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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 779 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 779

  To amend title XIX of the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
 prevention and early intervention services under the Block Grants for 
   Community Mental Health Services program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 27, 2025

  Mr. Padilla (for himself, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Kaine, 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 amend title XIX of the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
 prevention and early intervention services under the Block Grants for 
   Community Mental Health Services program, 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 ``Early Action and Responsiveness 
Lifts Youth Minds Act'' or the ``EARLY Minds Act''.

SEC. 2. EARLY INTERVENTION.

    (a) State Plan Option.--Section 1912(b)(1)(A)(vii) of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300x-1(b)(1)(A)(vii)) is amended--
            (1) in subclause (III), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subclause (IV), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(V) a description of any evidence-based 
                prevention and early intervention strategies and 
                programs the State provides to prevent, delay, or 
                reduce the severity and onset of mental illness and 
                behavioral problems, including for children and 
                adolescents, irrespective of experiencing a serious 
                mental illness or serious emotional disturbance, as 
                defined under subsection (c)(1).''.
    (b) Allocation Allowance; Reports.--Section 1920 of the Public 
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300x-9) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(e) Prevention and Early Intervention Services.--In the case of a 
State with a State plan that provides for strategies and programs 
specified in section 1912(b)(1)(A)(vii)(V), such State may expend not 
more than 5 percent of the amount of the allotment of the State 
pursuant to a funding agreement under section 1911 for each fiscal year 
to support such strategies and programs.
    ``(f) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of the EARLY Minds Act, and biennially thereafter, the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the prevention and early 
intervention strategies and programs pursued by States pursuant to 
subsection (e). Each such report shall include--
            ``(1) a list of the States that utilized the option to 
        provide prevention and early intervention services;
            ``(2) a description of the prevention and early 
        intervention activities of each such State;
            ``(3) the population served, including information on 
        demographics, including age;
            ``(4) the outcomes of such activities, including--
                    ``(A) how such activities reduced delays in access 
                to mental and behavioral health care for children and 
                adults; and
                    ``(B) how such activities reduced the severity of 
                onset of serious mental illness and serious emotional 
                disturbance; and
            ``(5) any other relevant information the Secretary 
        determines necessary.''.
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