[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 195 (Thursday, December 15, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7253-S7254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Ms. Collins):
  S. 5266. A bill to reauthorize the program for infant and early 
childhood mental health promotion, intervention, and treatment; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the 
need to expand mental health services for children in the United 
States. More than 20 percent of parents with children aged 5-12 years 
reported that their children experienced worsened mental or emotional 
health as a result of the pandemic. In Virginia, one in five children 
experience symptoms of a mental health disorder. Schools, childcare 
settings, and communities are in need of additional support to address 
the needs of our Nation's children and families.
  Early identification and intervention for emotional or behavioral 
disorders for infants and young children may help to prevent more 
severe mental health issues in later youth and adulthood. That is why 
Senator Collins and I are introducing the Investing in Infant and Early 
Childhood Mental Health Act to reauthorize the Infant and Early 
Childhood Mental Health--IECMH--program through the Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration, SAMHSA. First

[[Page S7254]]

authorized in 2016 under the 21st Century Cures Act, the goal of the 
IECMH program is to improve outcomes for children, from birth up to 12 
years of age, by developing, maintaining, or enhancing infant and early 
childhood mental health promotion, intervention, and treatment 
services.
  Since 2018, SAMHSA has provided $20 million in funding to support 
infant and early childhood mental health programs across the country. 
This funding has been used to train the mental health workforce and 
provide screenings and referrals for evidence-based mental health 
services for children and families. To date, grantees have trained 
nearly 10,000 mental health professionals and screened over 17,000 
children and families.
  Reauthorizing the IECMH program will allow SAMSHA to continue this 
important work to address childhood mental health through fiscal year 
2027. The bill also includes a $30 million increase in funding to 
expand these services and would allow SAMSHA to provide technical 
assistance to grantees, either directly or through grants or contracts 
to nonprofit entities. Language to reauthorize the IECMH program was 
included in the Supporting Children's Mental Health Care Access Act of 
2022 introduced by Representatives Kim Schrier and Mariannette Miller-
Meeks, which was included in the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and 
Well-Being Act that passed out of the House in June 2022. I urge my 
colleagues to support this bill so we can continue to address the 
mental health crisis among our children.
                                 ______