CONNECT Act of 2024

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6928 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6928

   To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of 
 Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for 
 Mental Health and Substance Abuse, to award grants to eligible crisis 
centers to provide follow-up services to individuals receiving suicide 
  prevention and crisis intervention services, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2024

Mr. Trone (for himself, Mr. Raskin, and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of 
 Health and Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for 
 Mental Health and Substance Abuse, to award grants to eligible crisis 
centers to provide follow-up services to individuals receiving suicide 
  prevention and crisis intervention services, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``CONtinuity in Necessary Evaluative 
Crisis Treatment Act of 2024'' or the ``CONNECT Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR FOLLOW-UP SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING SUICIDE 
              PREVENTION AND CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICES.

    Title V of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290aa et seq.) 
is amended by inserting after section 520E-4 (42 U.S.C. 290bb-36d) the 
following:

``SEC. 520E-5. FOLLOW-UP SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING SUICIDE 
              PREVENTION AND CRISIS INTERVENTION SERVICES.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary, shall award grants to eligible crisis centers to provide 
follow-up services to individuals receiving suicide prevention and 
crisis intervention services.
    ``(b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to seek a grant under this 
section, a crisis center shall be a member of the network of crisis 
centers coordinated under section 520E-3(b)(1).
    ``(c) Selection.--The Secretary shall select recipients of grants 
under this section based on the relative needs, including capacity and 
service gaps, of the eligible crisis centers applying for such grants.
    ``(d) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary shall provide technical 
assistance to recipients of grants under this section regarding best 
practices for the implementation of services through such grants.
    ``(e) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--A crisis center receiving a grant under 
        this section shall use the grant to provide follow-up services 
        to individuals receiving suicide prevention and crisis 
        intervention services such as--
                    ``(A) individuals who were callers at risk of, or 
                on behalf of someone at risk of, suicide or a mental 
                health or suicidal crisis; and
                    ``(B) to the extent possible, individuals who--
                            ``(i) received a response from a mobile 
                        crisis team; or
                            ``(ii) made a visit to an urgent behavioral 
                        health clinic, a crisis receiving and 
                        stabilization facility, an emergency 
                        department, an inpatient unit, or another 
                        short-term crisis care site.
            ``(2) Follow-up services.--Follow-up services referred to 
        in paragraph (1) may include--
                    ``(A) check-ins to assess well-being and level of 
                risk;
                    ``(B) outreach to ensure engagement in services and 
                supports, in coordination with mobile crisis service 
                providers if involved;
                    ``(C) collaboration with family, caregivers, and 
                natural social supports; and
                    ``(D) referrals based on the needed level of care.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000 for fiscal year 
2024, to remain available until expended.''.
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