Mental Health Services for Students

Current understanding

To be populated as evidence accumulates.

Evidence log

• 2024-01-29 — Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act of 2024: The Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act of 2024 (introduced) would increase federal assistance and resources to expand mental health service access for elementary and secondary school students; it proposes expanded school-based services rather than an enacted change to coverage or patient costs. (novelty: 2)
• 2025-02-12 — Focus on Learning Act: 2025 — Focus on Learning Act (House bill, introduced): would commission a Surgeon General study on phone use effects on K-12 learning and mental health and create an Education Department grant pilot to fund lockable phone storage in participating schools. (novelty: 2)
• 2025-09-17 — 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act of 2025: 2025 — 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act of 2025 (HR5434, introduced; referred to House Energy and Commerce): adjacent federal legislation targeting crisis-line access for LGBTQ+ youth, complementary to broader student mental health service authorities. (novelty: 3)
• 2025-11-20 — Latino Youth Mental Health Empowerment Act: 2025 — Latino Youth Mental Health Empowerment Act (HR6226, introduced; referred to House Energy and Commerce): adjacent federal legislation targeting mental health services for a specific youth demographic (Latino youth), complementary to broader student mental health service authorities. (novelty: 2)
• 2025-04-01 — Youth Mental Health Research Act: 2025 — Youth Mental Health Research Act (HR2587, introduced; referred to House Energy and Commerce): adjacent federal legislation directing research on youth mental health, complementary to student mental health service authorities but focused on research infrastructure rather than service delivery. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-05-21 — Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act: 2025 — Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act (HR8979, introduced; referred to House Education and Workforce): adjacent federal legislation targeting school-based counseling capacity, complementary to broader student mental health service authorities. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-03-26 — 9–8–8 Connect Act: 2025 — 9-8-8 Connect Act (HR8122, introduced; referred to House Energy and Commerce): adjacent federal mental health / crisis-line legislation that could affect crisis routing infrastructure available to students and other populations. (novelty: 2)
• 2025-07-30 — Veterans’ Assuring Critical Care Expansions to Support Servicemembers (ACCESS) Act of 2025: 2025 — Veterans’ ACCESS Act of 2025 (introduced): adjacent mental health provision requiring standardized mental health screening within the VA; addresses veteran (not student) populations but part of broader federal push to standardize mental health screening processes. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-06-23 — Take Care of America’s Veterans Act: 2024 — Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (HR9237, introduced): includes veteran suicide prevention provisions that touch mental health service delivery, adjacent to student mental health service authorities but focused on the VA population. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-06-10 — School Access to Naloxone Act of 2026: cross-connection with school-access-to-naloxone-act: Both are federal legislative efforts to place health-crisis interventions (overdose reversal, mental health support) directly in school settings. (novelty: 2)
• 2026-03-19 — School Access to Naloxone Act of 2026: cross-connection with naloxone-access: Both address federal interventions targeting student health and safety in school settings. (novelty: 2)

Open questions

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