Improving Mental Health Access for Students Act
Sponsor
J. Correa
Democrat · CA-46
Latest Action · May 29, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Bill Progress
Congress Tests Low‑Cost Fix For Youth Suicide
Why it matters
Mandating crisis hotlines on every student ID is a rare, bipartisan bet that a cheap design tweak can move the needle on a deadly epidemic.
The Improving Mental Health Access for Students Act would require colleges that issue student IDs to print the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and a campus mental health contact on every card. Schools that don't use physical IDs would have to post the same information prominently online, extending the mandate into increasingly digital campuses.
It's the purest form of "nudge" policy — change the default, reduce friction, and hope behavior follows. Research on suicide prevention stresses that easy, immediate access to help can be the difference between life and death in a crisis measured in minutes. Congress already made 988 the national hotline, but many students still don't know it exists or how to reach campus counseling after hours.
The mandate lands in a system already straining under demand. Campus counseling centers report surging caseloads, months-long wait lists, and burnout among clinicians. Skeptics warn that papering IDs with hotlines risks symbolic politics: encouraging more students to reach out without guaranteeing there are enough therapists, crisis beds, or data systems to catch them.
Visual Summary
HR3624 at a Glance
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</div>What This Bill Does
Require suicide hotline numbers on student ID cards
Any college or other higher education school that makes and hands out student ID cards must print key suicide prevention phone numbers on each card. This includes the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and a phone number for the school’s own mental health center or program.
Require schools without ID cards to post suicide help info online
If a college doesn’t make student ID cards at all, it doesn’t get to skip this. Instead, it must put the same suicide prevention contact information on its official website, so students can still easily find it.
Let the Education Department swap in new crisis lines if needed
If the 988 hotline or the Crisis Text Line ever shut down or change in a major way, the Secretary of Education can pick a different, similar crisis service to go on the IDs. This keeps the information from becoming useless over time.
Tie the rule to schools that get federal student aid
These new requirements are added into the Higher Education Act, which sets rules for schools that want access to federal financial aid programs. In practice, that means most colleges and universities have to follow this if they want students to be able to use federal loans and grants there.
Delay the start date by one year
The new rules don’t kick in right away. Schools get one year after the law is officially passed to update their ID cards or websites with the required crisis information.
Who Benefits
College and university students
Students will have suicide and crisis help numbers literally in their pocket on their ID cards, or easily findable on their school’s website. This makes it simpler to reach out for help in a crisis, especially when someone is panicking and doesn’t know where to start.
Students using campus mental health services
The ID cards will list a direct phone number for the campus mental health center or program the school chooses. That makes it easier for students to contact on-campus help instead of having to search through confusing websites or ask around.
National crisis hotlines like 988 and the Crisis Text Line
These services get their numbers printed on millions of student ID cards and school websites, which can increase awareness and use. More people will know they exist and how to reach them when they or a friend are in trouble.
Families and friends of students
Knowing that crisis phone and text resources are always close at hand can give parents, siblings, and friends some peace of mind. It also makes it easier for them to point a struggling student toward specific help if they’re worried.
Who's Affected
Colleges and universities that issue student ID cards
These schools must redesign their ID cards to include three pieces of contact information: 988, the Crisis Text Line, and a campus mental health contact. They’ll also need to update their printing processes and any contracts with ID card vendors to fit in the new text and numbers.
Higher education schools that do not issue ID cards
Schools that don’t give out student IDs must add the same suicide prevention contact details to their official website. They’ll have to decide where to place it online so it is clearly available, and keep it updated if the required hotlines ever change.
Campus mental health centers and programs
These offices will have their phone number printed on every student’s ID card, which may lead to more calls and requests for help. They may need to be ready for a possible increase in students reaching out, especially during stressful times like exams.
U.S. Department of Education
The Department must update its rules for schools that participate in federal student aid programs and be ready to name replacement crisis services if 988 or the Crisis Text Line ever go away. It may also have to answer school questions about how to comply with the new ID and website requirements.
Cosponsors (32)
Don Bacon
Republican · NE
Scott Peters
Democrat · CA
Seth Moulton
Democrat · MA
Josh Harder
Democrat · CA
Eleanor Norton
Democrat · DC
Nick LaLota
Republican · NY
William Keating
Democrat · MA
Jonathan Jackson
Democrat · IL
Chellie Pingree
Democrat · ME
Raul Ruiz
Democrat · CA
Steve Cohen
Democrat · TN
Angie Craig
Democrat · MN
Recent Actions
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
What Changes in the Law
2 key amendments · 2 total changes
Higher Education Act of 1965, Section 487(a) (20 U.S.C. 1094(a))
‘‘(30)(A) In the case of an institution that creates and distributes identification cards for students at any time after the date of enactment of this paragraph, such institution shall include phone contact information on each such card for the following organizations:
‘‘(i) 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
‘‘(ii) Crisis Text Line.
‘‘(iii) A campus mental health center or program, as determined by the institution.
‘‘(B) In the case of an institution that does not create and distribute identification cards for students at any time after the date of enactment of this paragraph, such institution shall publish the suicide prevention contact information specified in subparagraph (A) on the website of such institution.
‘‘(C) If an organization in clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (A) ceases to exist, the Secretary may designate a different entity with a similar purpose to be included on the identification card.’’What this means: Creates a new condition of institutional eligibility under the Higher Education Act requiring colleges that issue student ID cards to print suicide prevention and crisis phone numbers on the cards, and those that do not issue IDs to post the same information on their website, while authorizing the Secretary to substitute equivalent crisis services if the named ones cease to exist.
Improving Mental Health Access for Students Act (new standalone provision governing the amendment’s timing)
‘‘(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect beginning on the day that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.’’What this means: Delays implementation of the new student ID/website suicide prevention information requirement so that it becomes mandatory one year after the Act is enacted, giving institutions time to comply.
Committees (1)
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