Two major mental health bills have been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate but do not specifically address ACEs, trauma or resilience—with one small exception being a section in the House bill to reauthorize the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).  The NCTSN is a national network of child trauma centers that works with children and families who are exposed to a wide range of traumatic experiences. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funds the NCTSN.

Here are links to information on the House and Senate bills (including the bill texts):

—H.R. 2646, Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act  [Tim Murphy (R-PA)]

(Includes Sec. 208, Children’s Recovery from Trauma Act)

—S. 1945, The Mental Health Reform Act of 2015 (Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT)

(No provision related to the NCTSN is included in this bill.)

A website, Campaign for Real Change, has been created as a forum for individuals who believe that trauma should be addressed comprehensively and explicitly at a national level and as part of mental health reform. A number of mental health advocacy organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Mental Health America (MHA) are supporting the House and Senate bills. While these and other organizations do not support every provision in the legislation, they believe the bills help advance the process of passing comprehensive mental health reform. Opposition to passing mental health legislation that does not address trauma is expressed in posts on the Campaign for Real Change. Some advocates believe that addressing trauma is integral to mental health and should be included in comprehensive legislation. From a tactical perspective, some believe that once Congress acts on mental health reform, it will be years before it returns to issue, postponing or even missing the opportunity to address trauma as a key factor in the prevention of mental illness. 

In addition to being included as a section in H.R. 2646, companion bills—both titled  “Children’s Recovery from Trauma Act”—have been introduced to reauthorize the NCTSN. The prime sponsors are Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) of H.R. 2632 and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) of S. 1494. The intent of the bills is to strengthen the mission of the initiative and reauthorize it for several years at a funding level of around $50 million a year. As long as Congress approves funding through the appropriations process, reauthorization is not essential for the continuation of the program. Currently, the NCTSN is funded at $45.8 million. A list of current grantees, searchable by state, is available here.