,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ddfh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #cj1 #bjbf,mr4 ,kaine 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,king1 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 address behavioral health and well-being among education professionals and other school staff4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,supporting the ,mental ,health of ,educators and ,staff ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,dissemination of best practices ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary71 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,education1 shall identify and disseminate evidence-based or evidence-informed best practices for-- 7#a7 preventing suicide and improving mental health and resiliency among education professionals and other school staff2 and 7#b7 training education professionals and other school staff in appropriate strategies to support1 maintain1 and promote their mental health4 #c4 ,education and awareness initiative encouraging use of mental health and substance use disorder services by education professionals and other school staff 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 in consultation with relevant stakeholders1 including medical professional associations1 shall establish a national evidence-based or evidence-informed education and awareness initiative-- 7#a7 to encourage education professionals and other school staff to seek support and care for their mental health or substance use concerns1 to help such professionals and staff identify factors associated with risks for suicide and mental health conditions1 and to help such professionals and staff learn how best to respond to such risks1 with the goal of preventing suicide1 mental health conditions1 and substance use disorders2 and 7#b7 to address stigma associated with seeking mental health and substance use disorder services4 7b7 ,reporting ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall provide to ,congress an update on the activities and outcomes of the initiative under subsection 7a71 including a description of quantitative and qualitative metrics used to evaluate such activities and outcomes4 7c7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjbh4 #d4 ,programs to promote mental health among the education workforce ,subpart #a of part ,e of title ,,vii of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bidn et seq47 is amended by inserting after section #gfd;,a 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bidt7 the following3 #gfd;,b4 ,programs to promote mental health among the education workforce 7a7 ,programs ,to promote mental health among education professionals and other school staff 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall award grants or contracts to eligible entities to establish or enhance evidence-based or evidence-informed programs dedicated to improving mental health and resiliency for education professionals and other school staff4 7#b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive a grant or contract under this subsection1 an entity shall be a ,state educational agency1 a local educational agency1 an institution of higher education1 or a consortia thereof4 7#c7 ,use of funds ,a recipient of a grant or contract under this subsection shall use funds received through the grant or contract to implement a new program or enhance an existing program to promote mental health among education professionals and other school staff1 which may include-- 7,a7 improving awareness among education professionals and other school staff about risk factors for1 and signs of1 suicide and mental health or substance use disorders1 in accordance with evidence-based or evidence-informed practices2 7,b7 establishing new1 or enhancing existing1 evidence-based or evidence-informed programs for preventing suicide and improving mental health and resiliency among education professionals and other school staff2 7,c7 establishing new1 or enhancing existing1 peer-support programs among education professionals and other school staff2 or 7,d7 providing mental health care1 follow-up services and care by a licensed or certified mental health professional 7including by means of telehealth71 or a referral for such care or services by a licensed or certified mental health professional1 as appropriate4 7#d7 ,priority ,in awarding grants and contracts under this subsection1 the ,secretary shall give priority to eligible entities in areas with a high percentage of schools receiving financial assistance under part ,a of title ,i of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife4 7b7 ,training grants ,the ,secretary may establish a program to award grants to institutions of higher education1 ,state educational agencies1 local educational agencies1 ,state or local governments1 ,indian ,tribes or ,tribal organizations1 or other appropriate public or private nonprofit entities 7or consortia of entities1 including entities promoting multidisciplinary approaches7 to support the inclusion in educator preparation programs 7including administrator preparation programs71 and in training1 continuing education1 or professional development programs for education professionals and other school staff1 of evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies-- 7#a7 to address mental and substance use disorders2 and 7#b7 to improve mental health and resiliency among education professionals and other school staff4 7c7 ,grant terms ,a grant or contract awarded under subsection 7a7 or 7b7 shall be for a period of #c years4 7d7 ,application submission ,an entity seeking a grant or contract under subsection 7a7 or 7b7 shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and accompanied by such information as the ,secretary may require4 7e7 ,annual report ,an entity awarded a grant or contract under subsection 7a7 or 7b7 shall submit to the ,secretary an annual report evaluating the activities supported by the grant or contract4 7f7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given to such term in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife4 7#b7 ,the terms local educational agency and ,state educational agency have the meanings given to such terms in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #ce1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjbh4 4 #e4 ,review with respect to education workforce mental health and resiliency 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary1 in consultation with relevant stakeholders1 shall-- 7#a7 conduct a review on improving-- 7,a7 the mental health of education professionals and other school staff2 and 7,b7 the outcomes of programs authorized under this ,act2 and 7#b7 submit a report to ,congress on the results of such review4 7b7 ,considerations ,the review under subsection 7a7 may include-- 7#a7 assessing the prevalence and severity of mental health conditions among education professionals and other school staff1 and determining the factors that contribute to those mental health conditions2 7#b7 assessing barriers to seeking and accessing mental health care for education professionals and other school staff1 and actions taken by ,state educational agencies and local educational agencies1 or other organizations1 as appropriate1 to address such barriers2 7#c7 determining the effects of the ,,covid-#ai public health emergency on the mental health of education professionals and other school staff and lessons learned for future public health emergencies2 7#d7 assessing programs and policies that promote mental health and resiliency among education professionals and other school staff1 including programs and policies to strengthen mental health and resiliency among education professionals and other school staff2 and 7#e7 assessing the efficacy of training programs for education professionals and other school staff that promote resiliency and improve mental health4 7c7 ,recommendations ,the review under subsection 7a71 as appropriate1 shall identify best practices related to1 and make recommendations to address-- 7#a7 improving mental health and resiliency among education professionals and other school staff2 7#b7 removing barriers to mental health care for education professionals and other school staff2 and 7#c7 strategies to promote resiliency among education professionals and other school staff in health care settings4 #f4 ,,gao report ,not later than #d years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit to ,congress a report on the extent to which ,federal substance use disorder and mental health grant programs address the prevalence and severity of mental health conditions and substance use disorders among education professionals and other school staff4 ,such report shall-- 7#a7 include an analysis of available evidence and data related to such conditions and programs2 and 7#b7 assess whether there are duplicative goals and objectives among such grant programs4