,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #accf  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,february #be1       
#bjai,ms4 ,barragn introduced the       
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1
 and in addition to the ,committee on   
the ,judiciary1 for a period to be      
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to require the ,federal     
,government to provide mental health    
services to each child who has been     
separated from one or more parent as a  
result of implementation of the ,trump  
,administration's zero tolerance policy 
at the ,united ,states border1 and for  
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,mental ,health
 ,care for ,children ,inhumanely        
,separated from ,parents by the ,federal
 ,government ,act of #bjai4  #b4        
,findings2 ,sense of ,congress  7a7     

,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,on ,april #f1 #bjah1 ,attorney   
,general ,jeff ,sessions announced that 
the ,trump ,administration would begin  
implementing a new zero tolerance policy
 for immigrants crossing the border into
 the ,united ,states illegally4  7#b7   
,between ,april #ai and ,may #ca1 #bjah1
 #a1iie children were separated by the  
,department of ,homeland ,security from 
their migrant parents at the border4    
7#c7 ,on ,may #h1 #bjah1 the president  
of the ,american ,academy of ,pediatrics
 issued a statement opposing separation 
of children and parents at the border1  
explaining that highly stressful        
experiences1 like family separation1 can
 cause irreparable harm1 disrupting a   
child's brain architecture and affecting
 his or her short- and long-term health4
 ,this type of prolonged exposure to    
serious stress--known as toxic          
stress--can carry lifelong consequences 
for children44  7#d7 ,on ,may #bi1      
#bjah1 the president of the ,american   

,psychological ,association issued a    
statement regarding the traumatic       
effects of separating immigrant         
families1 explaining that the longer    
that children and parents are separated1
 the greater the reported symptoms of   
anxiety and depression for the children4
 ,negative outcomes for children include
 psychological distress1 academic       
difficulties and disruptions in their   
development44  7b7 ,sense of ,congress  
,it is the sense of ,congress that the  
separation of children from migrating   
parents1 as is resulting from the ,trump
 ,administration's implementation of the
 zero tolerance immigration policy1 is  
cruel1 inhumane1 and harmful to the     
mental health of separated children4    
#c4 ,mental health services for children
 separated by the ,department of        
,homeland ,security at the border  7a7  
,in general ,the ,federal ,government   
shall1 including through contracts with 
qualified mental health professionals1  
ensure that--  7#a7 beginning not later 

than #bd hours after a child is         
separated from one or more parent by the
 ,department of ,homeland ,security at  
the ,united ,states border1 such child  
receives a mental health assessment by  
such a professional who is not employed 
by the ,federal ,government2  7#b7 not  
later than #bd hours after the date of  
the enactment of this ,act1 any child   
who was separated from one or more      
parent at the ,united ,states border at 
any time on or after ,april #f1 #bjah1  
shall receive a mental health assessment
 from such a professional who is not    
employed by the ,federal ,government2   
7#c7 on an ongoing basis and as         
described in subsection 7c71 a child    
described in paragraph 7#a7 or 7#b7 is1 
subject to subsection 7b71 provided with
 mental health services by such a       
professional regardless of whether such 
child remains in a detention center or  
is released to a family member or       
guardian 7provided such child remains in
 the ,united ,states7 and an adequate   

network of such professionals is        
available nationwide to enable access to
 such services2 and  7#d7 #ajj percent  
of the costs of such assessment and     
services provided to a child pursuant to
 this subsection are covered by the     
,federal ,government1 without any       
cost-sharing or other related obligation
 with respect to such assessment or     
services provided to such child4  7b7   
,opt-,out ,after release from a         
detention center1 the parent or legal   
guardian of a child described in        
subsection 7a7 may choose for such child
 to not receive services otherwise made 
available pursuant to paragraph 7#c7 of 
such subsection and to not be provided  
an independent assessment described in  
subsection 7c74  7c7 ,termination ,on an
 annual basis1 a child receiving mental 
health services provided pursuant to    
subsection 7a77#c7 shall be subject to  
an independent assessment by a qualified
 mental health professional who is not  
directly involved in the provision of   

mental health services to such child and
 who is not employed by the ,federal    
,government to determine whether such   
child continues to need such services or
 if such services should be terminated4 
,in the case a determination is made    
pursuant to the previous sentence that  
such services should be terminated1 the 
requirements under subsection 7a7 with  
respect to such child shall terminate4  
,prior to the termination of services1  
the qualified mental health professional
 involved in the provision of mental    
health services to such child shall     
consult the parent or guardian of such  
child in planning for reducing and then 
terminating such services4  7d7         
,qualified mental health professional   
defined ,in this section1 the term      
qualified mental health professional    
means a provider of mental health       
services who is eligible to participate 
as such a provider under a ,state plan  
under the ,medicaid program under title 
,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act or  

under a ,state child health plan under  
the ,children's ,health ,insurance      
,program under title ,,xxi of such ,act 
and who--  7#a7 has training in the     
treatment of mental illness in children 
and adolescents2 and  7#b7 agrees to    
maintain patient records for children   
and adolescents receiving mental health 
services under this ,act in accordance  
with ,state and ,federal health         
information privacy and security laws in
 the same manner and to the same extent 
as such provider would be required under
 such laws to maintain such records for 
such children and adolescents if such   
children and adolescents were nationals 
of the ,united ,states 7as such term is 
defined in paragraph 7#bb7 of section   
#aja of the ,immigration and            
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja774