,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #dhj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,july #i1 #bjai,mrs4
 ,watson ,coleman 7for herself1 ,mr4    
,horsford1 ,mr4 ,hastings1 ,ms4 ,omar1  
,ms4 ,johnson of ,texas1 ,ms4 ,velzquez1
 ,ms4 ,barragn1 ,ms4 ,moore1 ,mr4       
,cohen1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,ms4 ,pressley1
 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,payne1 ,ms4 ,wilson
 of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 
,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,carson
 of ,indiana1 ,ms4 ,mucarsel-,powell1   
,mr4 ,khanna1 ,ms4 ,bass1 and ,mr4      
,espaillat7 submitted the following     
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and
 in addition to the ,committee on       
,education and ,labor1 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 
,,resolution  ,acknowledging the racial 
disparities in diagnosing and treating  
mental health among youth in communities

 of color4  ,whereas mental health      
disorders among youth is defined by the 
,centers for ,disease ,control and      
,prevention as serious changes in the   
way youth typically learn1 behave1 or   
handle their emotions1 which causes     
distress and problems getting through   
the day2 ,whereas #bj percent of youth  
between the ages of #ac and #ah live    
with a mental health condition2 ,whereas
 #ej percent of all lifetime cases for  
mental illness begin by age #ad1 and #ge
 percent by age #bd2 ,whereas there has 
been an increase of youth diagnosed with
 mental disorders such as anxiety and   
depression in recent years2 ,whereas    
relative to ,white adolescents1         
,hispanic1 ,native ,american1 and       
,pacific ,islander adolescents receive  
less treatment for anxiety disorders    
over their lifetime2 ,whereas ,black and
 ,hispanic adolescents receive less     
treatment for mood disorders1 such as   
depression1 over their lifetime2        
,whereas ,black and ,hispanic youth are 

about half as likely as their ,white    
counterparts to get mental health care2 
,whereas suicide is the second leading  
cause of death for people #aj to #cd    
years of age1 and suicide rates in the  
,united ,states are closely correlated  
to poverty rates of which there is a    
disparity based on race2 ,whereas #gj   
percent of youth in ,state and local    
juvenile justice systems1 which are     
disproportionately comprised of ,black  
and ,hispanic youth1 have a mental      
illness2 ,whereas due to stigmas and a  
shortage of culturally appropriate      
behavioral health services1 youth in    
different communities of color do not   
always reach out for help to address    
mental illness2 ,whereas racial         
discrimination and other psychosocial   
stressors1 such as police harassment1   
violence1 trauma1 implicit bias1 and    
racism1 are contributing factors to     
anxiety disorders1 behavior disorders1  
and suicide2 ,whereas diversity in the  
mental and behavioral health workforce  

continues to be an important issue due  
to the lack of recruitment and retention
 of racial1 ethnic1 sexual orientation  
and gender identity minorities1 and     
people with disabilities1 resulting in a
 shortage of trained providers to       
deliver culturally competent            
evidence-based promotion1 prevention1   
and treatment services for children1    
which contributes to mental and         
behavioral health disparities2 and      
,whereas it is the duty of ,congress to 
promote the general welfare for the     
,american people1 especially ensuring   
the wellbeing of all of ,america's      
youth3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that it 
is the sense of the ,house of           
,representatives that-- 7#a7 the ,house 
of ,representatives should acknowledge  
the horrific toll that mental illness   
has had on the youth of ,america2  7#b7 
the ,house of ,representatives should   
acknowledge that youth from communities 
of color face racial disparities when it
 comes to access and treatment of mental

 illness2  7#c7 gaining access to mental
 health resources is a necessity and    
should be available to everyone         
regardless of race or ethnicity2  7#d7  
the ,house of ,representatives needs to 
take immediate action to address these  
disparities and ensure that those who   
need treatment can receive it2  7#e7 the
 ,house of ,representatives needs to    
ensure ,federal funding is provided for 
mental health professionals in schools  
and afterschool programs2  7#f7 funding 
and training needs to be available to   
any parent1 supervisor1 or other        
professional who work with youth of     
color so they have a greater awareness  
of the signs and symptoms so that the   
children and adolescents can get        
connected to services2  7#g7 more       
research and awareness need to be done  
by the ,federal ,government1 especially 
within the ,department of ,health and   
,human ,services and by the ,national   
,institute on ,minority ,health and     
,health ,disparities1 on what can be    

done to help youth in communities of    
color gain access to mental health      
resources2 and  7#h7 the ,federal       
,government1 especially the ,department 
of ,health and ,human ,services and the 
,department of ,education1 should       
research best practices and incentives  
for those considering education in      
wanting to work in the mental health    
field1 and how it can help increase the 
number of ethnically and racially       
diverse professionals4