Title 42 › CHAPTER 6A — PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER XVII — BLOCK GRANTS › Part B — Block Grants Regarding Mental Health and Substance Use › subpart i — block grants for community mental health services › § 300x–4
To get a grant, a State must have its plan and last year’s report reviewed by the State mental health planning council. The State must also send the Secretary any recommendations that council gave about changing the plan (even if the State did not make those changes) and any council comments on the annual report. The State must keep spending on community mental health services at least at the average level it spent in the two years before the year it is applying for. The Secretary can leave out one-time, specific-purpose funds given to the State’s main agency. If a State asks, the Secretary can waive the spending rule for that year because of extraordinary economic problems in that year or the year before, and must say yes or no within 120 days. The Secretary will check whether the State kept its spending for the prior year. If the State fell short, the Secretary will cut the current year’s grant by the amount of the shortfall. Instead of a cut, a State can agree to a negotiated plan approved by the Secretary. The Secretary will only give a grant if the State provides enough information for the Secretary to make these checks.
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The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 300x–4
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110