Children's Recovery from Trauma Act

Summary: Children's Recovery from Trauma Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support programs that provide for the continued operation of the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI) and for research on evidence-based practices for identifying and treating children and youth with mental, behavioral, and biological disorders resulting from witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. HHS must award a cooperative agreement to a comprehensive national coordinating center to oversee NCTSI activities. The NCTSI coordinating center must: (1) collect, analyze, and report data to establish the effectiveness of early identification and delivery of treatment and services; (2) focus on the development of services and resources to prevent the long-term consequences of child trauma; (3) collaborate with federal research institutions; and (4) collaborate with HHS in the dissemination of evidence-based and trauma-informed interventions, treatments, products, and other resources.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Children's Recovery from Trauma 
Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO EXPERIENCE 
              TRAUMA AND VIOLENCE RELATED STRESS.

    Section 582 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290hh-1) is 
amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 582. GRANTS TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS OF INDIVIDUALS WHO 
              EXPERIENCE TRAUMA AND VIOLENCE RELATED STRESS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants, contracts or 
cooperative agreements to public and nonprofit private entities, as 
well as to Indian tribes and tribal organizations, for the purpose of 
developing and maintaining programs that provide for--
            ``(1) the continued operation of the National Child 
        Traumatic Stress Initiative (referred to in this section as the 
        `NCTSI') and focus on the mental, behavioral, and biological 
        aspects of psychological trauma response; and
            ``(2) the development of knowledge with regard to evidence-
        based practices for identifying and treating mental, 
        behavioral, and biological disorders of children and youth 
        resulting from witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event.
    ``(b) Priorities.--In awarding grants, contracts or cooperative 
agreements under subsection (a)(2) (related to the development of 
knowledge on evidence-based practices for treating mental, behavioral, 
and biological disorders associated with psychological trauma), the 
Secretary shall give priority to universities, hospitals, mental health 
agencies, and other community-based child-serving programs that have 
established clinical and research experience in the field of trauma-
related mental disorders.
    ``(c) Coordinating Center.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall award one cooperative agreement to a comprehensive 
national coordinating center to oversee NCTSI activities (in this 
section referred to as the `NCTSI coordinating center').
    ``(d) Child Outcome Data.--The NCTSI coordinating center shall 
collect, analyze, and report NCTSI-wide child outcome and process data 
for the purpose of establishing the effectiveness, implementation, and 
clinical utility of early identification and delivery of evidence-based 
treatment and services delivered to children and families served by the 
NCTSI grantees.
    ``(e) Training.--The NCTSI coordinating center shall oversee the 
continuum of interprofessional training initiatives in evidence-based 
and trauma-informed treatments, interventions, and practices offered to 
NCTSI grantees and providers in all child-serving systems.
    ``(f) Prevention.--The NCTSI coordinating center shall include a 
focus on the development of prevention services and resources as they 
relate to the prevention of exposure to traumatic events and to early 
intervention programs focused on the prevention of the long term 
consequences of child trauma.
    ``(g) Research.--The NCTSI coordinating center shall establish an 
ongoing collaboration with Federal research institutions, including at 
the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention, for the purpose of sharing NCTSI expertise and 
evaluation data, conducting joint evaluation projects, and informing 
national research priorities related to child trauma.
    ``(h) Dissemination.--The NCTSI coordinating center shall 
collaborate with the Secretary in the dissemination of evidence-based 
and trauma-informed interventions, treatments, products, and other 
resources to all child-serving systems, collaborating Federal agencies, 
and policymakers.
    ``(i) Review.--The Secretary shall establish consensus-driven, in-
person or teleconference review of NCTSI applications by child trauma 
experts and review criteria related to expertise and experience related 
to child trauma and evidence-based practices.
    ``(j) Geographical Distribution.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
grants, contracts or cooperative agreements under subsection (a) are 
distributed equitably among the regions of the United States and among 
urban and rural areas. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, expertise 
and experience in the field of trauma-related disorders shall be 
prioritized in the awarding of such grants as required under subsection 
(b).
    ``(k) Evaluation.--The Secretary, as part of the application 
process, shall require that each applicant for a grant, contract or 
cooperative agreement under subsection (a) submit a plan for the 
rigorous evaluation of the activities funded under the grant, contract 
or agreement, including both process and outcome evaluation, and the 
submission of an evaluation at the end of the project period.
    ``(l) Duration of Awards.--With respect to a grant, contract or 
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), the period during which 
payments under such an award will be made to the recipient shall be 6 
years. Such grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements may be 
renewed. Expertise and experience in the field of trauma-related 
disorders shall be a priority for new and continuing awards.
    ``(m) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2016 through 2020.''.