Federal grants to train mental health paraprofessionals in underserved areas

What it does

This bill authorizes $25 million per year (2026–2030) for federal grants to train and certify 'community mental wellness workers'—paraprofessionals who screen for and deliver basic counseling for mild-to-moderate mental health and substance use disorders. Grants go to community health clinics, mental health centers, and hospitals; priority is given to areas with high poverty, unemployment, substance use, or dual Medicare/Medicaid enrollment. The bill also extends federal liability protections (from section 224 of the Public Health Service Act) to grant-funded workers and their employers.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is straightforward: federal grants to train paraprofessional mental health workers in underserved areas. It is a direct public-health investment, not a tax provision, deregulation, or narrow carve-out.

What the text implies

• Liability protections (section 224 extension) may reduce legal accountability for negligence by grant-funded workers, though they mirror existing federal health worker protections and do not shield gross misconduct.
• The bill does not mandate reimbursement rates or insurance coverage for community mental wellness worker services, leaving sustainability dependent on state Medicaid plans and private payers—potential implementation gap.
• Priority criteria (poverty, unemployment, substance use, dual-eligible rates) are data-driven but may inadvertently concentrate resources in specific geographic regions, creating uneven access nationally.

Who it affects

Ordinary people in underserved areas gain access to affordable, culturally competent mental health screening and basic treatment—addressing a documented shortage of behavioral health services in high-poverty and medically underserved communities. The liability protections are standard for federally funded health workers and do not shield gross negligence or malpractice.

Who stands to gain

• community behavioral health clinics
• community mental health centers
• nonprofit hospitals
• workforce training organizations

Named in the bill

Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), Community Mental Health Centers, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Medicare, Medicaid, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, Section 224 (Public Health Service Act liability protections)

Where it stands

2 cosponsors: 1 Democrats, 1 Republicans.

• Oct 10, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Oct 10, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

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

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $70,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 5 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 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Adriano Espaillat, the sponsor, reported $497,550 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• National Council for Mental Wellbeing Fka National Council for Behavioral Health — $70,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 17, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.