Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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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 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. ______

By Mr. DURBIN:

S. 5274. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to reinstate criminal penalties for persons charging veterans unauthorized fees relating to claims for benefits under the laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

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