[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3511 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3511
To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Assistant
Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use to establish a grant
program for certain undergraduate or graduate students who agree to
work as school psychologists, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 20, 2025
Mr. Gottheimer (for himself and Ms. Friedman) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Assistant
Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use to establish a grant
program for certain undergraduate or graduate students who agree to
work as school psychologists, 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 ``Preparing for the Future Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS.
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:
``SEC. 554. GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS.
``(a) Program Established.--
``(1) Program authority.--Subject to the availability of
appropriations under subsection (c), the Assistant Secretary
shall pay to each eligible institution such sums as may be
necessary to pay to each eligible recipient who files an
application and agreement in accordance with subsection (b) a
grant for school psychology in the amount of $8,000 for each
year during which such eligible recipient is within the period
of eligibility under paragraph (4) at such eligible
institution.
``(2) Payment methodology.--
``(A) Prepayment.--Not less than 85 percent of any
funds provided to an eligible institution under
paragraph (1) shall be advanced to such eligible
institution prior to the start of each payment period
(as such period is determined by the Assistant
Secretary) and shall be based upon an amount requested
by such institution as needed to pay eligible
recipients who receive grants under this section, until
such time as the Assistant Secretary determines and
publishes in the Federal Register (with an opportunity
for comment) an alternative payment system that
provides payments to such institutions in an accurate
and timely manner, except that this sentence shall not
be construed to limit the authority of the Assistant
Secretary to place an institution on a reimbursement
system of payment.
``(B) Direct payment.--Nothing in this subsection
shall be interpreted to prohibit the Assistant
Secretary from paying directly to an eligible
recipient, in advance of the beginning of the academic
term, an amount for which such eligible recipient is
eligible, in cases in which an eligible institution
fails to implement subparagraph (A).
``(C) Distribution of grants to eligible
recipients.--Payments under this section shall be made,
in accordance with regulations promulgated by the
Assistant Secretary for such purpose, in such manner as
will best accomplish the purposes of this section. Any
payment allowed to be made by crediting the account of
an eligible recipient shall be limited to tuition and
fees and, in the case of housing owned by an eligible
institution, room and board.
``(3) Reductions in amount.--
``(A) Part-time students.--In any case in which an
eligible recipient attends an eligible institution on
less than a full-time basis (including an eligible
recipient who attends an eligible institution on less
than a half-time basis) during any year, the amount of
a grant under this section for which such eligible
recipient is eligible shall be reduced in proportion to
the degree to which such eligible recipient is not
attending on a full-time basis, in accordance with a
schedule of reductions established by the Assistant
Secretary for the purposes of this section, computed in
accordance with this section. Such schedule of
reductions shall be established by regulation and
published in the Federal Register.
``(B) No exceeding cost.--The amount of a grant
awarded under this section, in combination with Federal
assistance and other assistance an eligible recipient
who is a student may receive, shall not exceed the cost
of attendance (as defined in section 472 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965) of the eligible institution at
which such eligible recipient is in attendance.
``(4) Period of eligibility for grants.--
``(A) Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate
students.--The period during which an eligible
recipient who is an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate
student may receive a grant under this section shall be
the period after such eligible recipient has completed
half of the required credit hours for a first
undergraduate baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate
course of study being pursued by such eligible
recipient at an eligible institution at which such
eligible recipient is in attendance, except that the
total amount that an eligible recipient may receive
under this section for undergraduate or post-
baccalaureate study shall not exceed $16,000.
``(B) Graduate students.--The period during which
an eligible recipient who is a graduate student may
receive grants under this section shall be the first
and second year of a graduate or professional degree
program in school psychology that is pursued by such
eligible recipient at an eligible institution at which
such eligible recipient is in attendance, except that
the total amount that an eligible recipient may receive
under this section for graduate study shall not exceed
$16,000.
``(C) Remedial course; study abroad.--Nothing in
this subsection shall be construed to exclude from
eligibility courses of study which are noncredit or
remedial in nature (including courses in English
language acquisition) which are determined by the
eligible institution at which an eligible recipient is
in attendance to be necessary to help such eligible
recipient be prepared for the pursuit of a first
undergraduate baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate
degree or certificate or, in the case of courses in
English language instruction, to be necessary to enable
such eligible recipient to utilize already existing
knowledge, training, or skills. Nothing in this
subsection shall be construed to exclude from
eligibility programs of study abroad that are approved
for credit by the home institution at which an eligible
recipient is enrolled.
``(b) Applications; Eligibility.--
``(1) Applications; demonstration of eligibility.--
``(A) Filing required.--The Assistant Secretary
shall periodically set dates by which an applicant
shall file an application for a grant under this
section. Each applicant desiring a grant under this
section for any year shall file an application
containing such information and assurances as the
Assistant Secretary may determine necessary to enable
the Assistant Secretary to carry out the functions and
responsibilities of this section.
``(B) Demonstration of eligibility.--Each
application submitted under subparagraph (A) shall
contain such information as is necessary to demonstrate
that--
``(i) if the applicant is an enrolled
student--
``(I) such applicant is an eligible
student for purposes of section 484 of
the Higher Education Act of 1965; and
``(II) such applicant--
``(aa) has a grade point
average that is determined,
under standards prescribed by
the Assistant Secretary, to be
comparable to a 3.25 average on
a zero to 4.0 scale, except
that, if such applicant is
eligible for a grant under this
section in the first year of a
program of undergraduate
education, the grade point
average of such applicant shall
be determined on the basis of
the cumulative secondary school
grade point average of such
student; or
``(bb) displayed high
academic aptitude by receiving
a score above the 75th
percentile on at least one of
the batteries in an
undergraduate, post-
baccalaureate, or graduate
school admissions test; and
``(ii) such applicant has outlined and is
carrying out, or plans to carry out, a step-by-
step educational plan for how to satisfy any
requirements needed to receive a school
psychologist credential, if such credential is
required, and begin serving as a school
psychologist.
``(C) Educational plan.--The educational plan
described in subparagraph (B)(ii) shall include, for an
applicant--
``(i) the courses such applicant has
enrolled in, or plans to enroll in;
``(ii) the plan of such applicant to
satisfy any requirements other than coursework
needed to receive a school psychologist
credential, if such credential is required, and
begin serving as a school psychologist; and
``(iii) a justification for any
undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate
or professional degree program related to
school psychology that such applicant is
enrolled in or plans to enroll in and for which
such applicant is receiving or plans to seek a
grant under this section, including whether
such program is needed to receive a school
psychologist credential.
``(2) Agreements to serve.--Each application under
paragraph (1) shall contain or be accompanied by an agreement
by the applicant that--
``(A) such applicant will--
``(i) serve as a full-time school
psychologist (referred to in this subsection as
the `service obligation') in a covered school
for a total of not less than 4 academic years
within 8 years after completing--
``(I) the course of study for which
the applicant received a grant under
this section; or
``(II) for an applicant who
received a grant under this section
during both a period described in
subsection (a)(4)(A) and a period
described in subsection (a)(4)(B), the
graduate or professional degree program
for which the applicant received a
grant under this section; and
``(ii) submit a certification of employment
by the chief administrative officer of the
covered school in accordance with paragraph
(4)(D); and
``(iii) receive a school psychologist
credential;
``(B) in the event that such applicant is
determined to have failed or refused to carry out such
service obligation, the sum of the amounts of any
grants received by such applicant under this section
will be treated as a loan and collected from such
applicant in accordance with paragraph (3) and the
regulations thereunder; and
``(C) contains, or is accompanied by, a plain-
language disclosure form developed by the Assistant
Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of
Education (with respect to loan repayment
requirements), that clearly describes the nature of the
grant award under this section, the service obligation,
and the loan repayment requirements that are the
consequence of the failure to complete the service
obligation.
``(3) Repayment for failure to complete service.--
``(A) In general.--In the event that any eligible
recipient who receives a grant under this section fails
or refuses to comply with the service obligation in the
agreement under paragraph (2), the sum of the amounts
of any grants received by such recipient under this
section shall, upon a determination of such a failure
or refusal in such service obligation, be treated as a
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan under part D
of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, and
shall be subject to repayment, together with interest
thereon accruing from the date of the grant award, in
accordance with terms and conditions specified by the
Assistant Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary
of Education, in regulations under this section.
``(B) Reconsideration of conversion decisions.--
``(i) Request to reconsider.--In any case
where the Assistant Secretary has determined
that an eligible recipient who receives a grant
under this section has failed or refused to
comply with the service obligation in the
agreement under paragraph (2) and has
converted, in consultation with the Secretary
of Education, the grant into a Federal Direct
Unsubsidized Stafford Loan in accordance with
subparagraph (A) (including cases in which such
loans have been fully or partially paid), such
eligible recipient may request that the
Assistant Secretary reconsider such initial
determination and may submit additional
information to demonstrate satisfaction of such
service obligation. Upon receipt of such a
request, the Assistant Secretary shall
reconsider the determination in accordance with
this subparagraph not later than 90 days after
the date that such request was received.
``(ii) Reconsideration.--If, in
reconsidering an initial determination under
clause (i), the Assistant Secretary determines
that the reason for such determination was the
failure of the eligible recipient who received
a grant under this section to timely submit a
certification required under paragraph
(2)(A)(ii), an error or processing delay by the
Assistant Secretary, a change to the covered
schools considered eligible for fulfillment of
the service obligation, an eligible recipient
who received a grant under this section having
previously requested to have such grant under
this section converted to a loan, or another
valid reason determined by the Assistant
Secretary, and that such recipient has, as of
the date of the reconsideration, demonstrated
that such recipient did meet, or is meeting,
the service obligation in the agreement under
paragraph (2), the Assistant Secretary, in
consultation with the Secretary of Education,
shall--
``(I) discharge the Federa