[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4603 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4603

 To provide for the prioritization of projects that provide behavioral 
   and mental health treatment services in selecting grantees under 
  certain rural development programs, and extend the substance abuse 
          disorder set-aside and priority under the programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 13, 2023

  Ms. Caraveo (for herself and Mr. Finstad) introduced the following 
        bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the prioritization of projects that provide behavioral 
   and mental health treatment services in selecting grantees under 
  certain rural development programs, and extend the substance abuse 
          disorder set-aside and priority under the programs.

    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 ``Rural Wellness Act''.

SEC. 2. PRIORITIZATION OF PROJECTS THAT PROVIDE BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL 
              HEALTH TREATMENT SERVICES IN SELECTING GRANTEES UNDER 
              CERTAIN RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS; EXTENSION OF 
              SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER SET-ASIDE AND PRIORITY UNDER THE 
              PROGRAMS.

    Section 6101(a)(1) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (132 
Stat. 4726) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``2025'' and inserting ``2028'';
            (2) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``20'' each place it 
        appears and inserting ``17'';
            (3) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) in clause (ii)--
                            (i) by inserting ``or (ii)'' before ``that 
                        receives''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``or for behavioral and 
                        mental health treatment, respectively'' before 
                        the period; and
                    (B) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii) 
                and inserting after clause (i) the following:
                            ``(ii) Behavioral and mental health 
                        treatment selection priority.--In selecting 
                        recipients of direct loans or grants for the 
                        development of essential community facilities 
                        under section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm 
                        and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)), 
                        the Secretary shall give priority to entities 
                        eligible for those direct loans or grants--
                                    ``(I) to develop facilities to 
                                provide behavioral and mental health 
                                services such as--
                                            ``(aa) prevention services;
                                            ``(bb) treatment services;
                                            ``(cc) recovery services; 
                                        or
                                            ``(dd) any combination of 
                                        those services; and
                                    ``(II) that employ staff that have 
                                appropriate expertise and training in 
                                how to identify and treat individuals 
                                with behavioral and mental health 
                                concerns.''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) Rural health and safety education programs; 
                behavioral and mental health selection priority.--In 
                making grants under section 502(i) of the Rural 
                Development Act of 1972 (7 U.S.C. 2662(i)), the 
                Secretary shall give priority to an applicant that will 
                use the grant for behavioral and mental health 
                education and treatment.''.
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