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To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assess how Executive departments address mental health crisis prevention and awareness, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assess how Executive departments can better address mental health crisis prevention and awareness. The assessment must examine the feasibility of improving coordination between departments to identify individuals in mental health crises, sharing mental health information and referral mechanisms, and distributing mental health screening tools. The Secretary must consult with experts and coordinate with other departments such as Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Education, then submit a report with findings and recommendations to Congress within 180 days. Executive departments must implement the recommendations to the extent practicable.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Biggs, Sheri [R-SC-3] (R-SC)
2 cosponsors
- Rep. Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-9] (R-AZ)
- Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2] (R-SC)
Actions (2)
- Jan 6, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. · house
- Jan 6, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 6, 2026
Mrs. Biggs of South Carolina introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assess how Executive departments address mental health crisis prevention and awareness, 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 “Hope Heals Act of 2026”.
SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS PREVENTION AND AWARENESS.
(a) Assessment.—
(1) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) shall assess—
(A) the feasibility of improving coordination between Executive departments that provide direct services to the public, with respect to identifying—
(i) any individual experiencing a mental health crisis; or
(ii) any individual that expresses concern that they may be experiencing such a crisis or related distress;
(B) any opportunity for an Executive department to improve how such department shares information, best practices, and referral mechanisms related to suicide prevention and mental health support with an individual seeking services during a mental health crisis; and
(C) for the purpose of increasing awareness of the signs of a mental health crisis, whether an Executive department may implement a program to distribute—
(i) a validated screening tool, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-3 (PHQ-3) or a comparable tool; and
(ii) any commonly used symptom indicator.
(2) Coordination with other executive departments.—In carrying out the assessment under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall coordinate with the head of any relevant Executive department, which may include—
(A) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
(B) the Secretary of Defense; and
(C) the Secretary of Education.
(3) Consultation with experts.—In carrying out the assessment under paragraph (1), the Secretary may consult with—
(A) an independent person with expertise in suicide prevention, public mental health, behavioral health systems, or coordination between Executive departments;
(B) an academic institution with demonstrated expertise in mental or behavioral health research, suicide prevention, or public health;
(C) a mental health professional; or
(D) any such other entity with relevant expertise.
(4) Report.—
(A) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Secretary completes the assessment under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall submit to each appropriate congressional committee a report containing the results of such assessment and any recommendations related to such results.
(B) Appropriate congressional committee defined.— In this paragraph, the term “appropriate congressional committee” means—
(i) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives;
(ii) the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; and
(iii) any congressional committee with jurisdiction over the head of an Executive department that the Secretary coordinates with under paragraph (2).
(b) Implementation.—Each Executive department shall, to the extent practicable, implement any recommendation contained within the report submitted under subsection (a)(4).
(c) Definitions.—In this section:
(1) Executive department.—The term “Executive department” means an Executive department listed in section 101 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Mental health crisis.—The term “mental health crisis” means a situation in which an individual—
(A) experiences acute psychological distress or behavioral disruption that—
(i) places such individual at risk of harming themself or another individual; or
(ii) significantly impairs the ability of such individual to function in daily life; and
(B) requires support, intervention, or referral to services. <all>
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