,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #edaa ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #ab1 #bjai,mr4 ,harder of ,california introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to establish a ,task ,force on ,local ,mental ,health ,needs1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,increasing ,access to ,mental ,health ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,task ,force on ,local ,mental ,health ,needs 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #f months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall establish a task force1 to be known as the ,task ,force on ,local ,mental ,health ,needs-- 7#a7 to analyze whether1 notwithstanding section #aaae1 section #aijc7m77#g71 paragraphs 7#ad7 and 7#af7 of section #aije7;a71 and section #aiae7l7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acae1 #acif;b7m77#g71 #acif;d7a71 #acifn71 the prohibition on ,federal financial participation under the ,medicaid program under title ,,xix of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acif et seq47 for items and services provided in a hospital1 nursing facility1 or other institution of more than #af beds1 that is primarily engaged in providing services described in section #aije7;i7 of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acif;d7i77 for persons with mental diseases1 precludes political subdivisions of some ,states from meeting the mental health care needs of individuals residing in such political subdivision2 7#b7 in the case of a political subdivision so precluded1 to develop possible solutions for addressing such mental health needs2 and 7#c7 to identify best and sustainable practices described in paragraphs 7#c7 through 7#g7 of subsection 7c74 7b7 ,membership ,the members of the ,task ,force task shall consist of the following3 7#a7 ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7or the ,secretary's designee71 who shall serve as the ,chair of the ,task ,force4 7#b7 ,the ,attorney ,general of the ,united ,states 7or the ,attorney ,general's designee74 7#c7 ,the ,secretary of ,labor 7or the ,secretary's designee74 7#d7 ,the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs 7or the ,secretary's designee74 7#e7 ,the ,director of the ,office of ,national ,drug ,control ,policy 7or the ,director's designee74 7#f7 ,the heads of such other ,federal agencies and offices as may be appointed by the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7or their designees74 7#g7 ,the directors of ,state or county agencies or offices of behavioral health services as may be appointed by the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7or their designees74 7c7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the date of the initial meeting of the ,task ,force1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall submit to ,congress and make publicly available a final report of the ,task ,force that-- 7#a7 determines whether the prohibition described in subsection 7a77#a7 precludes political subdivisions of some ,states from meeting the mental health care needs of individuals residing in such political subdivision2 7#b7 in the case of a political subdivision so precluded1 recommends possible solutions for addressing such mental health needs1 including a recommended bed capacity number2 7#c7 identifies best practices for compliance with the recommendations developed by the ,task ,force2 7#d7 identifies sustainable practices for helping to provide services to transition individuals from mental health services to sustainable recovery services1 including identifying workforce and housing opportunities2 7#e7 identifies best practices to coordinate mental health service providers and public service agencies with local law enforcement agencies to address issues like homelessness2 7#f7 identifies best practices that are used by mental health service providers to handle patient discharge planning1 including linkage with community services and support2 7#g7 identifies best practices that advance parity in mental health and substance use disorder treatment2 and 7#h7 provides an analysis for alternatives to a bed capacity number1 such as a time limit for ,federal reimbursement for facilities or a time limit for patient stays in treatment4 7d7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,state ,the term ,state means any of the #ej ,states4 7#b7 ,task ,force ,the term ,task ,force means the ,task ,force on ,local ,mental ,health ,needs established pursuant to this section4 #c4 ,modern mental health fund grant program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall award grants to #aj eligible entities to coordinate mental health care services with qualified community entities described in subsection 7d74 7b7 ,eligibility ,to seek a grant under this section1 an entity shall-- 7#a7 be-- 7,a7 a psychiatric health facility2 or 7,b7 an institution for mental disease2 and 7#b7 submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7c7 ,geographic diversity ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall ensure there is geographic diversity across the grantees4 7d7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term institution for mental diseases has the meaning given to that term in section #aije7;i7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acif;d7i774 7#b7 ,the term qualified community entity means an entity that meets at least one of the following3 7,a7 ,the entity can ensure that case management provided by the entity working with a grantee under this section does not exceed a ratio of #a caseworker to #bj cases4 7,b7 ,the entity demonstrates the capacity to provide services to address mental health1 substance use disorders and recovery services1 disabling or other chronic health conditions1 educational and job training or employment outcomes1 and life skills needs 7including financial literacy74 7,c7 ,the entity can ensure stable housing1 intensive case management1 and comprehensive services that include1 at minimum1 mental health services1 substance use disorder treatment and recovery services1 education and job training1 age-appropriate services for children1 and life skills training 7such as financial literacy training74 7,d7 ,the entity can coordinate with local law enforcement1 courts 7including specialized courts71 probation1 and other public services agencies to conduct outreach and better identify at-risk or homeless populations that would benefit from services offered by the entity4 7,e7 ,the entity can coordinate with a congressionally chartered veterans service organization1 a ,state1 local1 or ,tribal veterans service agency1 or a nonprofit organization that has historically served veterans' housing needs4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #ej1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjba and each subsequent fiscal year4