9-8-8 Community Infrastructure Act

Summary#

This bill would add a new section to the Public Health Service Act to create "Health Center Capital Grants." The Secretary of Health and Human Services would award grants to eligible entities for capital projects. Eligible entities are health centers funded under section 330 (with special rules for Tribes and Tribal organizations) and crisis receiving and stabilization facilities or crisis call centers that work with local mental health and substance use providers.

Grant funds may be used for facility alteration, renovation, remodeling, expansion, new construction, and other capital improvement costs. The bill also allows using funds to amortize loan principal and pay interest on loans for those purposes. The bill defines several facility types, including a crisis receiving and stabilization facility (a freestanding, non-hospital site with licensure, 23-hour observation capacity, 48-hour crisis stabilization beds including withdrawal management with 24-hour medical monitoring, 24/7 services on a sliding payment scale, no wrongful exclusion based on ability to pay or other listed factors, no-wrong-door admission capacity, and an average stay under 150 hours). It defines crisis response program facilities to include mobile crisis teams, receiving and stabilization facilities, urgent care crisis facilities, and others the Secretary may determine. A "mental health and substance use urgent care facility" is defined as an ambulatory site offering crisis assessment, intervention, medication, and connections to other services without prior appointment.

The bill authorizes $1,000,000,000 to carry out this section, to remain available until expended. The bill was introduced in the House on September 3, 2026, and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

What it means for you#

• Health centers funded under section 330 and qualifying crisis facilities could apply for federal grants to pay for building, renovating, or expanding crisis and behavioral health facilities.
• The bill sets rules about which crisis facilities qualify and what kinds of work grant funds can pay for.
• No publicly available information on application rules, award process, or timelines is included in the bill text.

Expenses#

• The bill authorizes $1,000,000,000 to carry out the new grant program, available until expended.
• Authorized uses include capital improvements and paying or amortizing loan principal and interest for those projects.
• No publicly available information on administrative costs, required matches, or how funds would be allocated among applicants.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on proponents' views or stated reasons for the bill appears in the bill text. The bill was introduced by Representatives Nanette Barragán, Doris Matsui, Jim Costa, Jennifer McClellan, Eleanor Norton, Adam Smith, Shri Thanedar, Lori Trahan, and Jill Tokuda.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents' views or objections appears in the bill text.