[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5411 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5411
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a
Task Force on Local Mental Health Needs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 12, 2019
Mr. Harder of California introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
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A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a
Task Force on Local Mental Health Needs, and for other purposes.
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 ``Increasing Access to Mental Health
Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. TASK FORCE ON LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
establish a task force, to be known as the Task Force on Local Mental
Health Needs--
(1) to analyze whether, notwithstanding section 1115,
section 1903(m)(7), paragraphs (14) and (16) of section
1905(a), and section 1915(l) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1315, 1396b(m)(7), 1396d(a), 1396n), the prohibition on
Federal financial participation under the Medicaid program
under title XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) for items
and services provided in a hospital, nursing facility, or other
institution of more than 16 beds, that is primarily engaged in
providing services described in section 1905(i) of such Act (42
U.S.C. 1396d(i)) for persons with mental diseases, precludes
political subdivisions of some States from meeting the mental
health care needs of individuals residing in such political
subdivision;
(2) in the case of a political subdivision so precluded, to
develop possible solutions for addressing such mental health
needs; and
(3) to identify best and sustainable practices described in
paragraphs (3) through (7) of subsection (c).
(b) Membership.--The members of the Task Force task shall consist
of the following:
(1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services (or the
Secretary's designee), who shall serve as the Chair of the Task
Force.
(2) The Attorney General of the United States (or the
Attorney General's designee).
(3) The Secretary of Labor (or the Secretary's designee).
(4) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or the Secretary's
designee).
(5) The Director of the Office of National Drug Control
Policy (or the Director's designee).
(6) The heads of such other Federal agencies and offices as
may be appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services
(or their designees).
(7) The directors of State or county agencies or offices of
behavioral health services as may be appointed by the Secretary
of Health and Human Services (or their designees).
(c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the initial
meeting of the Task Force, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a final report of
the Task Force that--
(1) determines whether the prohibition described in
subsection (a)(1) precludes political subdivisions of some
States from meeting the mental health care needs of individuals
residing in such political subdivision;
(2) in the case of a political subdivision so precluded,
recommends possible solutions for addressing such mental health
needs, including a recommended bed capacity number;
(3) identifies best practices for compliance with the
recommendations developed by the Task Force;
(4) identifies sustainable practices for helping to provide
services to transition individuals from mental health services
to sustainable recovery services, including identifying
workforce and housing opportunities;
(5) identifies best practices to coordinate mental health
service providers and public service agencies with local law
enforcement agencies to address issues like homelessness;
(6) identifies best practices that are used by mental
health service providers to handle patient discharge planning,
including linkage with community services and support;
(7) identifies best practices that advance parity in mental
health and substance use disorder treatment; and
(8) provides an analysis for alternatives to a bed capacity
number, such as a time limit for Federal reimbursement for
facilities or a time limit for patient stays in treatment.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) State.--The term ``State'' means any of the 50 States.
(2) Task force.--The term ``Task Force'' means the Task
Force on Local Mental Health Needs established pursuant to this
section.
SEC. 3. MODERN MENTAL HEALTH FUND GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants to 10 eligible
entities to coordinate mental health care services with qualified
community entities described in subsection (d).
(b) Eligibility.--To seek a grant under this section, an entity
shall--
(1) be--
(A) a psychiatric health facility; or
(B) an institution for mental disease; and
(2) submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
may require.
(c) Geographic Diversity.--In awarding grants under this section,
the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall ensure there is
geographic diversity across the grantees.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``institution for mental diseases'' has the
meaning given to that term in section 1905(i) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(i)).
(2) The term ``qualified community entity'' means an entity
that meets at least one of the following:
(A) The entity can ensure that case management
provided by the entity working with a grantee under
this section does not exceed a ratio of 1 caseworker to
20 cases.
(B) The entity demonstrates the capacity to provide
services to address mental health, substance use
disorders and recovery services, disabling or other
chronic health conditions, educational and job training
or employment outcomes, and life skills needs
(including financial literacy).
(C) The entity can ensure stable housing, intensive
case management, and comprehensive services that
include, at minimum, mental health services, substance
use disorder treatment and recovery services, education
and job training, age-appropriate services for
children, and life skills training (such as financial
literacy training).
(D) The entity can coordinate with local law
enforcement, courts (including specialized courts),
probation, and other public services agencies to
conduct outreach and better identify at-risk or
homeless populations that would benefit from services
offered by the entity.
(E) The entity can coordinate with a
congressionally chartered veterans service
organization, a State, local, or Tribal veterans
service agency, or a nonprofit organization that has
historically served veterans' housing needs.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2021
and each subsequent fiscal year.
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