# 119-hr-4186: Connecting Students with Mental Health Services Act 119-hr-4186, Connecting Students with Mental Health Services Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-19). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4186 - As of: 2026-07-19 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-4186 - Congress: 119 - Title: Connecting Students with Mental Health Services Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-06-26 - Sponsor: Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL) - Cosponsors: 13 - Policy area: Education - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-07-19 ## Summary **This bill would create a grant program to expand student mental and behavioral health care delivered by telehealth, with a focus on students in rural and high-need schools.** It would fund school partnerships with local health providers to set up telehealth services and support required staff and equipment. - Students and families: Would increase access to behavioral and mental health care through telehealth in K-12 schools, targeting students in rural areas, high-poverty schools, and Health Professional Shortage Areas. - School districts and educational service agencies: Eligible applicants must be partnerships between a local educational agency or consortium and a community health care provider or educational service agency, and could use funds for space, technology, and staff to run telehealth programs. - Community health providers and workforce: Grants could pay for telehealth equipment, technology upgrades, and hiring or extra compensation for staff who administer school telehealth services. - Program rules and oversight: Applicants would need a telehealth plan and assurances that student data collection and use comply with applicable privacy laws. A joint report to Congress by Sept. 30, 2027 would analyze program impact and offer reauthorization and improvement recommendations. *Would authorize $5.0 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2029 to carry out the program, increasing federal spending by that amount over those years.* ## Cosponsors (13) - Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1] (D-OH), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5] (D-OR), 2025-06-26T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2025-07-23T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3] (D-PA), 2025-08-05T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-08-05T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2025-08-05T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2025-09-02T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2025-09-03T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT), 2025-10-08T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2025-11-25T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17] (D-IL), 2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Grants to expand K-12 mental telehealth: benefit, low. This bill would create school grants to support student mental and behavioral health through telehealth. The Education Department, with HHS, would set up the program within 180 days of enactment. Grantees could buy or upgrade equipment, set up space and personnel, and hire or pay staff to run teleh… - 2027 report on student telehealth use: benefit, low. By September 30, 2027, the Education and HHS Secretaries would report to Congress on how many students used telehealth, including mental and behavioral health services. The report would be public and could not include any student’s personal information. It would also give recommendations to reautho… - Which providers can partner with schools: mixed, low. The bill would define who counts as a community health care provider for these grants. Some university health systems could qualify. Providers that do not accept Medicaid would be excluded from partnering. It would also define telehealth as health care and related services delivered using electroni… - Who can apply and key grant rules: mixed, low. To apply, a partnership would be required: a school district (or consortium) with a community health provider or an educational service agency. Applicants would need to file a plan for the telehealth program and promise to follow all student privacy laws. Grant funds would have to add to, not repla… ## Related bills - 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025 - 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025 - 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act - 119-hr-4253: Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act of 2025 - 119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025 ## Sources - [119-hr-4186 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4186) ## Related - [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877) - [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206) - [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151) - [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262) - [119-hr-4253: Expanding Access to Mental Health Services in Schools Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4253) - [119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1065) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4186 (as of 2026-07-19).