STAR Plus Scholarship Act
HB3655, the STAR Plus Scholarship Act, would create a new federal scholarship program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration to help pay the tuition and related educational expenses of students training for careers in substance use disorder treatment and behavioral and mental health care. In exchange for receiving the scholarship, participants would sign a contract agreeing to complete a period of obligated service in covered employment after graduation. The bill defines covered employment broadly to include full-time direct treatment or recovery-support work in fields such as psychiatry, psychology, social work, counseling, addiction counseling, psychiatric nursing, and related professions.
The bill targets service in mental health professional shortage areas, as well as counties or municipalities with overdose death rates above the national average and other facilities the Secretary determines are experiencing shortages. It also gives priority to applicants likely to continue serving in shortage areas after their obligation ends and to individuals from underrepresented groups in the behavioral health workforce. The scholarship would cover tuition and reasonable educational expenses, and the bill authorizes $75 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. It also amends the Internal Revenue Code so that these scholarships are excluded from gross income.
The bill would amend the Public Health Service Act by adding a new Section 782 and would create a replacement fund to help entities hire substitute professionals if a scholarship recipient breaches the service contract. It also gives the Secretary authority to establish liquidated damages for breach, while clarifying that failing to complete the full service term is not itself a breach if the participant has completed in good faith the years already funded. In practical terms, the measure would expand federal involvement in workforce development for behavioral health and substance use treatment, while also tying federal support to service in high-need areas.
Overall sentiment appears supportive and workforce-focused, with the bill framed as a response to shortages in mental health and addiction treatment providers and to the overdose crisis. The context provided shows no recorded votes or committee debate yet, so there is no documented opposition or amendment activity in the available materials. Based on the bill text, likely points of discussion would include the size and targeting of the scholarship program, the service obligation, and the enforcement provisions for breach of contract, but no specific contention is recorded in the supplied history.
Because the bill was only referred to committee and has no recorded vote history in the provided context, there is no formal legislative sentiment to measure beyond the sponsor’s stated policy goal of strengthening the behavioral health workforce.
The bill would add a new scholarship program to the Public Health Service Act and direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through HRSA, to fund education for students entering substance use disorder treatment and behavioral and mental health careers. It would also amend the Internal Revenue Code to exclude these scholarships from taxable income. The measure would affect students, educational institutions, health workforce employers, and facilities in shortage areas by creating a federal pipeline of trained professionals tied to service obligations in underserved and high-overdose communities.
The available context suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the bill’s goal of expanding the behavioral health and addiction treatment workforce. The measure is presented as a workforce-supply and access-to-care bill, with emphasis on shortage areas, overdose hotspots, and underrepresented groups in the field. No votes, recorded opposition, or committee testimony were provided, so there is no evidence of organized controversy in the supplied materials.
No specific contention is documented in the provided committee or vote history, because none is available. Potential areas of debate inherent in the bill include the federal cost of the scholarship program, the use of service obligations and liquidated damages to enforce participation, the criteria for selecting recipients and eligible service sites, and whether the program sufficiently targets the most severe workforce shortages. The bill also creates a replacement fund for breach-related service losses, which could raise questions about administration and accountability, but no named stakeholders or objections are recorded in the supplied context.