Bill · S. 1924· Senate(119-S-1924)
Improving Mental Health Access for Students Act
- Introduced
- 6/2/2025
- Last activity
- 6/2/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Sponsored by
- John Kennedy
- Cosponsors
- - 4 - 4
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Improving Mental Health Access for Students Act aims to add suicide prevention resources to student identification cards. For institutions that issue ID cards, the bill requires including phone contact information for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and a campus mental health center or program. Institutions that do not distribute ID cards must instead publish this contact information on their website. The Secretary is authorized to designate different entities if the specified organizations cease to exist. This amendment to the Higher Education Act takes effect one year after the bill is enacted.
Yes
Would students be better off under this?+8
The bill is highly beneficial for students as it ensures immediate access to vital suicide prevention and mental health resources.
Does this make mental health care easier to get?+7
The bill improves mental health access by requiring suicide prevention contact information to be readily available to students via ID cards or websites.
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?+5
The bill benefits young adults in higher education by providing direct access to mental health and suicide prevention resources.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased access to crisis resources: Institutions that distribute identification cards will include phone contact information for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and a campus mental health center or program on each card (Section 2(a)(A)).
-
Digital availability of resources: For institutions that do not distribute identification cards, the required suicide prevention contact information must be published on the institution's website (Section 2(a)(B)).
-
Reliability of contact information: The Secretary has the authority to designate different entities if the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or Crisis Text Line ceases to exist, ensuring the information remains useful (Section 2(a)(C)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are 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 Students+8Good For Young Adults+5
- Healthcare
- Improves Mental Health Access+7
- 4/27/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 1/7/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 12/16/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 12/8/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 10/23/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/31/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/2/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 1 Cosponsor 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.
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey
Ted BuddRepublican · North Carolina
Martin HeinrichDemocrat · New Mexico
Cindy Hyde-SmithRepublican · Mississippi
David McCormickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Pete RickettsRepublican · Nebraska
Jeanne ShaheenDemocrat · New Hampshire
Raphael WarnockDemocrat · Georgia