Sponsors (123)
Last progress June 5, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on June 5, 2025 by Sharice Davids
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Creates a new HHS grant program (administered by SAMHSA) to fund programs that improve mental health and substance‑use outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth. Grants may fund clinical care, workforce training, school integration and supports, data collection, anti‑bullying guidance, navigators, and family supports; the bill bars grant funds for conversion therapy and requires surveys, reporting, and updates to SAMHSA materials. Authorizes $20 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2030 to carry out the program and directs HHS to collect data and produce reports to guide implementation and continuous improvement.
Establish a grant program: The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall establish a program to award grants to eligible entities to assess and improve mental health and substance abuse outcomes for LGBTQ+ youth.
Use of funds — provide mental and behavioral health and crisis intervention resources for LGBTQ+ youth, including trauma-informed care.
Use of funds — provide cultural competency training for caregivers of LGBTQ+ youth.
Use of funds — develop and share mental and behavioral health and crisis intervention resources for LGBTQ+ youth and their families/caregivers.
Use of funds — develop and disseminate evidence-based practices to be added to SAMHSA’s Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center.
Primary beneficiaries are LGBTQ+ youth (including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, nonbinary, intersex, and Two Spirit youth), who could gain greater access to affirming mental‑health and substance‑use services, school‑based supports, peer and family navigators, and prevention programs. Families and caregivers may receive expanded support and education. Schools and school mental‑health programs may receive funds and technical assistance to integrate behavioral‑health services and anti‑bullying practices. Behavioral‑health providers and clinicians would face new training and quality expectations and could receive grant funding for workforce development. HHS/SAMHSA will take on program administration, data collection, and reporting responsibilities; community‑based organizations and clinics will be likely grant applicants and recipients. The funding authorization ($20M/year, FY2026–2030) creates a limited multi‑year resource stream but does not itself appropriate funds; actual availability will depend on future appropriations actions. The ban on conversion therapy means practitioners cannot use grant dollars for those practices and resources will flow to affirming care models instead.