This bill creates a new grant program to help mental health professionals work across state lines more easily. Right now, if a therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor is licensed in one state, they typically can't practice in another state without getting a separate license there—which is expensive and time-consuming. This bill encourages states to create agreements called "interstate compacts" where they agree to recognize each other's licenses, so a licensed mental professional can work in multiple states without jumping through all those hoops again.

The federal government will give grants to the groups that manage these interstate agreements and to state licensing boards. The money can be used in two main ways: first, to encourage mental health professionals to actually move to or practice in states that have these interstate agreements, and second, to help set up and run these interstate compact systems. The goal is to make it easier for people to access mental health care, especially in areas where there's a shortage of professionals, by removing barriers that keep qualified therapists and doctors from practicing across state lines.

CARE for Mental Health Professionals Act

King, Angus S., Jr.

Compacts, Access, and Responsible Expansion for Mental Health Professionals Act or the CARE for Mental Health Professionals Act This bill establishes a grant program to promote interstate licensure compacts for mental health professionals. These are licensure agreements enacted by two or more states to mutually recognize the licenses of counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, or pediatric mental health professionals. The Health Resources and Services Administration must award grants to interstate compact commissions or professional licensing boards. Recipients may use grants for projects to (1) incentivize mental health professionals to practice in states with interstate licensure compacts, and (2) develop or maintain interstate compact commissions.