H.R. 9877

Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026

Sponsor: Raul Ruiz

26 cosponsors
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I Data collection and reporting

II Culturally and linguistically appropriate health and health care

III Health workforce diversity

A Diversifying the health care workplace

B Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Behavioral and Mental Health Workforce

C ACCESS in Mental Health Act

D Developing the Community Health Workforce Act

IV Improving Health Care Access and Quality

A Reducing Barriers to Accessing Care

B Improvement of Coverage

C Expansion of Access

1 General Provisions

2 Rural

3 Indian Communities

4 Providers

5 Dental

D Advancing Health Equity Through Payment and Delivery Reform

E Health Empowerment Zones

F Equitable Health Care for All

G Investing in Equity

H Miscellaneous

Sec. 4707. Grant program for community schools and health equity

(a) In general. The Secretary of Education, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall carry out a program under which the Secretary of Education makes grants to eligible entities, on a competitive basis, to support the implementation or expansion of school-based health services in community schools.

(b) Applications. To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary of Education an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(c) Use of funds. An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to carry out one or more of the following activities:

(1) Expanding or establishing school-based health services, including partnerships with Federally qualified health centers.

(2) Hiring and training personnel, including school nurses, mental health professionals, social workers, and community school coordinators.

(3) Providing wraparound services, including nutrition assistance, housing support referrals, family engagement, and legal services.

(4) Supporting programs that address social determinants of health affecting students and families.

(5) Providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services for English learners and immigrant families.

(6) Supporting trauma-informed practices and crisis response services.

(7) Building partnerships with institutions of higher education to develop health career pathways for students.

(d) Priority. In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary of Education shall give priority to eligible entities that—

(1) serve high concentrations of low-income students;

(2) serve a significant number of English learners or students from immigrant families;

(3) demonstrate unmet health or mental health needs among students;

(4) are located in medically underserved areas or health professional shortage areas; or

(5) propose to partner with Federally qualified health centers or public health agencies to carry out activities supported with the grant.

(e) Interagency coordination. The Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall enter into a memorandum of understanding for purposes of coordinating the implementation of the grant program under this section. At a minimum, such memorandum shall provide for coordination between the Secretaries on—

(1) reducing the administrative burdens of implementing the program; and

(2) providing technical assistance to eligible entities.

(f) Reporting and oversight

(1) Grantee reports. On an annual basis for each year an eligible entity receives a grant under this section, the entity shall submit to the Secretary of Education a report on the activities carried out with the grant. Each report shall include, with respect to the year covered by the report—

(A) identification of the number of students served by activities supported with the grant;

(B) a description of student outcomes related to health, attendance, and academic performance; and

(C) to the extent practicable, the information described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) and other relevant student data disaggregated by income, race, ethnicity, and English learner status.

(2) Reports to Congress. Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than once every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary of Education shall submit to Congress a report on the grant program under this section. Each report shall include, with respect to the period covered by the report—

(A) an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program; and

(B) based on the results of the program, identification of any best practices or recommendations for improving coordination between the education and the health systems.

(g) Rule of construction. Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter or supersede any Federal privacy protections, including those provided under section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g; commonly known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974) and the amendments made by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.).

(h) Definitions. In this section:

(1) Community school. The term community school means a full-service community school (as defined in section 4622 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7272)).

(2) Eligible entity. The term eligible entity means—

(A) a local educational agency;

(B) a consortium of local educational agencies; or

(C) a partnership between a local educational agency and one or more—

(i) community-based organizations;

(ii) Federally qualified health centers (as defined in section 1861(aa) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x));

(iii) public health agencies; or

(iv) institutions of higher education.

(3) Local educational agency. The term local educational agency has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(4) School-based health services. The term school-based health services means comprehensive health services provided to students in a school setting, including primary care, mental health services, preventative services, and medical referrals.

I Territories Health Equity

1 Medicare

A Part A

B Part B

C Medicare Advantage (Part C)

D Part D

2 Miscellaneous

V Improving health outcomes for women, gender-diverse people, children, and families

A Underserved communities

B Pregnancy screening

C Pregnancy-Related care

D Federal agency coordination on maternal health

E Reproductive and Sexual Health

F Children’s Health

G Elder Care

H Miscellaneous provisions

VI Mental health and substance use disorders

A Access to care and funding streams

B Interprofessional care

C Workforce development

D Children’s mental health

E Community-Based care

F Reports

G Miscellaneous provisions

VII Addressing high-impact minority diseases

A Cancer

B Viral hepatitis and liver cancer control and prevention

C Acquired bone marrow failure diseases

D Cardiovascular disease, chronic disease, obesity, and other disease issues

E HIV/AIDS

F Diabetes

G Lung disease

H Tuberculosis

I Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases

J Sleep and circadian rhythm disorders

K Kidney disease research, surveillance, prevention, and treatment

L Diversity in clinical trials

M Additional provisions addressing high-impact minority diseases

N Health Equity and Rare Disease Act

O Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention

P New Era of Preventing End-Stage Kidney Disease

VIII Health Information Technology

A Reducing Health Disparities Through Health IT

B Modifications To Achieve Parity in Existing Programs

C Additional Research and Studies

D Closing Gaps in Funding To Adopt Certified EHRs

E Expanding Access to Telehealth Services

IX Accountability and Evaluation

X Addressing Social Determinants and Improving Environmental Justice

A In General

B Gun Violence

C Nutrition for women, children, families

1 Senior hunger prevention

2 Closing the meal gap

D Universal school meals

1 School breakfast program

2 School lunch program

3 Elementary and secondary education data

4 Amendments to other programs and laws

XI Protections to combat regulatory harm to health equity