H.R. 6940

119 HR 6940 IH: Hope Heals Act of 2026
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-01-06
 text/xml
 EN
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 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 6940  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.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Hope Heals Act of 2026  .
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.