,,ii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #aghd ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ca 7legislative day1 ,may #cj71 #bjbc,mr4 ,heinrich 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cornyn1 and ,mr4 ,padilla7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to increase language access to behavioral health services at eligible health centers1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,mental ,health ,workforce and ,language ,access ,act of #bjbc4 #b4 ,demonstration program to increase language access at eligible health centers 7a7 ,grants ,the ,secretary shall carry out a demonstration program consisting of awarding grants to eligible health centers to recruit1 hire1 employ1 and supervise qualified behavioral health professionals who-- 7#a7 are proficient in speaking and understanding both spoken ,english and at least one other spoken language1 including any necessary specialized vocabulary1 terminology1 and phraseology2 7#b7 are able to effectively1 accurately1 and impartially communicate directly with limited ,english proficient individuals in their primary language2 and 7#c7 are1 or will be1 employed-- 7,a7 directly by the eligible health center2 or 7,b7 through a contract between the eligible health center and the qualified behavioral health professional under which such professional provides services as part of the eligible health center's workforce or under supervision by the health center1 in order to provide behavioral health services in another language4 7b7 ,preference ,in selecting grant recipients under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall give preference to eligible health centers at which at least #aj percent of the patients are best served in a language other than ,english1 as indicated by data in the ,uniform ,data ,system of the ,health ,resources and ,services ,administration 7or any successor database74 7c7 ,outreach ,an eligible health center receiving a grant under this section shall use a portion of the grant funds to disseminate information about the behavioral health services supported through the grant4 7d7 ,reports 7#a7 ,initial report ,not later than #f months after the first grants are awarded under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,appropriations and the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,appropriations and the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate1 and other appropriate congressional committees1 a report on the implementation of the program under this section4 ,such report shall include-- 7,a7 the languages spoken by the qualified behavioral health professionals recruited pursuant to a grant under subsection 7a72 7,b7 the eligible health center at which each such professional was placed2 7,c7 how many eligible health centers received grants under subsection 7a72 7,d7 an analysis1 conducted in consultation with the eligible health centers receiving grants under subsection 7a71 of the effectiveness of such grants at increasing language access to behavioral health services2 and 7,e7 best practices1 developed in consultation with eligible health centers receiving grants under subsection 7a71 for the recruitment and retention of qualified behavioral health professionals at such health centers4 7#b7 ,final report ,not later than the end of fiscal year #bjbf1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,appropriations and the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives1 the ,committee on ,appropriations and the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate1 and other appropriate congressional committees1 a final report on the implementation of the program under this section1 including the information1 analysis1 and best practices described in subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,e7 of paragraph 7#a74 7e7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term eligible health center means a health center 7as defined in section #ccj of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bed;b77 that is already receiving assistance pursuant to one or more grants under such section #ccj at the time of the award to such health center of a supplemental grant under subsection 7a74 7#b7 ,the term qualified behavioral health professional means-- 7,a7 a behavioral and mental health professional 7as defined in section #cca7;a77#c77;,e77i7 of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bed;d7a77#c77;,e77i772 7,b7 a substance use disorder counselor2 7,c7 an occupational therapist2 or 7,d7 an individual who-- 7i7 has not yet been licensed or certified to serve as a professional listed in any of subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,c72 and 7ii7 will serve at the eligible health center under the supervision of a licensed individual or certified professional so listed4 7#c7 ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services4 7f7 ,funding ,subject to the availability of appropriations1 out of amounts otherwise appropriated under section #gfj7;g7 of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bidk7g771 the ,secretary is authorized to use up to #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbd through #bjbi to carry out this section4