,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dfah ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ba1 #bjbf,mr4 ,merkley 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,coons1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,fetterman1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mr4 ,king1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mr4 ,padilla1 ,mr4 ,reed1 ,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 ,nearly one in #e children ages #ac through #ag has been diagnosed with a mental1 emotional1 or behavioral health condition4 7#b7 ,according to data from the ,national ,center for ,health ,statistics1 in #bjba through #bjbc1 #bj percent of adolescents in the ,united ,states ages #ab through #ag reported symptoms of anxiety in the preceding #b weeks and #ah percent reported symptoms of depression in the preceding #b weeks4 7#c7 #ej percent of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age #ad4 ,more than #ej 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 ,between #ej and #gj percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have a mental illness compared to #i to #ac percent of youth who are not in the juvenile justice system4 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 ,outlying area ,the term outlying area means an outlying area specified in section #haja7cf77;,a7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja7cf77;,a774 7#d7 ,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#e7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,education4 #d4 ,grants and subgrants to increase access to school-based mental health services providers at high-need schools 7a7 ,reservations and grants 7#a7 ,reservations ,from the total amount made available under section #e for a fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall reserve-- 7,a7 one-half of #a percent for the ,secretary of the ,interior for the activities described in subsection 7e77#a7 in schools operated or funded by the ,bureau of ,indian ,education2 7,b7 one-half of #a percent for allotments for the outlying areas to be distributed among the outlying areas on the basis of their relative need for assistance in carrying out the activities described in subsection 7e77#a71 as determined by the ,secretary2 and 7,c7 not more than #b percent for the administration of this ,act1 and to provide technical assistance relating to this ,act4 7#b7 ,grants 7,a7 ,in general ,from the total amount made available under section #e for a fiscal year and remaining after funds are reserved under paragraph 7#a7 of this subsection1 the ,secretary shall award grants to ,states in accordance with subparagraph 7,b7 to enable the ,states 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 ,formula ,subject to subparagraph 7,c71 the ,secretary shall award a grant to each ,state with an approved application under subsection 7d7 in an amount that bears the same relationship to the remaining amount described in subparagraph 7,a7 as the amount such ,state received under part ,a of title ,i of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa et seq471 as determined on the basis of the most recent fiscal year for which data are available1 bears to the amount received under such part 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa et seq47 by all ,states with such an approved application1 as so determined4 7,c7 ,small state minimum ,no ,state receiving a grant under this paragraph shall receive less than one-half of #a percent of the total grant amount awarded under this paragraph4 7b7 ,duration ,an allotment 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 allotment1 as determined by the ,secretary4 7c7 ,matching requirements ,in order to receive a grant under this ,act1 a ,state shall agree to provide matching funds1 in an amount equal to #bj percent of the amount of the grant amount1 toward the costs of the activities carried out under the grant4 7d7 ,application ,for any ,state desiring to receive a grant under this ,act1 the ,state educational agency 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 an assurance that the ,state will use the allotment only for the activities described in subsection 7e77#a72 7#b7 a description of how the ,state will award subgrants to local educational agencies under subsection 7e72 7#c7 a description of how the ,state will disseminate1 in a timely manner1 information regarding the subgrants and the application process for such subgrants to local educational agencies2 and 7#d7 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 7e7 ,subgrants 7#a7 ,in general ,a ,state receiving a grant under this ,act shall use such grant to award subgrants1 on a competitive basis1 to local educational agencies in the ,state1 to enable the local educational agencies to-- 7,a7 recruit and retain 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 served by the local educational agency 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 a ,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 applicable ,state at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,state 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 7f7 ,allotment and subgrant requirements 7#a7 ,supplement1 not supplant ,amounts provided as a grant to a ,state or as a subgrant to a local educational agency under this section shall supplement1 and not supplant1 any other funds available to such ,state or local educational agency for school-based mental health services4 7#b7 ,combining funds allowed ,a ,state 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 7e77#a74 7g7 ,reports 7#a7 ,local educational agencies ,a local educational agency that receives a subgrant under this section shall submit an annual report to the ,state that awarded such subgrant on the activities carried out with the subgrant funds4 ,each such report shall-- 7,a7 describe the activities carried out using subgrant funds2 7,b7 enumerate the number of school-based mental health services providers 7in the aggregate and disaggregated by each type of provider listed in subsection 7d77#d77 who-- 7i7 were employed by or otherwise served in high-need public elementary and secondary schools under the jurisdiction of the local educational agency for the year covered by the report2 and 7ii7 were supported with funds from the subgrant or matching funds during such year2 and 7,c7 include the most recent student to school-based mental health services provider ratios listed in subsection 7d77#d7 for each high-need school under the jurisdiction of the local educational agency that was supported with the subgrant4 7#b7 ,state educational agencies ,a ,state 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 recommended maximum student to school-based mental health services provider ratios described in subsection 7e77#a77;,b72 7,b7 includes the most recent student to provider ratios1 in the aggregate and disaggregated as provided in subsection 7d77#d71 for public elementary schools and secondary schools in the ,state that were assisted with such allotment2 and 7,c7 describes any other resources needed to meet the recommended maximum student to school-based mental health services provider ratios described in subsection 7e77#a77;,b74 7#c7 ,public availability ,the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 submit to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,education and ,workforce of the ,house of ,representatives1 each report received under paragraph 7#b72 and 7,b7 make such reports available to the public1 including through the website of the ,department4 #e4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act-- 7#a7 #e1jjj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbg2 and 7#b7 such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding fiscal year4