To provide for a study on the accessibility of substance use disorder treatment and mental health care providers and services for farmers and ranchers, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Bennet (for himself and Ms. Lummis) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Agricultural Access to Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Mental Health Care Act of 2025 requires the Government Accountability Office to study the availability and accessibility of mental health and substance abuse treatment services for farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers in rural areas. The GAO must complete this study within 2 years and report its findings to Congress, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Who Benefits and How
Mental health and substance abuse treatment providers in rural areas may benefit if the study leads to future federal programs or funding to expand services in agricultural communities. The GAO receives funding to conduct the study. Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural workers may benefit in the long term if the study's recommendations lead to improved access to mental health services, though this bill itself does not provide any direct services or funding for treatment.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Government Accountability Office must allocate staff and resources to conduct a comprehensive multi-topic study examining provider availability, barriers to care, best practices, and policy recommendations. Congressional committees must review and respond to the study findings. Taxpayers fund the cost of the GAO study through the federal budget.
Key Provisions
- Mandates a GAO study examining the availability of substance use disorder and mental health care providers trained to serve farmers and ranchers in rural areas
- Requires analysis of financial, geographic, and cultural barriers preventing agricultural workers from accessing mental health services
- Directs GAO to identify successful state and local programs that could be replicated at the federal level, including telehealth expansion, cultural competency training, and peer support programs
- Requires evaluation of the existing Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network program to identify best practices
- Study results and recommendations must be submitted to eight congressional committees and two federal agencies within 2 years
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Mandates a GAO study on accessibility of substance use disorder treatment and mental health care for farmers and ranchers in rural areas
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Information gathering to inform future policy interventions - uses GAO study to document gaps in mental health and substance abuse services for agricultural communities"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Government Accountability Office (receives appropriations for study)
- Mental health and substance abuse treatment providers (may benefit from future funding/programs based on study findings)
- Agricultural communities (long-term - if study leads to improved services)
Likely Burden Bearers
- GAO (must conduct comprehensive multi-topic study within 2 years)
- Congressional committees (must review and respond to study findings)
- Taxpayers (fund GAO study costs)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary_of_hhs"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
- "the_comptroller_general"
- → Comptroller General of the United States (GAO)
- "the_secretary_of_agriculture"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The target population for substance use disorder treatment and mental health care services referenced throughout the bill
Existing program under section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology