Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Senate committee reviews bill to expand peer-to-peer youth mental-health supports in schools
Summary
Senators heard that H817 would fund mental-health literacy training for school staff and establish supervised peer-to-peer programs; members pressed for data on earlier grants, funding levels, and reporting to measure effectiveness before wider rollout.
Senate Health & Welfare spent substantial time on H817, legislation to expand mental-health literacy and peer-to-peer supports for youth in schools and after-school programs. Committee members praised the goal but stressed the need for data and funding clarity before adopting broad programmatic language.
Why it matters: Sponsors and witnesses framed H817 as a preventive, school-centered approach intended to connect students to supports earlier, reduce stigma and build protective factors. Supporters cited alarming mental-health indicators among Vermont youth to argue for action now.
Representati…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
