PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Congressional Research Service
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People & committees
Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] · D–VT
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jul 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-21 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed PEER Mental Health Act of 2025 would create grants for schools and education agencies to train school staff, students, parents and caregivers to recognize mental health concerns, refer students to services and respond to immediate distress. It would also support education about community resources. The bill would authorize funding for fiscal years 2026–2030; it would not itself provide that funding.
The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities— (1) to train teachers, other relevant school personnel (including education support professionals), students, and parents and caregivers of students
(A) to recognize symptoms of childhood and adolescent mental health conditions; (B) to refer students to appropriate mental health services if necessary; and (C) to recognize signs of immediate mental distress and, upon recognizing such signs apply mental health first aid tactics; and (2) to provide education to such teachers, personnel, students, parents, and caregivers regarding resources that are available in the community for individuals with a mental illness.
The term eligible entity means an elementary school, a local educational agency, a secondary school, or a State educational agency.
To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $24,963,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
Section 1 would give the bill the short title “Peer Education and Emergency Response for Mental Health Act of 2025,” or “PEER Mental Health Act of 2025.”
This Act may be cited as the Peer Education and Emergency Response for Mental Health Act of 2025 or the PEER Mental Health Act of 2025.
Section 2 would add a new grant program to the Public Health Service Act. It would require the Secretary to award grants for mental health training and education about community resources. Training would cover recognizing childhood and adolescent mental health symptoms, referring students to appropriate services when necessary, and using mental health first aid tactics upon recognizing immediate distress.
Title V of the Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section 520J of such Act (42 U.S.C. 290bb–41) the following: 520J–1. Grants for peer mental health first aid
The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities— (1) to train teachers, other relevant school personnel (including education support professionals), students, and parents and caregivers of students— (A) to recognize symptoms of childhood and adolescent mental health conditions; (B) to refer students to appropriate mental health services if necessary; and (C) to recognize signs of immediate mental distress and, upon recognizing such signs apply mental health first aid tactics; and (2) to provide education to such teachers, personnel, students, parents, and caregivers regarding resources that are available in the community for individuals with a mental illness.
Elementary schools, secondary schools, local education agencies and state education agencies would be eligible for grants. The bill uses definitions from existing education law for these institutions.
(1) The terms elementary school, local educational agency, secondary school, and State educational agency have the meanings given to those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. (2) The term eligible entity means an elementary school, a local educational agency, a secondary school, or a State educational agency.
An eligible recipient could receive these grants in addition to funding under the existing mental health awareness training grant provision, section 520J.
(b) Relation to other mental health awareness training grants An eligible entity may receive grant funds under this section in addition to receiving amounts made available to such eligible entity pursuant to section 520J.
At least 25 percent of the funding made available for the program each fiscal year would have to go to rural elementary or secondary schools, or eligible entities applying on their behalf. Rural eligibility would follow the Health Resources and Services Administration's definition used for rural health grants.
In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall award not less than 25 percent of the amounts made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year to eligible entities that are elementary schools or secondary schools in rural areas or that are applying for grants on behalf of such schools.
The term rural area refers to a rural area as defined by the Health Resources and Services Administration for purposes of awarding rural health grants.
If too few qualified rural applications prevent the Secretary from committing all reserved rural funding, the Secretary would have to make the remainder available for grants to other eligible entities.
If the Secretary is unable to obligate the total amount of funds set aside under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year due to a lack of qualified applications from eligible applicants described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall reallocate the remainder of such funds for making grants under this section to other eligible entities.
Applicants would have to follow the Secretary's requirements for application timing, format and information, and include a plan to rigorously evaluate grant-funded activities. The Secretary would have to simplify the process to avoid unreasonable barriers, especially for applicants with few staff available to prepare applications.
To seek a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including a plan for the rigorous evaluation of activities that are carried out with funds received through the grant.
The Secretary shall streamline the process for applying for a grant under this section so as to keep such process from imposing an unreasonable barrier, especially for eligible entities with limited personnel available to prepare a grant application.
The Secretary would have to provide technical assistance to applicants and recipients, including developing and sharing best practices for the funded training and education.
The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to eligible entities applying for, or receiving, grants under this section. Such technical assistance shall include the development and dissemination of best practices for providing training and education described in subsection (a).
The bill would authorize Congress to provide $24,963,000 for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030. This is permission for future appropriations, not an appropriation of money.
(g) Authorization of appropriations To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $24,963,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
The supplied action snapshot, updated July 14, 2025, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on February 21, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2025-07-14T15:21:11Z. 2025-02-21: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. 2025-02-21: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-21. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy rider was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish what appears in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark status cannot be fully assessed without accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
Findings to examine
The supplied introduced text contains a funding preference within the bill's main grant policy. Classification as a targeted benefit is not a judgment about its merits.
Rural elementary and secondary schools would receive a targeted funding preference: at least 25 percent of annual program funding would be reserved for them or eligible entities applying on their behalf. This reservation supports the bill's main mental health training policy. If insufficient qualified applications prevent full use of the reservation, the remainder must be reallocated to other eligible entities.
In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall award not less than 25 percent of the amounts made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year to eligible entities that are elementary schools or secondary schools in rural areas or that are applying for grants on behalf of such schools.
If the Secretary is unable to obligate the total amount of funds set aside under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year due to a lack of qualified applications from eligible applicants described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall reallocate the remainder of such funds for making grants under this section to other eligible entities.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jul 14, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI