FACT Pilot Program Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9669 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9669

 To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through
    the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to
 establish a 5-year pilot program under which the Secretary will award
    grants to eligible entities for purposes of expanding forensic
              assertive community treatment team programs.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2026

    Ms. Adams (for herself, Ms. Clarke of New York, and Mr. Carson)
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through
    the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to
 establish a 5-year pilot program under which the Secretary will award
    grants to eligible entities for purposes of expanding forensic
              assertive community treatment team programs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Forensic Assertive Community
Treatment Pilot Program Act'' or the ``FACT Pilot Program Act''.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT STATE AND LOCAL FORENSIC ASSERTIVE
              COMMUNITY TREATMENT PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Health and Human
        Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Mental
        Health and Substance Use (in this section referred to as the
        ``Secretary''), shall establish a 5-year pilot program under
        which the Secretary will award grants to eligible entities to
        enable such entities to, directly, or through a subgrant to a
        nonprofit organization, licensed mental health treatment
        agency, a local management care entity/managed care
        organization, or any other entity the Secretary considers
        appropriate, expand the forensic assertive community treatment
        team programs carried out in the respective jurisdiction of the
        eligible entity to enable such entity to serve more community
        members.
            (2) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    (A) The term ``eligible entity'' means a State or a
                local government that, as of the date of the enactment
                of this Act, is carrying out, or is partnering with, a
                forensic assertive community treatment team program
                within the respective State or locality or localities
                served by the local government.
                    (B) The term ``forensic assertive community
                treatment team program'' means a program--
                            (i) with a small client-to-team ratio under
                        which around the clock, time-unlimited care and
                        intensive, field-based services, including
                        mental health care, addiction treatment,
                        vocational training, and housing assistance,
                        are provided to individuals with serious mental
                        illness, who may have co-occurring substance
                        use and physical health disorders, and who are
                        involved with the criminal justice system;
                            (ii) that maintains fidelity with the
                        Assertive Community Treatment model, while
                        incorporating adaptions that address the
                        criminogenic risk and needs of the individuals
                        described in clause (i); and
                            (iii) in which such services are provided
                        by a multidisciplinary team of providers that
                        includes--
                                    (I) representatives from the field
                                of psychiatry (including psychiatric
                                nursing);
                                    (II) specialists in employment and
                                substance use services;
                                    (III) a criminal justice partner
                                (such as a member of local law
                                enforcement, a provider of pretrial
                                services, or a probation or parole
                                officer); and
                                    (IV) one or more forensic peer
                                specialists living with serious mental
                                illness or a co-occurring disorder who
                                have personal experience with criminal
                                justice system involvement.
                    (C) The term ``involved with the criminal justice
                system'' means to have had contact with law
                enforcement, the courts, or correctional systems. Such
                term includes involvement at any stage, including
                arrest, pre-trial services, incarcerated in jail or
                prison, incarcerated in jail or prison and pending
                imminent release, recently released from incarceration
                or a forensic hospital setting, probation, parole, or
                other forms of community supervision.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection such sums as
        may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2032.
    (b) Study and Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall seek to enter
        into an agreement under which the National Academies of
        Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, shall conduct a study
        which shall--
                    (A) recommend defined and measurable metrics of
                effectiveness that the Secretary and other Federal
                agencies may use in evaluating programs, including
                metrics measuring--
                            (i) the reduction in recidivism,
                        psychiatric hospitalizations, emergency
                        department utilization, and reoccurring
                        hospitalization and the associated costs;
                            (ii) the reduction in time it takes for an
                        at-risk individual to access stable housing;
                            (iii) the reduction in the time it takes
                        for an at-risk individual to access mental
                        health services;
                            (iv) the improvement in mental health
                        outcomes;
                            (v) any increase in community connection
                        and reintegration; and
                            (vi) improvement in overall public safety;
                    (B) identify key mechanisms of model fidelity that
                can be recognized despite the variation between local
                and State programs and justice systems and identify
                model fidelity metrics for use in future evaluations;
                    (C) develop policy proposals that can be made at
                the Federal and State level to scale up existing
                programs and infrastructure, with attention to
                implementation considerations;
                    (D) provide an implementation framework for States
                and localities interested in starting new forensic
                assertive community treatment team programs, with
                attention to the unique needs for adaptation in rural
                communities;
                    (E) provide a cost estimate for the development and
                implementation of such policy proposals;
                    (F) provide a cost-savings and benefits analysis of
                the program model, including the impact on health care
                and justice systems; and
                    (G) provide recommendations to the Secretary for
                the improvement and implementation of such model.
            (2) Submission to secretary.--The agreement entered into
        under paragraph (1) shall require the National Academies, not
        later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this
        Act, to submit to the Secretary and to Congress a report
        containing the findings of the study conducted under such
        agreement.
            (3) Publication.--Not later than 60 days after the
        submission of the report under paragraph (2), the Secretary
        shall--
                    (A) publish such report on the public website of
                the Department of Health and Human Services; and
                    (B) distribute such report to State and local
                governments.
            (4) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $1,500,000, to
        remain available until expended.
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