- Pitching scholarships for students studying mental/behavioral health
- Senate bill aims to grow AmeriCorps programs
- Reauthorizing CCAMPIS to help parent students
Pitching scholarships for students studying mental/behavioral health
A bipartisan House bill introduced last week would provide scholarships for students pursuing a degree to provide substance use disorder treatment, mental health and behavioral health services.
Reps. Andrea Salinas (D-Oregon) and Marc Molinaro (R-New York) introduced the STAR Plus Scholarship Act, which aims to address the mental and behavioral health workforce shortage. It would prioritize students from populations underrepresented in the sector’s workforce.
In 2023, more than one in five adults experienced a mental illness, equal to 50 million Americans, according to the lawmakers. The majority of adults with a mental illness received no treatment. Additionally, 15% of U.S. adults reported a substance use disorder, and 93% did not receive treatment.
“Many Americans aren’t getting treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, simply because they can’t find a provider who looks like them, understands their culture, or speaks their language. Unfortunately, the high cost of a behavioral health degree often prevents students from diverse backgrounds from pursuing these professions in the first place,” Salinas said in a release. “Our bipartisan bill would address that problem by creating a new scholarship program for mental and behavioral health students, prioritizing those from underrepresented groups. This legislation would help break down barriers to entry in the field and build a diverse and thriving workforce that can meet the needs of our communities.”
Senate bill aims to grow AmeriCorps programs
Bipartisan legislation introduced this week in the Senate would reauthorize and expand AmeriCorps programs.
Introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and Chris Coons (D-Delaware), the Promoting Service Through AmeriCorps Act would, in part, increase the flexibility of the Segal Education Award, which AmeriCorps members can use to repay student loans or pay current tuition and educational expenses. The goal is to expand workforce development opportunities through service and improve the pathway from AmeriCorps to postsecondary education, according to the lawmakers.
Created in 1990, AmeriCorps fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year, the program enrolls more than 200,000 individuals to help community organizations in critical areas such as public safety and health and the environment. For example, the programs connect veterans to services, fight the opioid epidemic, help seniors live independently, rebuild communities after disasters and lead conservation and climate change efforts, according to the agency.
From 2021 to 2023, the number of AmeriCorps members who said they plan to go to college post-service grew from 24% to 30%, according to findings of a survey released this week.
Reauthorizing CCAMPIS to help parent students
Congressional Democrats last week reintroduced legislation to increase access to on-campus childcare for the more than 4 million parent students currently enrolled in postsecondary education programs.
Lawmakers supporting Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS) Reauthorization Act argue that while number of parents enrolled in college has grown by 30% since 2004, on-campus childcare facilities have closed and services have been dropped.
“As college costs continue to skyrocket, we can’t simply stay on the sidelines as it gets even harder for parenting students to afford higher education,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois), who introduced the bill with House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Massachusetts). Both lawmakers have been strong supporters of CCAMPIS over the years.
The bill would:
- Reauthorize the CCAMPIS program through fiscal year 2030.
- Authorize CCAMPIS at $500 million per year, establish the annual maximum individual grant award level at $2 million and increase the annual minimum level to $75,000.
- Streamline program requirements and boost U.S. Education Department technical assistance to make it easier for childcare providers to apply for grants.
- Help connect parenting students to benefit programs that help with food, housing and healthcare services.
Joliet Junior College (Illinois) is among the organizations supporting the legislation.
