(a) Not later than July 1, 2023, the Commissioner of Public Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall establish a pilot grant program to expand behavioral health care offered to children by providers of pediatric care in private practices.

(b) The Commissioner of Public Health, within available appropriations, shall establish a grant program to provide such providers with a fifty per cent match for costs associated with paying the salaries of licensed social workers providing counseling and other services to children receiving primary health care from such providers. The commissioner shall (1) prescribe forms and criteria for such providers to apply and qualify for grant funds; and (2) require such providers to report to the commissioner on use of the funds to expand behavioral health care for children.