PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1506-1508)
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Mar 15, 2016
Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to award grants to institutions of higher education to provide and improve mental and behavioral health services, conduct research regarding improving the mental health of students, and expand outreach and training at institutions of higher education.
SAMHSA must give special consideration to programs that: (1) demonstrate the greatest need, (2) propose effective approaches for initiating or expanding campus services, (3) target underserved and at-risk populations, (4) coordinate with a community mental health center or other community mental health resources, (5) identify how the institution of higher education will address psychiatric emergencies, (6) propose innovative practices to improve care or prevention programs, and (7) demonstrate the greatest potential for replication and dissemination.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
SAMHSA must convene an interagency, public-private sector working group to plan, establish, and begin coordinating and evaluating a targeted public education campaign that is designed to focus on mental and behavioral health at institutions of higher education.
The Department of Health and Human Services must establish the College Campus Task Force to discuss mental and behavioral health concerns at institutions of higher education.
People & committees
Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] · D–IL
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1506-1508)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Aug 12, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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