# 119-s-4468: Supporting the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act of 2026

119-s-4468, Supporting the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-15).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4468
- As of: 2026-10-15
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4468
- Congress: 119
- Title: Supporting the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-04-30
- Sponsor: Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA] (D-VA)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-15

## Summary

**This bill would boost federal support for the mental health and suicide prevention of education professionals and school staff.** It would set up national outreach, grant programs, training, and reviews to increase resiliency and reduce stigma. - Educators and school staff: Grants and programs would fund peer support, training to spot suicide risk, and referrals or telehealth care with licensed mental health professionals. - High-need schools and districts: Grant awards would give priority to areas with large shares of Title I schools to steer resources to lower-income communities. - Teacher preparation and professional development: Colleges, state and local agencies, and other institutions could get grants to add evidence-based mental health and resiliency content to educator preparation and continuing education. *If enacted, this bill would authorize $10 million per year for the national awareness initiative and $35 million per year for grant programs for FY2026–FY2028, about $45 million per year and $135 million total, increasing federal spending over that period.*

## Cosponsors (3)

- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME] (I-ME), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- GAO report on educator mental health: benefit, low. If enacted, the Comptroller General would report to Congress within four years on how federal mental health and substance use disorder grant programs address the needs of education professionals and school staff. The report would analyze available data and look for duplicate goals across programs.…
- Grants for school staff mental health: benefit, low. If enacted, HHS would award competitive grants to State and local education agencies, colleges, consortia, Tribes, and qualifying nonprofits. Grants would fund awareness, suicide prevention, peer support, counseling, follow-up care, referrals, and telehealth for teachers and school staff. Grants wo…
- National awareness and best practices: benefit, low. If enacted, HHS would run a national education and awareness initiative to encourage school staff to seek help, reduce stigma, and teach how to identify suicide risk. HHS would report to Congress on the initiative within two years. HHS would also review educator mental health, identify evidence-bas…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act

## Sources
- [119-s-4468 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4468)

## Related
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2295)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4468 (as of 2026-10-15).