to and knowledge of careers in the mental and 
        behavioral health field;
            ``(2) coordinating internships and externships for students 
        who demonstrate an interest in mental and behavioral health;
            ``(3) providing opportunities for students to interact with 
        and shadow mental and behavioral health care professionals;
            ``(4) providing students with mentorships and experiential 
        learning opportunities; or
            ``(5) partnering with local institutions of higher 
        education and community behavioral health organizations to 
        promote careers in mental and behavioral health.
    ``(d) Activity Requirement.--A grant awarded under this section may 
only be used for activities that are developmentally, linguistically, 
and culturally appropriate.
    ``(e) Award Duration; Renewal.--A grant awarded under this section 
shall be for a period of 5 years and may be renewed.
    ``(f) Geographical Diversity.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
grants awarded under this section cover a diverse range of geographical 
areas.
    ``(g) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may provide technical 
assistance in seeking grants under this section to high-need local 
educational agencies and to public junior and community colleges.
    ``(h) Evaluation and Measures of Outcomes.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall develop a fiscally 
        appropriate process for evaluating activities carried out 
        through grants awarded under this section. Under such process, 
        the Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) provide to recipients of such grants--
                            ``(i) guidelines for the submission to the 
                        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 
                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 this section, 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 for data collection, performance measurement, and 
        performance assessment.
    ``(i) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Career in mental or behavioral health.--The term 
        `career in mental or behavioral health' means an occupation the 
        primary intent and function of which is the direct treatment or 
        recovery support of patients with, or in recovery from, a 
        mental or behavioral health disorder, which may include an 
        occupation as--
                    ``(A) a physician (including a physician with a 
                degree of Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic 
                Medicine);
                    ``(B) an advanced practice registered nurse 
                practitioner;
                    ``(C) a social worker;
                    ``(D) a marriage or family therapist;
                    ``(E) a counselor (including an addiction- or 
                mental health-licensed professional);
                    ``(F) a psychologist;
                    ``(G) a psychiatrist (including a child or 
                adolescent psychiatrist);
                    ``(H) a psychiatric aide;
                    ``(I) a neurologist;
                    ``(J) a peer support specialist;
                    ``(K) an addiction specialist or prevention 
                specialist;
                    ``(L) a community health worker; and
                    ``(M) a physician assistant.
            ``(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.
            ``(3) HEA terms.--(A) The terms `institution of higher 
        education', `high-need local educational agency', and `junior 
        or community college' have the meanings given such terms, 
        respectively, in sections 101(a), 200, and 312(f) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965.
            ``(B) The term `historically Black college or university' 
        has the meaning given the term `part B institution' under 
        section 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
    ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2026 through 2030.''.
                                 <all>