Schools get federal grants to bring mental health care to rural, low-income students

What it does

This bill authorizes the Department of Education, working with the Department of Health and Human Services, to award grants to schools and health providers to set up telehealth mental health services for students, with priority given to rural schools and schools serving low-income areas. The bill funds equipment, staffing, and program administration, with $5 million authorized annually through 2029.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a straightforward grant program to expand telehealth mental health services in schools, particularly in underserved areas. It is a public health measure with no hidden provisions or narrow beneficiaries.

What the text implies

• Telehealth infrastructure built through this program may create lasting digital health capacity in rural schools, benefiting other health services beyond mental health.
• Grant recipients must partner with community health providers, potentially strengthening school-health system integration in underserved areas.
• Privacy protections are required but delegated to 'applicable privacy laws'—implementation depends on state and federal privacy frameworks that may vary in strength.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill expands access to mental and behavioral health services for elementary and secondary students, particularly those in rural areas and high-poverty schools who currently lack such services. The grant mechanism is straightforward, includes privacy protections, and requires reporting on outcomes.

Who stands to gain

• telehealth technology vendors
• community health care providers (especially those serving rural/underserved areas)
• educational service agencies

Named in the bill

Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, local educational agencies, community health care providers, educational service agencies, Public Health Service Act (section 332)

Where it stands

13 cosponsors: 11 Democrats, 2 Republicans.

• Jun 26, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 26, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce and House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 4 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $120,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 22 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Raja Krishnamoorthi, the sponsor, reported $763,350 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• National Association of Social Workers — $50,000 on 1 filing
• National Association of Social Workers — $50,000 on 2 filings
• National Alliance on Mental Illness — $20,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.