[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 23, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5225-S5226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2952. Mrs. SHAHEEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2025 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 appropriate place in title VII, insert the
following:
SEC. 7___. PREVENTING PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS
AMONGST PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM SERVICEWOMEN
AND DEPENDENTS TO IMPROVE MILITARY READINESS.
(a) Pilot Program.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through
the Director of the Defense Health Agency, shall establish a
pilot program to assess the feasibility and impact of
providing evidence-based perinatal mental health prevention
programs for eligible members and dependents within military
treatment facilities with the goal of reducing the rates of
perinatal mental health conditions and improving the military
readiness of members of the Armed Forces and their families.
(2) Implementation.--In implementing the pilot program, the
Secretary shall--
(A) integrate evidence-based perinatal mental health
prevention programs for eligible members and dependents
within existing maternal or pediatric care or programming,
including primary care, obstetric care, pediatric care, and
family and parenting programs, when applicable;
(B) select sites for the pilot program--
(i) in a manner that represents the diversity of the Armed
Forces, including--
(I) not fewer than 2 military treatment facilities for each
military department; and
(II) geographically diverse sites across the United States,
excluding any territory or possession of the United States;
and
(ii) by prioritizing of military treatment facilities with
established maternal health programs or women's clinics;
(C) implement the prevention programs at times, locations,
and in a manner that incentivizes participation by eligible
members and dependents, including by removing barriers to
participation, such as childcare availability, differences in
military rank and occupation, and any other factors as the
Secretary shall determine; and
(D) increase awareness of and encourage participation in
care and programming for eligible members and dependents.
(b) Advisory Committee.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an
advisory committee to assist the Secretary in implementing
the pilot program pursuant to subsection (a)(2).
(2) Composition.--Members of the advisory committee shall--
(A) be appointed by the Secretary; and
(B) include--
(i) members of the Armed Forces and dependents, including
individuals who--
(I) are or have experienced perinatal care in the previous
five years while in the Armed Forces;
(II) represent various military departments and ranks; and
(III) experienced a perinatal mental health condition.
(ii) individuals with experience at military and veteran
service organizations;
(iii) experts in perinatal mental health promotion,
prevention, and intervention; and
(iv) representatives from the Federal Maternal Mental
Health Hotline and related perinatal mental health programs.
(3) Duties.--In implementing the pilot program pursuant to
subsection (a)(2), the advisory committee shall provide
recommendations to the Secretary with respect to the
following:
(A) Identification of evidence-based perinatal prevention
programs.
[[Page S5226]]
(B) Strategies to increase diversity in participation of
eligible members and dependents.
(C) Outreach to eligible members and dependents on the
benefits of prevention and the availability of pilot program
participation.
(D) Strategies to reduce stigma with respect to perinatal
mental health conditions and the use of prevention programs.
(4) Termination.--Section 1013 of title 5, United States
Code, shall not apply to the advisory committee.
(c) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary shall provide
technical assistance to military treatment facilities in
implementing evidence-based perinatal prevention programs
pursuant to subsection (a) and outside of the pilot program.
(d) Study.--Not later than June 30, 2029, the Secretary
shall conduct a study of the effectiveness of the pilot
program in preventing or reducing the onset of symptoms of
perinatal mental health conditions for eligible and
dependents.
(e) Reports.--
(1) Annual report.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense
committees a report on the progress of the pilot program
during the previous calendar year, including the number of
eligible members and dependents completing a prevention
program, disaggregated by type of prevention program,
military component, military occupation, rank, marital
status, location and setting of delivery, sex, age, race, and
ethnicity.
(2) Final report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the
termination of the pilot program under subsection (g), the
Secretary shall submit to the congressional defense
committees a final report, which shall include--
(i) the progress of the pilot program during the life of
the pilot program;
(ii) the number of eligible members and dependents who
completed a prevention program during the life of the pilot
program, disaggregated by type of prevention program,
military component, military occupation, rank, marital
status, location and setting of delivery, sex, age, race, and
ethnicity;
(iii) an assessment and findings with respect to the study
required by subsection (e);
(iv) recommendations on whether the pilot program should be
continued or more widely adopted by the Department of
Defense; and
(v) recommendations on how to scale the pilot program and
ensure cost-effective sustainability.
(B) Public availability.--The final report shall be made
publicly available on a website of the Department of Defense.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
(g) Sunset.--The pilot program shall terminate on December
31, 2029.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Dependent.--The term ``dependent'' has the meaning
given that term in section 1072 of title 10, United States
Code.
(2) Eligible member.--The term ``eligible member'' means a
member of the Armed Forces who--
(A) is pregnant; or
(B) is not more than 1 year postpartum.
(3) Perinatal mental health condition.--The term
``perinatal mental health condition'' means a mental health
disorder that onsets during the pregnancy or within the one-
year postpartum period.
(4) Pilot program.--The term ``pilot program'' means the
pilot program established under section 2(a).
(5) Prevention program.--The term ``prevention program''
means a program or activity that averts or decreases the
onset or symptoms of a perinatal mental health condition.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Defense.
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