[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1570 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1570
To enhance mental health and psychosocial support within United States
development and humanitarian assistance programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 10, 2023
Ms. Wild (for herself, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Castro of
Texas, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Moulton, Mrs. McBath, and Ms. Titus)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To enhance mental health and psychosocial support within United States
development and humanitarian assistance programs.
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 ``Mental Health in International
Development and Humanitarian Settings Act'' or the ``MINDS Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an
estimated 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide have a mental
health or substance use disorder, and The Lancet estimates that
nearly 130,000,000 additional cases of major depressive and
anxiety disorders globally in 2020 resulted from the COVID-19
pandemic.
(2) According to WHO, depression is among the primary
causes of illness and disability in adolescents. One-half of
mental health disorders emerge by age 14, and 14 percent of
children and adolescents worldwide experience mental health
conditions, the majority of whom do not seek care, receive
care, or have access to care.
(3) According to the United Nations, more than 1 out of
every 5 individuals in conflict-affected areas has a mental
health disorder. Roughly 1,500,000,000, or 2 out of every 3 of
the world's children under 18 years of age live in countries
affected by conflict, and more than 1 out of every 6 children
live in conflict zones. A greater number of children live in
areas affected by armed conflict and war now than at any other
point this century. The mental health burden in conflict-
affected contexts is twice the global average.
(4) According to the World Health Organization, risk
factors that increase susceptibility to mental health disorders
include poverty and hunger, chronic health conditions, trauma
or maltreatment, social exclusion and discrimination, and
exposure to and displacement by war or conflict. These risk
factors, along with demographic risk factors, manifest at all
stages in life. Preliminary research already illustrates that
the COVID-19 pandemic has increased communities', families',
and individuals' risk factors for multiple types of adversity
and compounded preexisting conditions and vulnerabilities.
(5) According to a Lancet Commission report, allocations
for mental health have never risen above 1 percent of health-
related global development assistance. Estimates indicate that
child and adolescent mental health receives just 0.1 percent of
health-related global development assistance.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) helping to ensure that individuals have the opportunity
to thrive and reach their fullest potential is a critical
component of effective and sustainable international
development efforts;
(2) mental health is integral and essential to overall
health outcomes and other development objectives;
(3) mental health is an issue of critical and growing
importance for United States development and humanitarian
assistance programs that requires coordinated efforts to ensure
that programming funded by the United States Government is
evidence-based, culturally competent, and trauma-informed;
(4) the relevant United States Government development and
humanitarian assistance strategies should include a mental
health and psychosocial support component;
(5) the redesign of the United States Agency for
International Development reflects the nexus between
humanitarian and development interventions and should be
applied to all mental health and psychosocial support efforts
of United States development and humanitarian assistance
programs; and
(6) ongoing efforts to improve social service workforce
development and local capacity building are essential to
expanding mental health and psychosocial support activities
across all United States development and humanitarian
assistance programs.
SEC. 3. COORDINATOR FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT.
Section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152f)
is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
``(f) Coordinator for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support.--
``(1) In general.--The Administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development, in consultation with the
Secretary of State, is authorized to designate a Mental Health
and Psychosocial Support Coordinator (referred to in this
section as the `MHPSS Coordinator').
``(2) Specific duties.--The duties of the MHPSS Coordinator
shall include--
``(A) establishing and chairing the Mental Health
and Psychosocial Support Working Group authorized under
section 4 of the Mental Health in International
Development and Humanitarian Settings Act;
``(B) guiding, overseeing, and directing mental
health and psychosocial support programming and
integration across United States development and
humanitarian assistance programs;
``(C) serving as the main point of contact on
mental health and psychosocial support in the Bureau
for Global Health, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance,
regional bureaus, the Office of Education, the
Inclusive Development Hub in the Bureau of Development,
Democracy, and Innovation, and other bureaus as
appropriate, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief, and other interagency or presidential
initiatives;
``(D) promoting best practices, coordination, and
reporting in mental health and psychosocial support
programming across United States development and
humanitarian assistance programs;
``(E) providing direction, guidance, and oversight
on the integration of mental health and psychosocial
support in United States development and humanitarian
assistance programs; and
``(F) participating in the Advancing Protection and
Care for Children in Adversity Interagency Working
Group.
``(3) Focus populations.--The MHPSS Coordinator should, as
appropriate, prioritize populations with increased risk factors
for developing mental health disorders, including--
``(A) adult caretakers and children, as well as
families and adults who are long-term caretakers;
``(B) children and others who are separated from a
family unit; and
``(C) other specific populations in need of mental
health and psychosocial support, such as crisis
affected communities, displaced populations, gender-
based violence survivors, and individuals and
households coping with the consequences of diseases,
such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19.''.
SEC. 4. MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT WORKING GROUP.
The Administrator, in cooperation with the Mental Health and
Psychosocial Support Coordinator (designated pursuant to subsection (f)
of section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by
section 3), shall establish the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
Working Group, which shall include senior representatives from the
relevant USAID bureaus, the Department of State, and other Federal
departments and agencies, as appropriate, to ensure continuity and
integration of mental health and psychosocial support across United
States development and humanitarian assistance programs.
SEC. 5. INTEGRATION OF MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT.
(a) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United States to
integrate mental health and psychosocial support across all relevant
United States development and humanitarian assistance programs.
(b) Implementation of Policy.--The Administrator and the Secretary
of State should--
(1) require all USAID and Department of State regional
bureaus and missions to advance the policy described in
subsection (a) through relevant development and humanitarian
assistance efforts, including by building local capacity to
inform, design and implement mental health and psychosocial
support programming;
(2) ensure that all USAID and Department of State mental
health and psychosocial support programming--
(A) is evidence-based and culturally competent;
(B) responds to all types of childhood adversity;
and
(C) includes trauma-specific interventions in
accordance with the recognized principles of a trauma-
informed approach, whenever applicable; and
(3) integrate the principles of Advancing Protection and
Care for Children in Adversity Strategy.
SEC. 6. CONSULTATION AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) Consultation.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in coordination with the
Secretary of State, shall consult with the Committee on Foreign Affairs
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations
of the Senate regarding--
(1) the progress made in carrying out section 5(b); and
(2) any barriers preventing the full integration of the
strategy referred to in section 5(b)(3).
(b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 fiscal years, the
Administrator and the Secretary of State, in consultation with the
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Coordinator (designated pursuant
to subsection (f) of section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961,
as added by section 3) and the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget, as necessary and appropriate, shall submit to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on--
(1) the amount of funding under United States development
and humanitarian assistance programs obligated and expended
during the most recently concluded fiscal year on mental health
and psychosocial support programming;
(2) how USAID and the Department of State are working to
integrate mental health and psychosocial programming, including
child-specific programming, into their development and
humanitarian assistance programs across relevant sectors,
including health, education, nutrition, and protection;
(3) the metrics of success of the Advancing Protection and
Care for Children in Adversity Strategy and progress made
towards achieving broader mental health outcomes;
(4) where trauma-specific strategies are being implemented,
and how best practices for trauma-informed programming are
being shared across programs;
(5) barriers preventing full integration of child mental
health and psychosocial support into programs for children and
youth and recommendations for modifications or expansion;
(6) barriers to the expansion of mental health and
psychosocial support programming in conflict and humanitarian
settings and how such barriers are being addressed;
(7) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health
and psychosocial support programming; and
(8) funding data, including a list of programs to which
USAID and the Department of State have obligated funds during
the most recently concluded fiscal year to improve access to,
and the quality of, mental health and psychosocial support
programming in development and humanitarian contexts.
SEC. 7. SUNSET.
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, shall terminate on
the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of USAID.
(2) USAID.--The term ``USAID'' means the United States
Agency for International Development.
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