,i #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #hbb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #b1 #bjbc ,mr4 ,stewart 7for himself and ,ms4 ,bonamici7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act to authorize the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use1 to award grants to eligible entities to establish or maintain a student mental health and safety helpline1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,student ,mental ,health ,helpline ,act4 #b4 ,grants for student mental health and safety helpline ,part ,d of title ,v of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;dd et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #eec4 ,grants for student mental health and safety helpline 7a7 ,in general 7#a7 ,establishment or maintenance grants ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use1 and in consultation with the ,secretary of ,education1 may award grants to eligible entities to establish or maintain a student mental health and safety helpline that-- 7,a7 is free and confidential2 7,b7 is accessible to students through multiple platforms2 7,c7 provides information to school officials about student health and safety issues1 to the extent permitted by the ,,hipaa privacy regulations2 and 7,d7 operates #bd hours a day1 seven days a week1 every day of the year4 7#b7 ,transition grants 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary for ,mental ,health and ,substance ,use1 and in consultation with the ,secretary of ,education1 may award grants to ,states1 local governments1 ,indian ,tribes1 and ,tribal organizations to transition1 by not later than #b years after the award of the grant1 a helpline that was in existence on the day before the date of enactment of the ,student ,mental ,health ,helpline ,act to an agency or subdivision whose primary responsibility relates to health1 public health1 or education so as to become eligible for grants under paragraph 7#a74 7,b7 ,use of funds ,a grant under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be used exclusively for costs associated with the transition described in such subparagraph4 7b7 ,application of ,,hipaa privacy regulations 7#a7 ,covered entity ,a helpline funded under subsection 7a77#a7 shall be treated as a covered entity 7as defined in section #ajf4ajc of title #de1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7or successor regulations771 and information received by the helpline from students contacting the helpline shall be treated as protected health information 7as defined in such section #ajf4ajc 7or successor regulations771 for purposes of the ,,hipaa privacy regulations4 7#b7 ,additional privacy standards ,nothing in this section shall be construed to preempt or otherwise prohibit the application1 with respect to a helpline funded under this section1 of privacy standards in addition to those applicable under the ,,hipaa privacy regulations4 7c7 ,eligible grantees ,to be eligible to receive a grant under subsection 7a77#a71 an entity shall be an agency or other subdivision-- 7#a7 of a ,state1 a local government1 an ,indian ,tribe1 or a ,tribal organization2 and 7#b7 whose primary responsibility relates to health1 public health1 or education4 7d7 ,requirements ,a recipient of a grant under subsection 7a77#a7 shall use the grant for each of the following3 7#a7 ,supporting a phone line1 texting1 and social media accounts for students facing challenges with abuse1 bullying1 depression1 risk of self-injury1 risk of injury to others1 or suicidal thoughts4 7#b7 ,providing such support in a culturally competent manner1 including to students who-- 7,a7 are from diverse backgrounds2 or 7,b7 identify with groups associated with a higher risk of bullying1 abuse1 and suicide1 such as individuals who are ,,lgbtq or have disabilities4 7#c7 ,coordinating with-- 7,a7 other mental health crisis lines2 7,b7 ,state and local mental health agencies and providers1 local educational agencies1 school administrators1 and community-based health service providers2 and 7,c7 in cases of neglect and abuse1 ,state and local family service agencies4 7#d7 ,ensuring that-- 7,a7 activities funded through the grant are conducted in accordance with all applicable ,federal and ,state privacy standards2 and 7,b7 health care information collected through such activities will be maintained in a secure manner4 7#e7 ,developing a disaster recovery plan and redundancy measures to ensure continuous technical operations4 7e7 ,other allowable uses ,a recipient of a grant under subsection 7a77#a7 may choose to use the grant for any of the following3 7#a7 ,supporting forms of communication in addition to those specified in subsection 7d77#a71 such as online forms and an email account4 7#b7 ,in addition to coordinating with the entities specified in subsection 7d77#c71 coordinating with nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education4 7#c7 ,developing educational curricula that schools may choose to offer1 in conjunction with the helpline funded through the grant1 to remove the stigma of mental illness1 prevent bullying1 prevent domestic violence1 prevent suicide1 or otherwise address student mental health and safety4 7#d7 ,promoting activities to encourage students to use the helpline funded through the grant4 7#e7 ,collecting and analyzing data on the use of the helpline funded through the grant to improve and adjust services offered through the helpline4 7#f7 ,providing support in multiple languages in areas with a high concentration of multiple language speakers4 7#g7 ,developing1 in accordance with best practices and guidelines of the ,substance ,abuse and ,mental ,health ,services ,administration for behavioral health crisis care1 protocols and training for identifying and responding to students who present an imminent risk of harming themselves or others4 7#h7 ,providing training1 technology1 and personnel necessary to comply with the ,,hipaa privacy regulations or other relevant privacy standards4 7#i7 ,coordinating and sharing best practices with other student mental health and safety helplines1 including other helplines funded pursuant to this section4 7#aj7 ,sharing personnel 7such as crisis counselors71 services 7such as technology and data management services71 and other resources deemed appropriate by the ,secretary with other mental health and safety helplines that-- 7,a7 are operated by the recipient of the grant2 or 7,b7 are operated by another entity and funded through the ,substance ,abuse and ,mental ,health ,services ,administration4 7f7 ,period of a grant ,the period of a grant under subsection 7a77#a7 shall be not less than #e years4 7g7 ,subgrants and contracts 7#a7 ,authorization ,a recipient of a grant under subsection 7a77#a7 may award subgrants and enter into contracts to carry out activities funded through the grant4 7#b7 ,eligible subgrantees and contractors ,to be eligible to receive a subgrant or contract under paragraph 7#a71 an entity shall be-- 7,a7 a local educational agency2 7,b7 an institution of higher education2 7,c7 a nonprofit organization2 7,d7 a for-profit organization that provides-- 7i7 website or data management services2 7ii7 specialized staff trained in crisis intervention to answer incoming messages2 or 7iii7 other products or services deemed by the ,secretary to be appropriate for establishing or maintaining a helpline funded under subsection 7a77#a72 7,e7 a school2 or 7,f7 another type of entity deemed by the ,secretary to be appropriate for subgrants or contracts under paragraph 7#a74 7#c7 ,accreditation ,to be eligible to receive a subgrant or contract under paragraph 7#a7 for specialized staff trained in crisis intervention to answer incoming messages1 an entity shall be accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation entity that applies current evidence-based practices related to mental and behavioral health4 7#d7 ,priority ,in awarding subgrants and contracts under paragraph 7#a71 a recipient of a grant under subsection 7a77#a7 shall give priority to eligible entities that-- 7,a7 retain a licensed mental health care practitioner on staff2 and 7,b7 participate in the network of the ,national ,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline4 7h7 ,reporting 7#a7 ,annual reports to ,congress ,each fiscal year for which grants are awarded under subsection 7a77#a7 or 7a77#b71 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 study the results of the grants2 and 7,b7 submit to the ,congress a report on such results1 including-- 7i7 an evaluation of the outcomes of the programs under subsections 7a77#a7 and 7a77#b72 7ii7 a summary of activities carried out with grants under subsections 7a77#a7 and 7a77#b7 and the results achieved through those activities2 7iii7 to the extent practicable1 the demographics of students served and nature of messages received through grants under subsections 7a77#a7 and 7a77#b72 and 7iv7 in the case of grants under subsection 7a77#b71 an analysis of changes in the outcomes1 activities1 demographics1 and nature of messages described in clauses 7i71 7ii71 and 7iii7 as a result of transitioning helplines to different agencies or subdivisions4 7#b7 ,report on feasibility of a national student helpline ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of the ,student ,mental ,health ,helpline ,act1 the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,education and the ,chair of the ,federal ,communications ,commission1 shall publish a report on-- 7,a7 the feasibility of making a student mental health and safety helpline nationally available2 7,b7 how to successfully integrate the helplines of ,states and other entities into a consolidated national student mental health and safety helpline2 and 7,c7 the feasibility and potential benefits and drawbacks of adding a student-specific capability to the ,national ,suicide ,prevention ,lifeline4 7i7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term ,,hipaa privacy regulations means the ,federal regulations 7concerning the privacy of individually identifiable health information7 promulgated under section #bfd7;c7 of the ,health ,insurance ,portability and ,accountability ,act of #aiif 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;d-#b note74 7#b7 ,the terms ,indian ,tribe and ,tribal organization have the meanings given to such terms in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act4 7#c7 ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given to such term in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife4 7#d7 ,the term local educational agency has the meaning given to such term in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife4 7#e7 ,the term ,state includes the ,district of ,columbia and each territory or commonwealth of the ,united ,states4 7j7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #ee1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbd through #bjcd4 4