Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act of 2025
Congress Proposes Grants to Help High-Need Schools Hire and Keep More Mental Health Staff
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Creates a federal grant program to help States and high-need school districts hire and keep more school mental health staff.
- Targets districts that fall short of key staffing levels, like 1 school counselor for every 250 students or 1 school psychologist for every 500 students.
- Grant money could be used for hiring and for recruiting and retention incentives like salary stipends, relocation help, and student loan repayment.
- Grants can last up to 5 years, with a possible 2-year renewal, and at least half of the main grant funding must go directly to high-need school districts.
- Schools taking grants must follow student privacy and disability law rules, put annual results reports online, and provide a 25% non-federal funding match.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articlesU.S. reps from CT push to expand mental health services in schools nationally amid funding cuts
Coverage of the reintroduction of the Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act, detailing the proposed grant program to help high-need districts recruit, hire, and retain counselors, psychologists, and social workers.
New Bill: Representative Rosa L. DeLauro introduces H.R. 4253: Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act of 2025
Explainer-style writeup summarizing H.R. 4253’s grant structure, eligible agencies, staffing-ratio targeting, match requirement, and allowable recruitment/retention incentives.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act of 2025
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
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