[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3316 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3316
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national
outreach and education strategy and research to improve behavioral
health among the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
population, while addressing stigma against behavioral health treatment
among such population.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 9, 2025
Ms. Chu (for herself, Ms. DelBene, Ms. Meng, Mr. Mullin, Ms.
Strickland, Mr. Takano, Mr. Thanedar, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Green of
Texas, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Tran, and Ms. Barragan) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national
outreach and education strategy and research to improve behavioral
health among the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
population, while addressing stigma against behavioral health treatment
among such population.
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 ``Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our
Communities Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) AANHPI.--The term ``AANHPI'' means Asian American,
Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander.
(2) Secretary.--Except as otherwise specified, the term
``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The AANHPI community is among the fastest growing
population groups in the United States. It is a diverse
population representing more than 70 distinct ethnicities, and
speaking more than 100 languages and dialects.
(2) There is a growing mental health crisis in the United
States, particularly for AANHPI individuals. AANHPI individuals
with mental health challenges have the lowest rates of mental
health service utilization compared to other racial or ethnic
populations. In 2023, only 35 percent of Asian adults with a
mental health challenge received treatment in the past year.
Although suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death, it is
the leading cause of death for AANHPI youth. From 2018 to 2023,
AANHPI youth between the ages of 10 to 24 years were the only
racial or ethnic population in this age category where suicide
was the leading cause of death.
(3) Such mental health disparities within the AANHPI
community may be attributed to systemic barriers to accessing
mental health services, including stigma attached to mental
health, limited availability of and access to culturally and
linguistically appropriate services, and insufficient research.
(4) Insufficient research on AANHPI communities often leads
to an inaccurate representation of their experiences and needs.
It is imperative to disaggregate AANHPI population data to
better understand the range of mental health issues for each
subpopulation so that specific culturally and linguistically
appropriate solutions can be developed.
(5) Critical investments are necessary to reduce stigma and
improve mental health within AANHPI communities, including
increasing culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach
education and mental health services, improving representation
of AANHPI individuals among the behavioral health workforce,
and strengthening disaggregated data collection in research.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL AANHPI BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
STRATEGY.
Part D of title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290dd
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``SEC. 554. NATIONAL AANHPI BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
STRATEGY.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant
Secretary, shall, in coordination with the Director of the Office of
Minority Health, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, and
the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in
consultation with advocacy and behavioral health organizations serving
populations of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander
individuals or communities, develop and implement a national outreach
and education strategy to promote behavioral health and reduce stigma
associated with mental health and substance use disorders within the
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population. Such
strategy shall--
``(1) be designed to meet the diverse cultural and language
needs and preferences of the various Asian American, Native
Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations;
``(2) be developmentally and age appropriate;
``(3) increase awareness of symptoms of mental illnesses
common within subgroups of such population, taking into account
differences within subgroups, such as gender, gender identity,
age, sexual orientation, culture, or ethnicity;
``(4) provide information, in a publicly accessible manner,
on evidence-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate,
and adapted interventions and treatments;
``(5) ensure full participation of, and engage, both
consumers and community members in the development and
implementation of materials; and
``(6) seek to broaden the perspective among both
individuals in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific
Islander communities and stakeholders serving such communities
to use a comprehensive public health approach to promoting
behavioral health that addresses a holistic view of health by
focusing on the intersection between behavioral and physical
health.
``(b) Reports.--Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of the Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act
of 2025 and annually thereafter, the Secretary, acting through the
Assistant Secretary, shall submit to Congress, and make publicly
available, a report on the extent to which the strategy developed and
implemented under subsection (a) increased awareness among the Asian
American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population of mental
health and substance use disorders.
``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $3,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2030.''.
SEC. 5. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF AND REPORT ON THE AANHPI YOUTH BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH CRISIS.
(a) Systematic Review.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the
Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, in
coordination with the Director of the National Institutes of
Health, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, and the Director of the Office of Minority Health,
shall conduct a systematic review of behavioral health among
AANHPI youth.
(2) Elements.--Such systematic review required under
paragraph (1) shall include an assessment of--
(A) the prevalence, risk factors, and root causes
of mental health challenges, substance misuse, and
mental health and substance use disorders among AANHPI
youth;
(B) the prevalence and methods of attempted
suicide, nonfatal substance use overdose, and death by
suicide or substance use overdose among AANHPI youth;
and
(C) AANHPI youth that received treatment for mental
health and substance use disorders.
(b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee
on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and make
publicly available, a report on the findings of the systematic review
conducted under subsection (a), including--
(1) identification of the barriers to accessing behavioral
health prevention, treatment, and recovery services for AANHPI
youth;
(2) identification of root causes of mental health
challenges and substance misuse among AANHPI youth;
(3) recommendations for evidence-based actions to be taken
by the Secretary to improve behavioral health among AANHPI
youth;
(4) recommendations for legislative or administrative
action to improve the behavioral health of AANHPI youth
experiencing depression, suicide, and overdose, and to reduce
the prevalence of depression, suicide, overdose, and other
behavioral health conditions among AANHPI youth; and
(5) such other recommendations as the Secretary determines
appropriate.
(c) Data.--Any data included in the systematic review or report
under this section shall be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, sex,
gender identity, sexual orientation, geographic region, disability
status, and other relevant factors, in a manner that protects personal
privacy and that is consistent with applicable Federal and State
privacy law.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--For purposes of carrying out
this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for
fiscal year 2026.
SEC. 6. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF AND REPORT ON STRATEGIES ON THE AANHPI
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKFORCE SHORTAGE.
(a) Systematic Review.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the
Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, in
coordination with the Administrator of the Health Resources and
Services Administration, the Secretary of Labor, and the
Director of the Office of Minority Health, shall conduct a
systematic review of strategies for increasing the behavioral
health workforce that identify as AANHPI.
(2) Elements.--Such systematic review required under
paragraph (1) shall include an assessment of--
(A) the total number of behavioral health workers
in the United States who identify as AANHPI;
(B) with respect to each such worker, information
regarding the current type of license, geographic area
of practice, and type of employer (such as hospital,
Federally-qualified health center, school, or private
practice);
(C) information regarding the cultural and
linguistic capabilities of such workers, including
languages spoken proficiently;
(D) the relevant barriers to enrollment in
behavioral health professional education programs and
entering the behavioral health workforce for AANHPI
individuals; and
(E) the total number of behavioral health workers
who identify as AANHPI and who participate in Federal
programs that seek to increase, train, and support the
behavioral health workforce.
(b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee
on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and make
publicly available, a report on the findings of the systematic review
conducted under subsection (a), including--
(1) identification of AANHPI behavioral health workers'
knowledge and awareness of the barriers to quality behavioral
health care services faced by AANHPI individuals, including
stigma, limited English proficiency, and lack of health
insurance coverage;
(2) recommendations for actions to be taken by the
Secretary to increase the number of AANHPI behavioral health
workers;
(3) recommendations for legislative or administrative
action to improve the enrollment of AANHPI individuals in
behavioral health workforce education and training programs;
and
(4) such other recommendations as the Secretary determines
appropriate.
(c) Data.--Any data included in the systematic review or report
under this section shall be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, age, sex,
gender identity, sexual orientation, geographic region, disability
status, and other relevant factors, in a manner that protects personal
privacy and that is consistent with applicable Federal and State
privacy law.
(d) Definition.--In this section the term ``behavioral health
worker'' means any individual licensed or certified to provide mental
health or substance use disorder services, including in the professions
of social work, psychology, psychiatry, marriage and family therapy,
mental health counseling, peer support, and substance use disorder
counseling.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--For purposes of carrying out
this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 for
fiscal year 2026.
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