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Expand the Behavioral Health Workforce Now Act
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to States on strategies under Medicaid and CHIP to increase mental health and substance use disorder care provider education, training, recruitment, and retention.
Summary
- Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue non-mandatory guidance to States within 12 months on strategies to increase mental health and substance use disorder care provider education, training, recruitment, and retention.
- Guidance must cover strategies under the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to improve behavioral health workforce capacity, with a focus on rural and underserved areas.
- Guidance must include strategies on how States may utilize section 1115 waivers and other authorities under Medicaid and CHIP to increase the behavioral health workforce.
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)
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![Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]](https://media.civicgate.org/people/d/politicians/D000618.thumb.jpg)
Sen. Daines, Steve (R-MT)
1 cosponsor
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![Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]](https://media.civicgate.org/people/d/politicians/P000595.thumb.jpg)
Sen. Peters, Gary C. (D-MI)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Steve Daines’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- Employer not reported $80,381
- ANDREESSEN HOROWITZ $19,800
- APOLLO MANAGEMENT $15,400
- SIERRA PACIFIC INDUSTRIES $12,000
- FLORA FARMS $10,000
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Steve Daines → · Outside spending →
Actions (2)
- Dec 16, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. · senate
- Dec 16, 2025 Introduced in Senate
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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 16, 2025
Mr. Daines (for himself and Mr. Peters) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to States on strategies under Medicaid and CHIP to increase mental health and substance use disorder care provider education, training, recruitment, and retention.
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 “Expand the Behavioral Health Workforce Now Act”.
SEC. 2. GUIDANCE TO STATES ON STRATEGIES UNDER MEDICAID AND CHIP TO INCREASE MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER CARE PROVIDER EDUCATION, TRAINING, RECRUITMENT, AND RETENTION.
Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall issue non-mandatory guidance to States on strategies under the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) and the Children’s Health Insurance Program under title XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1397aa et seq.) to increase education, training, recruitment, and retention of mental health and substance use disorder care providers that participate in such programs, with a focus on improving the capacity of the mental health and substance use disorder care workforce in rural and underserved areas. Such guidance shall include, and not be limited to, strategies on how States may utilize waivers under section 1115 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1315) and authorities under such titles XIX and XXI for such purposes. <all>
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