[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 189 (Wednesday, October 27, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7430-S7431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3936. Ms. SINEMA (for herself and Mr. Cramer) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. 
Reed and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2022 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle F of title V, add the following:

     SEC. 583. EDUCATION AND INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL 
                   HEALTH CONSULTATION SERVICES FOR INFANT AND 
                   EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL HEALTH (IECMH).

       (a) Assessment of Availability of Services.--The Secretary 
     of Defense shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the 
     availability of Federal, State, and local early childhood 
     education and infant and early childhood mental health 
     (IECMH) consultation services on and in the vicinity of a 
     covered military installation for identifying and addressing 
     infant and early childhood mental health needs of children of 
     members of the Armed Forces. This assessment shall include 
     the following:
       (1) The local availability of developmentally appropriate 
     services advancing social and emotional development and 
     infant and early childhood mental health of infants, 
     toddlers, and young children, including certification or 
     endorsement programs for professionals serving as infant 
     early childhood mental health consultants for early education 
     programs and centers.
       (2) The local availability of adequate diagnostic and non-
     medical intervention services for infants, toddlers, or young 
     children identified as requiring infant and early childhood 
     mental health treatment.
       (3) The local availability of supplemental services for 
     infant and early childhood mental health such as Infant and 
     Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) consultation by 
     licensed professionals who are also certified or endorsed in 
     IECMH.
       (4) The ease of access for individuals with identified 
     infant and early childhood mental health needs to adequate, 
     comprehensive educational services, such as the length of 
     time on waiting lists.
       (b) Review of Best Practices.--In preparing the assessment 
     under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall conduct 
     a review of best practices of providing infant and early 
     childhood mental health consultation in the United States in 
     the provision of covered educational services and support 
     services for infant and early childhood mental health, 
     including an assessment of Federal and State early education 
     and mental health services for infant and early childhood 
     mental health in each State, with an emphasis on locations 
     where members of the Armed Forces and their dependent 
     children reside. The Secretary of Defense shall conduct the 
     review in coordination with the Secretary of Education.
       (c) Demonstration Projects.--
       (1) Projects authorized.--The Secretary of Defense may 
     conduct one or more demonstration projects to evaluate 
     improved approaches to the provision of covered educational 
     and infant and early childhood mental health services to 
     children of members of the Armed Forces for the purpose of 
     evaluating and the efficacy of infant and early childhood 
     mental health consultation models to improve social-emotional 
     development outcomes for military children enrolled in child 
     development centers, reducing incidents of behavioral issues 
     and or need for intensive treatment, and early identification 
     of needs requiring non-medical intervention as considered 
     appropriate by the Secretary.
       (2) Infant and early childhood mental health 
     consultation.--
       (A) Consultation.--
       (i) In general.--The Secretary of Defense may authorize the 
     development of a comprehensive professional development 
     curricula for use in training non-medical counselors in 
     infant and early childhood mental health and consultation to 
     serve in child development centers, and to allow for the 
     training of Department of Defense-contracted child and youth 
     behavioral-military family life counselors as infant early 
     childhood mental health consultants.
       (ii) Competency guidelines.-- The curricula developed under 
     clause (i) shall be based on a set of competency guidelines 
     designed to enhance culturally sensitive, relationship-
     focused practice within the framework of infant and early 
     childhood mental health recognized by authorizing agencies 
     such as the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental 
     Health for purposes of certification or endorsement as a 
     IECMH practitioner.
       (B) Personnel.--The Secretary of Defense may utilize for 
     purposes of the demonstration projects personnel who are 
     professionals with a level (as determined by the Secretary) 
     of post-secondary education that is appropriate for the 
     provision of safe and effective services for infant and early 
     childhood mental health and who are from an accredited 
     educational facility in the mental health, human development, 
     social work field to act as consultation level providers of 
     promotive, preventive, and behavioral non-medical 
     intervention services within child development centers for 
     infant and early childhood mental health. Such personnel may 
     be authorized--
       (i) to develop and monitor promotion, prevention, and non-
     medical intervention plans

[[Page S7431]]

     for military children within child development centers who 
     are participating in the demonstration projects;
       (ii) to provide appropriate training in the provision of 
     approved services to participating children;
       (iii) to provide non-medical counseling services to 
     children and their primary caregivers outside of the child 
     development center as required;
       (iv) to coordinate with other established installation and 
     community resources to coordinate and collaborate regarding 
     needed services, such as New Parent Support Program, 
     Behavioral Health, Tricare mental health providers, 
     HealthySteps, and early behavioral intervention services; and
       (v) to be endorsed, or work toward becoming endorsed, by a 
     recognized infant and early childhood mental health 
     organization such as the Alliance for the Advancement of 
     Infant Mental Health.
       (3) Evaluations of outcomes.--The Secretary of Defense may 
     authorize an evaluation of outcomes from any demonstration 
     project to determine the value of infant and early childhood 
     mental health consultation within child development centers.
       (4) Services under corporate services provider model.--In 
     carrying out the demonstration projects, the Secretary of 
     Defense may utilize a corporate services provider model. 
     Employees of a provider under such a model shall include 
     personnel who implement special educational and behavioral 
     intervention plans for children of members of the Armed 
     Forces that are developed, reviewed, and maintained by 
     supervisory level providers approved by the Secretary. In 
     authorizing such a model, the Secretary shall establish--
       (A) minimum education, training, and experience criteria 
     required to be met by employees who provide services to 
     children;
       (B) requirements for IECMH consultation personnel and 
     supervision, including requirements for infant and early 
     childhood mental health credentials and for the frequency and 
     intensity of supervision; and
       (C) such other requirements as the Secretary considers 
     appropriate to ensure the safety and protection of children 
     who receive services from such employees under the 
     demonstration projects.
       (5) Period.--If the Secretary of Defense determines to 
     conduct demonstration projects under this subsection, the 
     Secretary shall commence such demonstration projects not 
     later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
     Act. The demonstration projects shall be conducted for not 
     less than 2 years.
       (6) Evaluation.--The Secretary of Defense shall conduct an 
     evaluation of each demonstration project conducted under this 
     section. The evaluation shall include the following:
       (A) An assessment of the extent to which the activities 
     under the demonstration project contributed to positive 
     outcomes for children of members of the Armed Forces.
       (B) An assessment of the extent to which the activities 
     under the demonstration project led to improvements in 
     services and continuity of care for such children.
       (C) An assessment of the extent to which the activities 
     under the demonstration project improved military family 
     readiness and enhanced military retention.
       (d) Relationship to Other Benefits.--Nothing in this 
     section precludes the eligibility of members of the Armed 
     Forces and their dependents for extended benefits under 
     section 1079 of title 10, United States Code.
       (e) Reports on Demonstration Projects.--Not later than 30 
     months after the commencement of any demonstration project 
     under subsection (e), the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
     to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives a report on the demonstration 
     project. The report shall include a description of the 
     project, the results of the evaluation under subsection 
     (e)(5) with respect to the project, and a description of 
     plans for the further provision of services for children of 
     members of the Armed Forces under the project.
       (f) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Child.--The term ``child'' has the meaning given that 
     term in section 1072 of title 10, United States Code.
       (2) Covered educational and treatment services.--The term 
     ``covered educational and treatment services'' means 
     provision of quality early childhood education that promotes 
     healthy social and emotional development and provides 
     supports for children experiencing mental health challenges 
     and supportive services that include assessment, coaching for 
     educators and parents, and when warranted, referral to 
     appropriately licensed and specialized infant and early 
     childhood mental health services for diagnosis, therapeutic 
     treatment, and early intervention.
       (3) Covered military installation.--The term ``covered 
     military installation'' means a military installation at 
     which at least 1,000 members of the Armed Forces are assigned 
     who are eligible for an assignment accompanied by dependents.
       (4) Infant and early childhood mental health.--The term 
     ``Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health'' (IECMH) means 
     the developing capacity of the child, birth to age 5, to form 
     close and secure adult and peer relationships, to experience, 
     manage, and express a full range of emotions, and to explore 
     the environment and learn, all in the context of family, 
     community, and culture.
       (5) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
     agency'' has the meaning given that term in section 8013(9) 
     of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
     U.S.C. 7713(9)), except that the term includes publicly 
     financed schools in communities, Department of Defense 
     domestic dependent elementary and secondary schools, and 
     schools of the defense dependents' education system.
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