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HR 4716 114th Congress House

S.O.S. Act of 2016

Official title: To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to support teacher and school professional training on awareness of student mental health conditions and suicide prevention efforts.

Introduced: March 7, 2016 Introduced by: Beatty, Joyce Democratic · Ohio See on congress.gov
Education Child healthEducation programs fundingEducational guidanceElementary and secondary education
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Health programs administration and fundingIndian social and development programsMental healthPerformance measurementTeaching, teachers, curricula
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This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 19, 2016
Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
Mar 7, 2016
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Mar 7, 2016
Introduced in House
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 Latest action September 19, 2016

Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Support Our Students Act of 2016 or the S.O.S. Act of 2016

This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to support or develop programs that will train teachers, school personnel, and specialized instructional support personnel regarding mental health conditions in children.

To be eligible to receive such a grant or subgrant, a state or LEA must partner with a mental health organization, family advocacy organization, or community nonprofit organization.

Subgrantees shall utilize school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, or community organizations with experience in mental illness and suicide prevention to develop and conduct the training.

The training program must include an annual in-service training component that enables teachers, school personnel, and specialized instructional support personnel to: (1) better understand mental health conditions and the early warning signs in children and adolescents; (2) effectively communicate their mental health concerns with families and consider family perspectives; (3) identify classroom strategies for working effectively with troubled children; and (4) understand school-specific information, including links to mental health services and supports in the school and community.

ED shall develop outcome measures for in-depth evaluation of the effectiveness of the training programs.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4716: S.O.S. Act of 2016. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-4716/
MLA
"H.R. 4716: S.O.S. Act of 2016." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-4716/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4716, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-4716/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4716: S.O.S. Act of 2016](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-4716/)
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