[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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