MINDS Act

I 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) intro- duced 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 Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mental Health in 4 International Development and Humanitarian Settings 5 Act’’ or the ‘‘MINDS Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1570 IH (1) According to the World Health Organiza- 1 tion (WHO), an estimated 1,000,000,000 individuals 2 worldwide have a mental health or substance use 3 disorder, and The Lancet estimates that nearly 4 130,000,000 additional cases of major depressive 5 and anxiety disorders globally in 2020 resulted from 6 the COVID–19 pandemic. 7 (2) According to WHO, depression is among 8 the primary causes of illness and disability in adoles- 9 cents. One-half of mental health disorders emerge by 10 age 14, and 14 percent of children and adolescents 11 worldwide experience mental health conditions, the 12 majority of whom do not seek care, receive care, or 13 have access to care. 14 (3) According to the United Nations, more than 15 1 out of every 5 individuals in conflict-affected areas 16 has a mental health disorder. Roughly 17 1,500,000,000, or 2 out of every 3 of the world’s 18 children under 18 years of age live in countries af- 19 fected by conflict, and more than 1 out of every 6 20 children live in conflict zones. A greater number of 21 children live in areas affected by armed conflict and 22 war now than at any other point this century. The 23 mental health burden in conflict-affected contexts is 24 twice the global average. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1570 IH (4) According to the World Health Organiza- 1 tion, risk factors that increase susceptibility to men- 2 tal health disorders include poverty and hunger, 3 chronic health conditions, trauma or maltreatment, 4 social exclusion and discrimination, and exposure to 5 and displacement by war or conflict. These risk fac- 6 tors, along with demographic risk factors, manifest 7 at all stages in life. Preliminary research already il- 8 lustrates that the COVID–19 pandemic has in- 9 creased communities’, families’, and individuals’ risk 10 factors for multiple types of adversity and com- 11 pounded preexisting conditions and vulnerabilities. 12 (5) According to a Lancet Commission report, 13 allocations for mental health have never risen above 14 1 percent of health-related global development as- 15 sistance. Estimates indicate that child and adoles- 16 cent mental health receives just 0.1 percent of 17 health-related global development assistance. 18 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 19 gress that— 20 (1) helping to ensure that individuals have the 21 opportunity to thrive and reach their fullest poten- 22 tial is a critical component of effective and sustain- 23 able international development efforts; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1570 IH (2) mental health is integral and essential to 1 overall health outcomes and other development ob- 2 jectives; 3 (3) mental health is an issue of critical and 4 growing importance for United States development 5 and humanitarian assistance programs that requires 6 coordinated efforts to ensure that programming 7 funded by the United States Government is evi- 8 dence-based, culturally competent, and trauma-in- 9 formed; 10 (4) the relevant United States Government de- 11 velopment and humanitarian assistance strategies 12 should include a mental health and psychosocial sup- 13 port component; 14 (5) the redesign of the United States Agency 15 for International Development reflects the nexus be- 16 tween humanitarian and development interventions 17 and should be applied to all mental health and psy- 18 chosocial support efforts of United States develop- 19 ment and humanitarian assistance programs; and 20 (6) ongoing efforts to improve social service 21 workforce development and local capacity building 22 are essential to expanding mental health and psycho- 23 social support activities across all United States de- 24 velopment and humanitarian assistance programs. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1570 IH SEC. 3. COORDINATOR FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHO- 1 SOCIAL SUPPORT. 2 Section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 3 (22 U.S.C. 2152f) is amended— 4 (1) by redesignating subsection (f) as sub- 5 section (g); and 6 (2) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol- 7 lowing: 8 ‘‘(f) COORDINATOR FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND PSY- 9 CHOSOCIAL SUPPORT.— 10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 11 United States Agency for International Develop- 12 ment, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is 13 authorized to designate a Mental Health and Psy- 14 chosocial Support Coordinator (referred to in this 15 section as the ‘MHPSS Coordinator’). 16 ‘‘(2) SPECIFIC DUTIES.—The duties of the 17 MHPSS Coordinator shall include— 18 ‘‘(A) establishing and chairing the Mental 19 Health and Psychosocial Support Working 20 Group authorized under section 4 of the Mental 21 Health in International Development and Hu- 22 manitarian Settings Act; 23 ‘‘(B) guiding, overseeing, and directing 24 mental health and psychosocial support pro- 25 gramming and integration across United States 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1570 IH development and humanitarian assistance pro- 1 grams; 2 ‘‘(C) serving as the main point of contact 3 on mental health and psychosocial support in 4 the Bureau for Global Health, Bureau for Hu- 5 manitarian Assistance, regional bureaus, the 6 Office of Education, the Inclusive Development 7 Hub in the Bureau of Development, Democ- 8 racy, and Innovation, and other bureaus as ap- 9 propriate, the President’s Emergency Plan for 10 AIDS Relief, and other interagency or presi- 11 dential initiatives; 12 ‘‘(D) promoting best practices, coordina- 13 tion, and reporting in mental health and psy- 14 chosocial support programming across United 15 States development and humanitarian assist- 16 ance programs; 17 ‘‘(E) providing direction, guidance, and 18 oversight on the integration of mental health 19 and psychosocial support in United States de- 20 velopment and humanitarian assistance pro- 21 grams; and 22 ‘‘(F) participating in the Advancing Pro- 23 tection and Care for Children in Adversity 24 Interagency Working Group. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1570 IH ‘‘(3) FOCUS POPULATIONS.—The MHPSS Co- 1 ordinator should, as appropriate, prioritize popu- 2 lations with increased risk factors for developing 3 mental health disorders, including— 4 ‘‘(A) adult caretakers and children, as well 5 as families and adults who are long-term care- 6 takers; 7 ‘‘(B) children and others who are sepa- 8 rated from a family unit; and 9 ‘‘(C) other specific populations in need of 10 mental health and psychosocial support, such as 11 crisis affected communities, displaced popu- 12 lations, gender-based violence survivors, and in- 13 dividuals and households coping with the con- 14 sequences of diseases, such as Ebola, HIV/ 15 AIDS, and COVID–19.’’. 16 SEC. 4. MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT 17 WORKING GROUP. 18 The Administrator, in cooperation with the Mental 19 Health and Psychosocial Support Coordinator (designated 20 pursuant to subsection (f) of section 135 of the Foreign 21 Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 3), shall es- 22 tablish the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support 23 Working Group, which shall include senior representatives 24 from the relevant USAID bureaus, the Department of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1570 IH State, and other Federal departments and agencies, as ap- 1 propriate, to ensure continuity and integration of mental 2 health and psychosocial support across United States de- 3 velopment and humanitarian assistance programs. 4 SEC. 5. INTEGRATION OF MENTAL HEALTH AND PSYCHO- 5 SOCIAL SUPPORT. 6 (a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 7 United States to integrate mental health and psychosocial 8 support across all relevant United States development and 9 humanitarian assistance programs. 10 (b) IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICY.—The Adminis- 11 trator and the Secretary of State should— 12 (1) require all USAID and Department of State 13 regional bureaus and missions to advance the policy 14 described in subsection (a) through relevant develop- 15 ment and humanitarian assistance efforts, including 16 by building local capacity to inform, design and im- 17 plement mental health and psychosocial support pro- 18 gramming; 19 (2) ensure that all USAID and Department of 20 State mental health and psychosocial support pro- 21 gramming— 22 (A) is evidence-based and culturally com- 23 petent; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 1570 IH (B) responds to all types of childhood ad- 1 versity; and 2 (C) includes trauma-specific interventions 3 in accordance with the recognized principles of 4 a trauma-informed approach, whenever applica- 5 ble; and 6 (3) integrate the principles of Advancing Pro- 7 tection and Care for Children in Adversity Strategy. 8 SEC. 6. CONSULTATION AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 9 (a) CONSULTATION.—Not later than 180 days after 10 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, 11 in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall consult 12 with the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 13 Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations 14 of the Senate regarding— 15 (1) the progress made in carrying out section 16 5(b); and 17 (2) any barriers preventing the full integration 18 of the strategy referred to in section 5(b)(3). 19 (b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 20 of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 21 5 fiscal years, the Administrator and the Secretary of 22 State, in consultation with the Mental Health and Psycho- 23 social Support Coordinator (designated pursuant to sub- 24 section (f) of section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 1570 IH of 1961, as added by section 3) and the Director of the 1 Office of Management and Budget, as necessary and ap- 2 propriate, shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Af- 3 fairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee 4 on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on— 5 (1) the amount of funding under United States 6 development and humanitarian assistance programs 7 obligated and expended during the most recently 8 concluded fiscal year on mental health and psycho- 9 social support programming; 10 (2) how USAID and the Department of State 11 are working to integrate mental health and psycho- 12 social programming, including child-specific pro- 13 gramming, into their development and humanitarian 14 assistance programs across relevant sectors, includ- 15 ing health, education, nutrition, and protection; 16 (3) the metrics of success of the Advancing 17 Protection and Care for Children in Adversity Strat- 18 egy and progress made towards achieving broader 19 mental health outcomes; 20 (4) where trauma-specific strategies are being 21 implemented, and how best practices for trauma-in- 22 formed programming are being shared across pro- 23 grams; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 1570 IH (5) barriers preventing full integration of child 1 mental health and psychosocial support into pro- 2 grams for children and youth and recommendations 3 for modifications or expansion; 4 (6) barriers to the expansion of mental health 5 and psychosocial support programming in conflict 6 and humanitarian settings and how such barriers 7 are being addressed; 8 (7) the impact of the COVID–19 pandemic on 9 mental health and psychosocial support program- 10 ming; and 11 (8) funding data, including a list of programs 12 to which USAID and the Department of State have 13 obligated funds during the most recently concluded 14 fiscal year to improve access to, and the quality of, 15 mental health and psychosocial support program- 16 ming in development and humanitarian contexts. 17 SEC. 7. SUNSET. 18 This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, 19 shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date 20 of the enactment of this Act. 21 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 22 In this Act: 23 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis- 24 trator’’ means the Administrator of USAID. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 1570 IH (2) USAID.—The term ‘‘USAID’’ means the 1 United States Agency for International Develop- 2 ment. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:17 Mar 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1570.IH H1570 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS