[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5748 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5748
To require the Secretary of Defense to establish a program to carry out
minor military construction projects to construct child development
centers and to provide education and treatment services for infant and
early childhood mental health, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 27, 2021
Mr. Carbajal (for himself and Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed
Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Defense to establish a program to carry out
minor military construction projects to construct child development
centers and to provide education and treatment services for infant and
early childhood mental health, and for other purposes.
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 ``Childcare Expansion for Military
Families Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. TEMPORARY PROGRAM TO USE MINOR MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY
FOR CONSTRUCTION OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS.
(a) Program Authorized.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a
program to carry out minor military construction projects under section
2805 of title 10, United States Code, to construct child development
centers.
(b) Increased Maximum Amounts Applicable to Minor Construction
Projects.--For the purpose of any military construction project carried
out under the program under this section, the amount specified in
section 2805(a)(2) of title 10, United States Code, is deemed to be
$15,000,000.
(c) Notification and Approval Requirements.--
(1) In general.--The notification and approval requirements
under section 2805(b) of title 10, United States Code, shall
remain in effect for construction projects carried out under
the program under this section.
(2) Procedures.--The Secretary shall establish procedures
for the review and approval of requests from the Secretaries of
military departments to carry out construction projects under
the program under this section.
(d) Report Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall
submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the
program under this section.
(2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall
include a list and description of the construction projects
carried out under the program under this section, including the
location and cost of each project.
(e) Expiration of Authority.--The authority to carry out a minor
military construction project under the program under this section
expires on September 30, 2023.
(f) Construction of Authority.--Nothing in this section may be
construed to limit any other authority provided by law for a military
construction project at a child development center.
(g) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Child development center.--The term ``child development
center'' includes a facility, and the utilities to support such
facility, the function of which is to support the daily care of
children aged six weeks old through 12 years old for full-day,
part-day, and hourly service.
(2) Congressional defense committees.--The term
``congressional defense committees'' has the meaning given that
term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code.
SEC. 3. 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
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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