,,ii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ccef ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #i1 #bjba,mr4 ,merkley 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,brown1 ,mr4 ,casey1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,mr4 ,king1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,padilla1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,ms4 ,smith1 ,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 and ,mr4 ,wyden7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to effectively staff the high-need public elementary schools and secondary schools of the ,united ,states with school-based mental health services providers4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,elementary and ,secondary ,school ,counseling ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,one in #e children ages #ac through #ah has1 or will have1 a serious mental illness4 7#b7 #aa percent of youth have a mood disorder1 #aj percent of youth have a behavior or conduct disorder1 and #h percent of youth have an anxiety disorder4 7#c7 #ej percent of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age #ad4 #cg percent of students with a mental health condition age #ad and older drop out of school1 which is the highest school dropout rate of any disability group4 7#d7 #gj percent of youth in ,state and local juvenile systems have a mental illness4 7#e7 ,youth with access to mental health services in school-based health centers are #aj times more likely to seek care for mental health or substance abuse than youth without access4 7#f7 ,the leading counseling1 guidance1 and mental health organizations1 including the ,american ,school ,counselor ,association1 the ,national ,association of ,school ,psychologists1 the ,national ,association of ,social ,workers1 and the ,school ,social ,work ,association of ,america1 recommend that schools maintain-- 7,a7 a maximum student to school counselor ratio of #bej to #a2 7,b7 a maximum student to school psychologist ratio of #ejj to #a2 and 7,c7 a maximum student to school social worker ratio of #bej to #a4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,,esea ,definitions ,the terms elementary school1 local educational agency1 secondary school1 ,state1 and ,state educational agency have the meanings given the terms in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#b7 ,high-need school ,the term high-need school has the meaning given the term in section #bbaa7;b7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ffca7;b774 7#c7 ,school-based mental health services provider ,the term school-based mental health services provider includes a ,state-licensed or ,state certified school counselor1 school psychologist1 school social worker1 community-based mental health provider organization1 or other ,state licensed or certified mental health professional qualified under ,state law to provide mental health services to children and adolescents4 7#d7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,education4 #d4 ,grants and subgrants 7a7 ,program authorized 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall award formula grants1 from allotments made under subsection 7b71 to ,state educational agencies to enable the ,state educational agencies to award subgrants to local educational agencies in order to increase access to school-based mental health services providers at high-need schools served by the local educational agencies4 7#b7 ,duration ,a grant awarded under this section shall be for a #e-year period and may be renewed for additional #e-year periods upon a showing of adequate progress on meeting the goals of the grant1 as determined by the ,secretary4 7b7 ,formula grants 7#a7 ,in general 7,a7 ,formula ,from the total amount made available under section #e for a fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall allot to each such ,state that submits a complete application an amount that bears the same relationship to such total amount as the amount received under part ,a of title ,i of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa et seq47 by such ,state for such fiscal year bears to the amount received under such part for such fiscal year by all ,states4 7,b7 ,small state minimum ,no ,state receiving an allotment under this paragraph shall receive less than one-half of #a percent of the total amount allotted under this paragraph4 7#b7 ,matching requirements ,in order to receive an allotment under this paragraph1 a ,state shall agree to provide matching funds1 in an amount equal to #bj percent of the amount of the allotment1 toward the costs of the activities carried out under the grant4 7c7 ,application ,a ,state educational agency desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 ,each application shall include1 at a minimum-- 7#a7 a description of how the ,state educational agency will award subgrants to local educational agencies under subsection 7d72 7#b7 a description of how the ,state educational agency will disseminate1 in a timely manner1 information regarding the subgrants and the application process for such subgrants to local educational agencies2 and 7#c7 the ratios1 as of the date of application1 of students to school-based mental health services providers in each public elementary school and secondary school in the ,state1 in the aggregate and disaggregated to include-- 7,a7 the ratios of students to school counselors1 school psychologists1 and school social workers2 and 7,b7 as applicable1 the ratios of students to other school-based mental health services providers not described in subparagraph 7,a71 in the aggregate and disaggregated by type of provider4 7d7 ,subgrants 7#a7 ,in general ,a ,state educational agency receiving a grant under this section shall use grant funds to award subgrants1 on a competitive basis1 to local educational agencies in the ,state1 to enable the local educational agencies to-- 7,a7 employ school-based mental health services providers or contract with community mental health centers to work at high-need schools served by the local educational agency2 and 7,b7 work toward effectively staffing the high-need schools of the ,state with school-based mental health services providers1 including by meeting the recommended maximum ratios of-- 7i7 #bej students per school counselor2 7ii7 #ejj students per school psychologist2 and 7iii7 #bej students per school social worker4 7#b7 ,priority ,in awarding subgrants under this subsection1 the ,state shall give priority to local educational agencies that serve a significant number of high-need schools4 7#c7 ,application ,a local educational agency desiring a subgrant under this subsection shall submit an application to the ,state educational agency at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,state educational agency may require1 including information on how the local educational agency will prioritize assisting high-need schools with the largest numbers or percentages of students from low-income families4 7e7 ,grant and subgrant requirements 7#a7 ,supplement1 not supplant ,amounts provided under a grant or subgrant under this section shall supplement1 and not supplant1 any other funds available to a ,state educational agency or local educational agency for school-based mental health services4 7#b7 ,combining funds allowed ,a ,state educational agency receiving a grant under this section may combine funds made available under this section with ,state or local funds to carry out the activities described in subsection 7d77#a74 7f7 ,reports 7#a7 ,local educational agencies ,a local educational agency that receives a subgrant under this section shall submit a report to the ,state on the activities carried out with the subgrant funds4 7#b7 ,state ,a ,state educational agency receiving a grant under this section shall annually prepare and submit a report to the ,secretary that-- 7,a7 evaluates the progress made in achieving the purposes of the grant2 7,b7 includes the most recent student to provider ratios1 in the aggregate and disaggregated as provided in subsection 7c77#c71 for public elementary schools and secondary schools in the ,state that were assisted under the grant under this section2 and 7,c7 describes any other resources needed to meet the required recommended maximum student to school-based mental health services provider ratios4 7#c7 ,public availability ,the ,secretary shall make all reports submitted under this subsection available to the public1 including through the website of the ,department4 #e4 ,authorization of appropriations ,in order to provide school-based mental health services providers in high-need schools in the ,states1 there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act-- 7#a7 #e1jjj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbb2 and 7#b7 such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding fiscal year4