[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7536 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7536

To establish a program for purposes of carrying out programs to prevent 
    adverse childhood experiences and promoting positive childhood 
experiences, and to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
   to conduct studies, evaluations, and research to address adverse 
  childhood experiences, including through the promotion of positive 
                         childhood experiences.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 5, 2024

   Mr. Davis of Illinois (for himself and Mr. Lawler) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a program for purposes of carrying out programs to prevent 
    adverse childhood experiences and promoting positive childhood 
experiences, and to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
   to conduct studies, evaluations, and research to address adverse 
  childhood experiences, including through the promotion of positive 
                         childhood experiences.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Adverse Childhood 
Experiences Act'' or the ``PACE Act''.

SEC. 2. PROGRAMS TO PREVENT ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND PROMOTE 
              POSITIVE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES.

    Part J of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
280b et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 393D the following:

``SEC. 393E. PROGRAMS TO PREVENT ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND 
              PROMOTE POSITIVE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES.

    ``(a) Grant Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        shall award grants or cooperative agreements to States, 
        territories, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, and local 
        governmental entities for purposes of carrying out programs to 
        prevent adverse childhood experiences and promoting positive 
        childhood experiences.
            ``(2) Use of funds.--Recipients of an award under this 
        subsection shall use such award to carry out any of the 
        following activities:
                    ``(A) Prevention of adverse childhood experiences 
                and promotion of positive childhood experiences 
                through--
                            ``(i) data-driven, comprehensive, evidence-
                        based adverse childhood experience prevention 
                        strategies and approaches; and
                            ``(ii) activities that leverage multi-
                        sector partnerships and resources to coordinate 
                        and implement prevention activities.
                    ``(B) Activities to improve quality and consistency 
                of data collection and analysis regarding the 
                prevention of adverse childhood experiences and the 
                promotion of positive childhood experiences, and use of 
                such data to inform the implementation of prevention 
                strategies, which may include--
                            ``(i) evaluating data to continuously 
                        identify--
                                    ``(I) specific types of adverse 
                                childhood experiences with high burden;
                                    ``(II) specific types of positive 
                                childhood experiences with low 
                                prevalence; and
                                    ``(III) geographically and 
                                demographically specific subpopulations 
                                of interest in the State, territory, 
                                locality, or land of the Tribe that 
                                have a disproportionate burden of 
                                adverse childhood experiences that 
                                contribute to health inequities;
                            ``(ii) using data to inform strategic 
                        selection or adjustment of prevention 
                        strategies or prevention strategy 
                        implementation efforts for populations with 
                        disproportionate burden;
                            ``(iii) conducting or updating capacity 
                        assessments for adverse childhood experiences 
                        and promotion of positive childhood experiences 
                        data collection, analysis, and readiness to 
                        implement jurisdiction-wide adverse childhood 
                        experiences prevention plans and program 
                        improvement activities; and
                            ``(iv) promoting collaborations to focus on 
                        the complex and changing nature of the overdose 
                        and mental health crises and their reciprocal 
                        impact on the prevalence of adverse childhood 
                        experiences as urgent, related, and preventable 
                        public health challenges that require an 
                        interdisciplinary, comprehensive, and cohesive 
                        public health approach that addresses such 
                        interrelated risks both as adverse childhood 
                        experiences and contributors to future health 
                        risk behaviors.
            ``(3) Technical assistance.--The Secretary may provide 
        training and technical assistance to recipients of awards under 
        this subsection.
            ``(4) Program evaluation.--Not later than 2 years after 
        making the first awards under this subsection, and annually 
        thereafter, the Secretary shall report to the Committee on 
        Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 
        Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives on the performance of programs conducted by 
        recipients of awards under this subsection.
            ``(5) Considerations.--In making awards under subsection 
        (a), the Secretary may give priority to--
                    ``(A) Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations; or
                    ``(B) entities with previous programmatic 
                experience in preventing adverse childhood experiences 
                or promoting positive childhood experiences.
    ``(b) Studies, Evaluations, and Research.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        shall conduct studies, evaluations, and research to--
                    ``(A) address adverse childhood experiences, 
                including consideration of the impact of historical 
                trauma in communities disproportionately impacted, as 
                identified by the Secretary, such as American Indians 
                and Alaska Natives and the intersections between 
                historical trauma and adverse childhood experiences; 
                and
                    ``(B) promote positive childhood experiences.
            ``(2) Content.--The studies, evaluations, and research 
        under this subsection shall--
                    ``(A) include diverse, nationally representative 
                samples of participants;
                    ``(B) include at least one longitudinal study; and
                    ``(C) examine factors including--
                            ``(i) the strength of the relationship 
                        between individual, specific adverse childhood 
                        experiences and negative health outcomes;
                            ``(ii) the intensity and frequency of 
                        adverse childhood experiences;
                            ``(iii) the relative strength of particular 
                        risk and protective factors; and
                            ``(iv) the effect of social, economic, and 
                        other community conditions, including 
                        historical trauma, on health and well-being.
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Adverse childhood experiences.--The term `adverse 
        childhood experiences' means preventable, potentially traumatic 
        events that occur in childhood, and include--
                    ``(A) experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect;
                    ``(B) witnessing violence in the home or community;
                    ``(C) having a family member attempt or die by 
                suicide; and
                    ``(D) aspects of a child's environment that can 
                undermine their sense of safety, stability, and 
                bonding, such as growing up in a household where a 
                parent or caregiver struggles with substance use, 
                mental health challenges, or instability due to 
                parental separation or household members being in jail 
                or prison.
            ``(2) Child; childhood.--The term `child' or `childhood' 
        means an individual under the age of 18, or the period of time 
        in one's life prior to reaching the age of 18.
            ``(3) Historical trauma.--The term `historical trauma' 
        means the cumulative, transgenerational, collective experience 
        of emotional and psychological injury in communities.
            ``(4) Indian tribe and tribal organization.--The terms 
        `Indian Tribe' and `Tribal organization' have the meanings 
        given such terms in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination 
        and Education Assistance Act.
            ``(5) Positive childhood experiences.--The term `positive 
        childhood experiences' means experiences in a child's home or 
        community and can create or enhance safe, stable, nurturing 
        relationships and environments, and include positive 
        interpersonal experiences with family and friends, and early 
        care settings, schools, and community such as positive 
        parenting and discipline methods, mentoring, and trauma-
        informed care approaches.''.
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