Bill · S. 1448· Senate(119-S-1448)
Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act
- Introduced
- 4/10/2025
- Last activity
- 5/8/2025 — Star Print ordered on the bill.
- Sponsored by
- Mazie Hirono
- Cosponsors
- - 6 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act" aims to address mental health issues for youth, with a specific focus on racial and ethnic minority groups. The bill modifies the Public Health Service Act to allow special consideration for grant recipients serving these minority populations. It mandates a study through the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to identify research gaps in mental health disparities. Additionally, it establishes new core competencies for health profession training to address these disparities. The act also directs the Secretary to implement a specific outreach and education strategy for minority groups. Finally, it authorizes significant new funding for the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
Yes· 3 of 15
Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated?+9
The bill specifically focuses on addressing mental health disparities faced by racial and ethnic minority groups through research, training, and outreach.
Would children be better off under this?+8
The bill targets mental health issues for youth, providing resources and research to better serve them.
Does this make mental health care easier to get?+8
The bill significantly increases funding and strategies to improve mental health access and outreach, particularly for youth and minority groups.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Support for Minority Communities: The Secretary may give special consideration to grant recipients that serve a high proportion of racial and ethnic minority groups (Section 2).
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Improved Understanding of Mental Health Gaps: A study will be conducted to identify research gaps regarding mental health outcomes in racial and ethnic minority groups, including the impact of community violence, structural bias, and psychological traumas (Section 3).
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Better Trained Professionals: The bill allows for the development of best practices and core competencies to be used in training students for professions such as social work, psychology, psychiatry, and mental health counseling (Section 4).
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Culturally Appropriate Outreach: A new strategy will be implemented to meet diverse cultural and language needs, increase awareness of symptoms, and provide information on adapted interventions (Section 5).
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Expanded Clinical Research and Community Relations: Funding is authorized to help the National Institutes of Health build relations with communities and support clinical research on racial or ethnic disparities (Section 6).
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Increased Funding for Minority Health: The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities is authorized to receive significant additional funding (Section 7).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts or burdens are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Children+8Good For African Americans+7Good For Asian Americans+7Good For Hispanic Americans+7Good For Native Americans+7Good For Young Adults+7Good For Students+6Good For People With Disabilities+4Good For Low Income Households+3Good For Urban Residents+2
- Healthcare
- Improves Mental Health Access+8Increases Research Funding+7Improves Healthcare Access+5
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Racial Equity+9
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+7
- 9/11/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 5/8/2025
- Star Print ordered on the bill.
- 5/6/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 4/10/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 4 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey
Andy KimDemocrat · New Jersey
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Tina SmithDemocrat · Minnesota
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts