Kaine Introduces Legislation to Address Youth Mental Health Crisis and Increase Early Prevention Services

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, (D-VA) introduced the Early Action and Responsiveness Lifts Youth (EARLY) Minds Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation to combat the growing youth mental health crisis across the United States by providing early intervention and prevention services for children experiencing mental health challenges.

“In recent years, we’ve seen an uptick in depression, anxiety, and other behavioral health conditions among young people, and we need to do more to support them,” said Kaine. “That’s why I’m joining my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation that will help states expand prevention and early intervention mental health resources for young people.”

The EARLY Minds Act will allow states to allocate up to five percent of their Mental Health Block Grant funding for prevention and early intervention activities. This strategic allocation of resources is critical to identifying and supporting youth before their mental health challenges escalate. The Community Mental Health Services Block Grant, administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is currently limited to funding services for those with severe, diagnosed mental illnesses. This adjustment will provide states with the opportunity to take full advantage of Mental Health Block Grants to intervene early and save lives.

This legislation is in response to a stark increase in mental health disorders among children over the last few decades. Nearly half of adolescents in the U.S. face a mental health disorder in their lives. Nearly 20 percent of children ages 3-17 in the United States have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder, and more than reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Research shows that intervening early with people who are experiencing mental health challenges can help prevent those challenges from turning more serious and becoming more costly to treat, while leading to improvements in symptoms, relationships, quality of life, and engagement with schoolwork.

The introduction was led in the Senate by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), and is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Co-legislation was introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives August Pfluger (R-TX-11), Kim Schrier (D-WA-8), John Joyce (R-PA-13), and Kathy Castor (D-FL-14).

The EARLY Minds Act has garnered widespread support from leading mental health advocacy organizations, including American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Mental Health Counselors Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Association of Children’s Residential & Community Services (ACRC), Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Children’s Hospital Association, Committee for Children, Crisis Text Line, Family Voices, First Focus Campaign for Children, Global Alliance for Behavioral Health & Social Justice, International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses (ISPN), Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Mental Health America, Mental Health Counselors Association, MomsRising, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, National Association of School Psychologists, National Board for Certified Counselors, National Children’s Alliance, National Federation of Families, National League for Nursing, Nemours Children’s Health, Sandy Hook Promise, School Social Work Association of America, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, The Jed Foundation, The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent Health, Trust for America’s Health, Western Youth Services, and Youth Villages.

As a member of the HELP Committee, Kaine has long fought to increase mental health resources for young people. Last year, Kaine introduced the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act, bicameral legislation that would boost the availability of mental health providers in America’s public schools and help combat the alarming increase in mental health challenges among young people. Also in 2024, he also introduced the Child Suicide Prevention and Lethal Means Safety Act to fund suicide prevention initiatives, expand training for health care providers to prevent intentional harm, and create a centralized hub to provide safety information to at-risk youth and their support networks. In 2022, Kaine helped pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which increased funding for mental health resources in schools.

The full text of the bill is available here. A one-pager is available here.

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