119-s906

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 906 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 906

 To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a 
 pilot program to support evidence-based mental health peer support 
 activities for students.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 March 6, 2025

 Mr. Hickenlooper (for himself and Ms. Murkowski) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a 
 pilot program to support evidence-based mental health peer support 
 activities for students.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Peer to Peer Mental Health Support 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PEER-TO-PEER MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT.

    (a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and 
Substance Use (referred to in this section as the ``Assistant 
Secretary''), in consultation with the Secretary of Education, may, as 
appropriate and within a relevant existing program, carry out a pilot 
program and make awards, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities 
to support evidence-based mental health peer support activities for 
students enrolled in secondary schools (as such term is defined in 

section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801)).

    (b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive an award under this 
section, an entity shall--

    (1) be a State, political subdivision of a State, 
 territory, or Indian Tribe or Tribal organization (as such 
 terms are defined in 

section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 
 and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); and

    (2) submit to the Assistant Secretary an application at 
 such time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
 the Assistant Secretary may require, including a description of 
 how the entity will measure and evaluate progress of the 
 program in improving student mental health outcomes.
            (c) Use of Amounts.--

    (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph

    (2) , an eligible 
 entity may use amounts provided under this section to implement 
 or operate evidence-based mental health peer support activities 
 in 1 or more secondary schools (as such term is defined in 
 

section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) within the jurisdiction of such eligible 
 entity, which may include providing training, as appropriate, 
 to students, adult supervisors, and other appropriate 
 individuals to improve the early identification of, response 
 to, and recovery supports for mental health and substance use 
 challenges, reduce associated risks, and promote resiliency.

    (2) Program oversight.--An eligible entity shall ensure 
 that mental health peer support activities under paragraph

    (1) are overseen by a school-based mental health professional.

    (3) FERPA.--Any education records of the student collected 
 or maintained under this section shall have the protections 
 provided in 

section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act 
 (20 U.S.C. 1232g).
            (d) Evaluation; Report.--

    (1) Evaluation.--The Assistant Secretary shall carry out an 
 evaluation to measure the efficacy of the program under this 
 section. The evaluation shall--
        (A) measure participation rates in mental health 
 peer support activities, including any associated 
 trends;
        (B) describe the specific trainings provided, or 
 other activities carried out under the pilot program;
            (C) assess whether such mental health peer support 
 activities impacted mental health outcomes of 
 participating students; and
            (D) measure the effectiveness of the pilot program 
 in connecting students to professional mental health 
 services compared to other evidence-based strategies.

    (2) Report.--The Assistant Secretary shall prepare and 
 submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
 Pensions of the Senate and the Committees on Energy and 
 Commerce and Education and Workforce of the House of 
 Representatives a report containing the results of the 
 evaluation conducted under paragraph

    (1) .

    (e) Technical Assistance.--The Assistant Secretary, in coordination 
with the Secretary of Education, shall provide technical assistance to 
eligible entities applying for and receiving an award under this 
section, including the identification and dissemination of best 
practices for mental health peer support programs for students.

    (f) Rule of Construction.--

Section 4001 of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7101) shall apply to an 
entity receiving a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this 
section in the same manner as such section applies to an entity 
receiving funding under title IV of such Act, except that 

section 4001

    (a)

    (2)
        (B)
            (i) of such Act shall not apply.

    (g) Sunset.--This section shall terminate on September 30, 2029.
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