This week, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., brought back the “Advancing Student Services in Schools Today (ASSIST) Act.”
When she first introduced the bill in May 2022, Castor’s office offered some of the reasons why she introduced the proposal at the end of last week.
“Our children are in crisis. It’s not a new problem, but one that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Castor’s office noted. “This bill would establish a new grant initiative at the Department of Health and Human Services to hire and retain mental health and substance use disorder care providers in schools. The bill includes a 90 percent increase in federal Medicaid matching funds to pay for these services, allowing states to increase the rate of pay for these providers in a sustainable manner.”
Castor introduced the bill in the U.S. House with U.S. Sen. Rafael Warnock, D-Ga., championing it in the U.S. Senate.
“We have a youth mental health crisis in this country, and we have a responsibility to act now to ensure our children can access the appropriate mental and behavioral health care they need,” said Castor. “Ensuring our children can get care where they are is key to improving mental health outcomes and reduces substance use disorders among youth, an issue that has been growing for decades. I hear from students, parents, teachers and health care providers all across Tampa Bay about the significant shortage of mental and behavioral health professionals that is delaying or preventing our neighbors from receiving the care they need. I’m proud to reintroduce the ASSIST Act with Senator Raphael Warnock today, which will help remove cost barriers for providers to care for children in our schools with a sustainable funding stream. This commonsense legislation will make a real difference in keeping our students safe, healthy, engaged and on the right track to a successful future.”
“Many of us have felt and are still feeling the effects of the recent pandemic on our mental health, but students have felt the negative impact of the pandemic in an entirely different way, and that’s not even to mention the trauma visited on our children by rampant gun violence in our schools and communities. That’s why I’ve introduced the ASSIST Act, because we need to make sure that schools have the resources they need to have mental health professionals accessible for students in the classroom,” said Warnock. “We hear a lot about how the country needs to make a more serious effort to address mental health challenges, especially as we deal with the ongoing gun violence crisis—but we are never going to improve mental health until and unless we start placing the same value on mental health care that we do with physical health care. I’m proud to work with Representative Castor on this important, timely legislation.”
Castor’s bill was sent to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce and the Education and the Workforce Committee. So far, there are no co-sponsors.
U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, D-NJ, Tom Carper, D-Del., John Fetterman, D-Penn., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, are co-sposonsoring the bill in the Senate. Warnock’s bill was sent to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work, American Federation of Teachers, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Psychological Association, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Children’s Hospital Association, Families USA, First Focus Campaign for Children, International OCD Foundation, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association of Social Workers, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, RI International, The Kennedy Forum and Trust for America’s Health are backing the proposal.
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