Sponsors (67)
Introduced September 23, 2025 by Andrea Salinas · Last progress September 23, 2025
The bill expands and stabilizes school-based mental health supports with required accountability, improving access and quality for many students, but it increases federal spending and may leave smaller districts or providers under-resourced while adding privacy and administrative burdens.
Students and children will gain expanded, developmentally and culturally appropriate school-based mental health services for trauma, grief, suicide risk, and violence, increasing direct access to care at school.
Families and schools will have stronger coordinated community partnerships (health providers, schools, child welfare, law enforcement) that improve local supports and referrals for child mental health and safety.
Recipients receive multi-year (5-year) renewable grants with defined award sizes plus required program evaluation and annual reports to Congress, supporting sustained implementation and accountability to identify and spread effective practices.
Taxpayers face increased federal spending—authorizes $300 million per year for FY2027–FY2028—potentially affecting budgets or requiring offsets.
Smaller districts and community providers may be shut out or underfunded because of partnership eligibility requirements and grant caps (e.g., $2M cap), risking uneven access and leaving some students without adequate services.
Recipients must comply with HIPAA/FERPA and submit annual outcome data, creating privacy, administrative, and recordkeeping burdens that could limit information sharing or increase costs for schools and providers.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes HHS, with Education, to fund trauma-informed, culturally appropriate school-based mental health services and community partnerships for children and adolescents.
Creates a federal grant program to expand comprehensive, school-based mental health services for children and adolescents. The Department of Health and Human Services, working with the Department of Education, would award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities (including Bureau of Indian Education schools) to provide trauma-informed, developmentally and culturally appropriate mental health prevention, screening, treatment, family engagement, and community partnership activities that address trauma, grief, suicide risk, and violence.