,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ahie ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bb1 #bjbe ,mr4 ,young 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 and ,mr4 ,cramer7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to establish the ,mental ,health ,excellence in ,schools ,program to increase the recruitment and retention of school-based mental health services providers1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,mental ,health ,excellence in ,schools ,act4 #b4 ,program to establish public-private contributions to increase the available workforce of school-based mental health service providers 7a7 ,program authorized ,the ,secretary shall carry out a program under which eligible graduate institutions may enter into an agreement with the ,secretary to cover a portion of the cost of attendance of a participating student1 which contributions shall be matched by equivalent contributions towards such cost of attendance by the ,secretary4 7b7 ,designation of program ,the program under this section shall be known as the ,mental ,health ,excellence in ,schools ,program4 7c7 ,agreements ,the ,secretary shall enter into an agreement with each eligible graduate institution seeking to participate in the program under this section4 ,each agreement shall specify the following3 7#a7 ,the manner 7whether by direct grant1 scholarship1 or otherwise7 in which the eligible graduate institution will contribute to the cost of attendance of a participating student4 7#b7 ,the maximum amount of the contribution to be made by the eligible graduate institution with respect to any particular participating student in any given academic year4 7#c7 ,the maximum number of individuals for whom the eligible graduate institution will make contributions in any given academic year4 7#d7 ,that the eligible graduate institution1 in selecting participating students to receive assistance under the program1 shall prioritize the participating students described in subsection 7d77#b74 7#e7 ,such other matters as the ,secretary and the eligible graduate institution determine appropriate4 7d7 ,outreach ,the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 make publicly available and periodically update on the internet website of the ,department of ,education a list of the eligible graduate institutions participating in the program under this section that shall specify1 for each such eligible graduate institution1 appropriate information on the agreement between the ,secretary and such eligible graduate institution under subsection 7c72 and 7#b7 conduct outreach about the program under this section to participating students who1 as undergraduates-- 7,a7 received a ,federal ,pell ,grant under section #dja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajgj;a72 or 7,b7 attended an institution listed in section #cga7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajfgq7a774 7e7 ,matching contributions ,the ,secretary may provide a contribution of up to #ej percent of the cost of attendance of a participating student if the eligible graduate institution at which such student is enrolled enters into an agreement under subsection 7c7 with the ,secretary to match such contribution4 7f7 ,monitoring and evaluation ,as a condition of participation in the program under this section1 each eligible graduate institution shall agree to submit an annual report to the ,secretary describing-- 7#a7 the number of students served by the program2 7#b7 the percentage of tuition cost covered by the program2 7#c7 the number of participating students who were also recipients of a ,federal ,pell ,grant2 and 7#d7 as applicable1 the graduation rates and post-graduate employment of participating students4 7g7 ,interim report ,not later than #b years after the first contributions are provided under this section1 the ,secretary shall submit an interim report to ,congress based on the annual reports required by subsection 7f74 7h7 ,independent national evaluation 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #d years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall provide for the commencement of an independent national evaluation of the outcomes and effectiveness of the program under this section4 7#b7 ,report to congress ,not later than #ij days after receiving the results of such independent national evaluation1 the ,secretary shall submit a report to ,congress containing the findings of the evaluation and the ,secretary's recommendations for improvements to the program4 7i7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act-- 7#a7 #bj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbf2 7#b7 #cj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbg2 and 7#c7 #ej1jjj1jjj for each of the fiscal years #bjbh through #bjcj4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,cost of attendance ,the term cost of attendance has the meaning given the term in section #dgb of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajhgll74 7#b7 ,eligible graduate institution ,the term eligible graduate institution means an institution of higher education that offers a program of study that leads to a graduate degree-- 7,a7 in school psychology that is accredited or approved by the ,national ,association of ,school ,psychologists' ,program ,accreditation ,board or the ,commission on ,accreditation of the ,american ,psychological ,association and that prepares students in such program for the ,state licensing or certification examination in school psychology at the specialist level2 7,b7 in an accredited school counseling program that prepares students in such program for the ,state licensing or certification examination in school counseling2 7,c7 in school social work that is accredited by the ,council on ,social ,work ,education and that prepares students in such program for the ,state licensing or certification examination in school social work2 7,d7 in another school-based mental health field that prepares students in such program for the ,state licensing or certification examination in such field1 if applicable2 or 7,e7 in any combination of study described in subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,d74 7#c7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja74 7#d7 ,participating student ,the term participating student means an individual who is enrolled in a graduate degree program in a school-based mental health field at a participating eligible graduate institution4 7#e7 ,school-based mental health field ,the term school-based mental health field means each of the following fields3 7,a7 ,school counseling4 7,b7 ,school social work4 7,c7 ,school psychology4 7,d7 ,any other field of study that leads to employment as a school-based mental health services provider1 as determined by the ,secretary4 7#f7 ,school-based mental health services provider ,the term school-based mental health services provider has the meaning given the term in section #dajb of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #gaab74 7#g7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,education4