text: SECTION 1. RESOURCE STAFF FOR STUDENTS.
  
      Title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
  U.S.C. 8001 et. seq) is amended by adding at the end the following:
  
                   ``PART L--RESOURCE STAFF FOR STUDENTS
  
  ``SEC. 10993. FINDINGS.
  
      ``Congress finds the following:
              ``(1) Although 7,500,000 children under the age of 18 
          require mental health services, fewer than 1 in 5 of these 
          children receive the services.
              ``(2) Across the United States, counseling professionals 
          have an extremely busy caseload and often students do no get 
          the help they need. The current national average ratio of 
          students to counselors in elementary and secondary schools is 
          513:1.
              ``(3) Schools in the United States need more mental health 
          professionals, and the funds needed to hire staff to 
          specifically serve students.
              ``(4) The maximum recommended ratio of students-to-
          counselors is 250:1.
              ``(5) Existing counselors are severely taxed to perform 
          duties that are largely administrative in nature, such as 
          scheduling. They are burdened with many demands regarding 
          placement in colleges, texting, career guidance, and the like.
              ``(6) Student populations are expected to grow 
          significantly over the next few years. School-based services 
          for students will be in great demand. With expected large scale 
          retirements, more than 100,000 new dedicated resource staff for 
          students will be needed to increase student-to-staff service 
          availability.
              ``(7) The Federal support for reducing the student-to-staff 
          ratio would pay for itself, through reduced violence and 
          substance abuse, and through improvements in students' academic 
          achievement.
  
  ``SEC. 10994. PURPOSE.
  
      ``The purpose of this part is to assist States and local 
  educational agencies recruit, train, and hire 100,000 school-based 
  resource staff to specifically work with students--
              ``(1) to reduce the student-to-counseling ratios 
          nationally, in grades 6-12, to an average of 1 such staff for 
          every 250 students as recommended in a report by the Institute 
          of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences relating to 
          schools and health, issued in 1997;
              ``(2) to help address the mental, emotional, and 
          developmental needs of public school students; and
              ``(3) to support other school staff and teachers in 
          reaching students early before problems arise, conducting 
          behavioral interventions to improve school discipline, and 
          developing the awareness and skills to identify early warning 
          signs of violence and the need for mental health services.
  
  ``SEC. 10995. STUDENT RESOURCE STAFF PROGRAM.
  
      ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants under this 
  section to establish or expand the number of resource staff available 
  for students' needs.
              ``(1) Distribution.--In awarding grants under this section, 
          the Secretary shall allocate funds proportionately based on the 
          population that is less than 18 years of age in the States.
              ``(2) Duration.--A grant under this section shall be 
          awarded for a period not to exceed three years.
      ``(b) Applications.--
              ``(1) In general.--Each local educational agency desiring a 
          grant under this section shall submit an application to the 
          Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such 
          information as the Secretary may reasonably require.
              ``(2) Contents.--Each application for a grant under this 
          section shall--
                      ``(A) describe the secondary public school 
                  population to be targeted by the program, the 
                  particular personal, social, emotional, education, and 
                  career development needs of such population, and the 
                  current school counseling resources available for 
                  meeting such needs;
                      ``(B) describe the activities, services, and 
                  training to be provided by the program and the specific 
                  approaches to be used to meet the needs described in 
                  subparagraph (A);
                      ``(C) describe the methods to be used to evaluate 
                  the outcomes and effectiveness of the program;
                      ``(D) document that the applicant has the personnel 
                  qualified to develop, implement, and administer the 
                  program;
                      ``(E) assure that the funds made available under 
                  this part for any fiscal year will be used to 
                  supplement and, to the extent practicable, increase the 
                  level of funds that would otherwise be available from 
                  non-Federal sources for the program described in the 
                  application, and in no case supplant such funds from 
                  non-Federal sources.
      ``(c) Use of Funds.--Grants funds under this section shall be used 
  to initiate or expand student resource staff programs that comply with 
  the purpose under section 10994.
      ``(d) Definitions.--For purposes of this part the term `resource 
  staff' means an individual who has documented competence and training 
  in mental health to be able to provide services to children and 
  adolescents in a school setting and who--
              ``(1) possesses State licensure or certification in mental 
          health granted by an independent professional regulatory 
          authority;
              ``(2) in the absence of such State licensure or 
          certification, possesses national certification in mental 
          health or in a related specialty granted by an independent 
          professional organization; or
              ``(3) holds a minimum of a master's degree in school 
          counseling from a program accredited by the Council for 
          Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs or 
          the equivalent; or
              ``(4) possesses a minimum of 60 graduate semester hours in 
          school psychology from an institution of higher education and 
          has completed 1,200 clock hours in a supervised school 
          psychology internship, of which 600 hours shall be in the 
          school setting, and possesses State licensure or certification 
          in school psychology in the State in which the individual 
          works; or
              ``(5) holds a master's degree in social work and is 
          licensed or certified by the State in which services are to be 
          provided or holds a school social work specialist credential.
      ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
  appropriated to carry out this part $3,500,000,000 for fiscal year 
  2000; $3,150,000,000 for fiscal year 2001; $2,800,000,000 for fiscal 
  year 2002; $2,800,000,000 for fiscal year 2003; and $2,800,000,000 for 
  fiscal year 2004 for the hiring of student resource staff.''.
target: Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grants program to assist States and local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit, train, and hire 100,000 school-based resource staff to work with students to: (1) reduce the student-to-counselor ratios nationally, in grades six through 12, to an average of one such staff for every 250 students, as recommended in a 1997 report by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences relating to schools and health; (2) help address the mental, emotional, and developmental needs of public school students; and (3) support other school staff and teachers in reaching students early before problems arise, conducting behavioral interventions to improve school discipline, and developing the awareness and skills to identify early warning signs of violence and the need for mental health services. 
  Directs the Secretary of Education to make such grants, for up to three years for each grant, to establish or expand the number of resource staff available for students' needs .  Requires such grant funds to be allocated on the basis of relative State population under 18 years of age.  Sets forth requirements for LEA grant applications and uses of funds. 
  Provides that resource staff means an individual who has documented competence and training in mental health to be able to provide services to children and adolescents in a school setting and who has specified types of licensure, certification, or educational qualifications. 
  Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2004 for such program.
feat_title: To provide grants to States and local educational agencies to recruit, train, and hire 100,000 school-based resource staff to help students deal with personal state of mind problems.