[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6940 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6940
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assess how
Executive departments address mental health crisis prevention and
awareness, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 6, 2026
Mrs. Biggs of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assess how
Executive departments address mental health crisis prevention and
awareness, 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 ``Hope Heals Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS PREVENTION AND AWARENESS.
(a) Assessment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services (in this section referred to as the ``Secretary'')
shall assess--
(A) the feasibility of improving coordination
between Executive departments that provide direct
services to the public, with respect to identifying--
(i) any individual experiencing a mental
health crisis; or
(ii) any individual that expresses concern
that they may be experiencing such a crisis or
related distress;
(B) any opportunity for an Executive department to
improve how such department shares information, best
practices, and referral mechanisms related to suicide
prevention and mental health support with an individual
seeking services during a mental health crisis; and
(C) for the purpose of increasing awareness of the
signs of a mental health crisis, whether an Executive
department may implement a program to distribute--
(i) a validated screening tool, including
the Patient Health Questionnaire-3 (PHQ-3) or a
comparable tool; and
(ii) any commonly used symptom indicator.
(2) Coordination with other executive departments.--In
carrying out the assessment under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall coordinate with the head of any relevant Executive
department, which may include--
(A) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
(B) the Secretary of Defense; and
(C) the Secretary of Education.
(3) Consultation with experts.--In carrying out the
assessment under paragraph (1), the Secretary may consult
with--
(A) an independent person with expertise in suicide
prevention, public mental health, behavioral health
systems, or coordination between Executive departments;
(B) an academic institution with demonstrated
expertise in mental or behavioral health research,
suicide prevention, or public health;
(C) a mental health professional; or
(D) any such other entity with relevant expertise.
(4) Report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
date on which the Secretary completes the assessment
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to each
appropriate congressional committee a report containing
the results of such assessment and any recommendations
related to such results.
(B) Appropriate congressional committee defined.--
In this paragraph, the term ``appropriate congressional
committee'' means--
(i) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of
the House of Representatives;
(ii) the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; and
(iii) any congressional committee with
jurisdiction over the head of an Executive
department that the Secretary coordinates with
under paragraph (2).
(b) Implementation.--Each Executive department shall, to the extent
practicable, implement any recommendation contained within the report
submitted under subsection (a)(4).
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Executive department.--The term ``Executive
department'' means an Executive department listed in section
101 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Mental health crisis.--The term ``mental health
crisis'' means a situation in which an individual--
(A) experiences acute psychological distress or
behavioral disruption that--
(i) places such individual at risk of
harming themself or another individual; or
(ii) significantly impairs the ability of
such individual to function in daily life; and
(B) requires support, intervention, or referral to
services.
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