I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5748 
To require the Secretary of Defense to establish a program to carry out 
minor military construction projects to construct child development cen-
ters and to provide education and treatment services for infant and 
early childhood mental health, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 27, 2021 
Mr. CARBAJAL (for himself and Mr. TONY GONZALES of Texas) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Defense to establish a program 
to carry out minor military construction projects to con-
struct child development centers and to provide education 
and treatment services for infant and early childhood 
mental health, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Childcare Expansion 
for Military Families Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. TEMPORARY PROGRAM TO USE MINOR MILITARY 
CONSTRUCTION AUTHORITY FOR CONSTRUC-
TION OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS. 
(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of De-
fense shall establish a program to carry out minor military 
construction projects under section 2805 of title 10, 
United States Code, to construct child development cen-
ters. 
(b) INCREASED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS APPLICABLE TO 
MINOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.—For the purpose of 
any military construction project carried out under the 
program under this section, the amount specified in sec-
tion 2805(a)(2) of title 10, United States Code, is deemed 
to be $15,000,000. 
(c) 
NOTIFICATION
AND
APPROVAL
REQUIRE-
MENTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The notification and ap-
proval requirements under section 2805(b) of title 
10, United States Code, shall remain in effect for 
construction projects carried out under the program 
under this section. 
(2) PROCEDURES.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish procedures for the review and approval of re-
quests from the Secretaries of military departments 
to carry out construction projects under the program 
under this section. 
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(d) REPORT REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 
defense committees a report on the program under 
this section. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para-
graph (1) shall include a list and description of the 
construction projects carried out under the program 
under this section, including the location and cost of 
each project. 
(e) EXPIRATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authority to 
carry out a minor military construction project under the 
program under this section expires on September 30, 
2023. 
(f) CONSTRUCTION OF AUTHORITY.—Nothing in this 
section may be construed to limit any other authority pro-
vided by law for a military construction project at a child 
development center. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER.—The term 
‘‘child development center’’ includes a facility, and 
the utilities to support such facility, the function of 
which is to support the daily care of children aged 
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six weeks old through 12 years old for full-day, part- 
day, and hourly service. 
(2) CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES.— 
The term ‘‘congressional defense committees’’ has 
the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(16) 
of title 10, United States Code. 
SEC. 3. EDUCATION AND INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD 
MENTAL HEALTH CONSULTATION SERVICES 
FOR INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MEN-
TAL HEALTH (IECMH). 
(a) ASSESSMENT OF AVAILABILITY OF SERVICES.— 
The Secretary of Defense shall conduct a comprehensive 
assessment of the availability of Federal, State, and local 
early childhood education and infant and early childhood 
mental health (IECMH) consultation services on and in 
the vicinity of a covered military installation for identi-
fying and addressing infant and early childhood mental 
health needs of children of members of the Armed Forces. 
This assessment shall include the following: 
(1) The local availability of developmentally ap-
propriate services advancing social and emotional de-
velopment and infant and early childhood mental 
health of infants, toddlers, and young children, in-
cluding certification or endorsement programs for 
professionals serving as infant early childhood men-
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tal health consultants for early education programs 
and centers. 
(2) The local availability of adequate diagnostic 
and non-medical intervention services for infants, 
toddlers, or young children identified as requiring in-
fant and early childhood mental health treatment. 
(3) The local availability of supplemental serv-
ices for infant and early childhood mental health 
such as Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health 
(IECMH) consultation by licensed professionals who 
are also certified or endorsed in IECMH. 
(4) The ease of access for individuals with iden-
tified infant and early childhood mental health needs 
to adequate, comprehensive educational services, 
such as the length of time on waiting lists. 
(b) REVIEW OF BEST PRACTICES.—In preparing the 
assessment under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense 
shall conduct a review of best practices of providing infant 
and early childhood mental health consultation in the 
United States in the provision of covered educational serv-
ices and support services for infant and early childhood 
mental health, including an assessment of Federal and 
State early education and mental health services for infant 
and early childhood mental health in each State, with an 
emphasis on locations where members of the Armed 
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Forces and their dependent children reside. The Secretary 
of Defense shall conduct the review in coordination with 
the Secretary of Education. 
(c) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— 
(1) PROJECTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of 
Defense may conduct one or more demonstration 
projects to evaluate improved approaches to the pro-
vision of covered educational and infant and early 
childhood mental health services to children of mem-
bers of the Armed Forces for the purpose of evalu-
ating and the efficacy of infant and early childhood 
mental health consultation models to improve social- 
emotional development outcomes for military chil-
dren enrolled in child development centers, reducing 
incidents of behavioral issues and or need for inten-
sive treatment, and early identification of needs re-
quiring non-medical intervention as considered ap-
propriate by the Secretary. 
(2) INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL 
HEALTH CONSULTATION.— 
(A) CONSULTATION.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of 
Defense may authorize the development of 
a comprehensive professional development 
curricula for use in training non-medical 
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counselors in infant and early childhood 
mental health and consultation to serve in 
child development centers, and to allow for 
the training of Department of Defense-con-
tracted child and youth behavioral-military 
family life counselors as infant early child-
hood mental health consultants. 
(ii) COMPETENCY GUIDELINES.—The 
curricula developed under clause (i) shall 
be based on a set of competency guidelines 
designed to enhance culturally sensitive, 
relationship-focused practice within the 
framework of infant and early childhood 
mental health recognized by authorizing 
agencies such as the Alliance for the Ad-
vancement of Infant Mental Health for 
purposes of certification or endorsement as 
a IECMH practitioner. 
(B) PERSONNEL.—The Secretary of De-
fense may utilize for purposes of the dem-
onstration projects personnel who are profes-
sionals with a level (as determined by the Sec-
retary) of post-secondary education that is ap-
propriate for the provision of safe and effective 
services for infant and early childhood mental 
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health and who are from an accredited edu-
cational facility in the mental health, human 
development, social work field to act as con-
sultation level providers of promotive, preven-
tive, and behavioral non-medical intervention 
services within child development centers for in-
fant and early childhood mental health. Such 
personnel may be authorized— 
(i) to develop and monitor promotion, 
prevention, and non-medical intervention 
plans for military children within child de-
velopment centers who are participating in 
the demonstration projects; 
(ii) to provide appropriate training in 
the provision of approved services to par-
ticipating children; 
(iii) to provide non-medical counseling 
services to children and their primary care-
givers outside of the child development 
center as required; 
(iv) to coordinate with other estab-
lished installation and community re-
sources to coordinate and collaborate re-
garding needed services, such as New Par-
ent Support Program, Behavioral Health, 
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Tricare mental health providers, Healthy-
Steps, and early behavioral intervention 
services; and 
(v) to be endorsed, or work toward be-
coming endorsed, by a recognized infant 
and early childhood mental health organi-
zation such as the Alliance for the Ad-
vancement of Infant Mental Health. 
(3) EVALUATIONS
OF
OUTCOMES.—The Sec-
retary of Defense may authorize an evaluation of 
outcomes from any demonstration project to deter-
mine the value of infant and early childhood mental 
health consultation within child development centers. 
(4) SERVICES
UNDER
CORPORATE
SERVICES 
PROVIDER MODEL.—In carrying out the demonstra-
tion projects, the Secretary of Defense may utilize a 
corporate services provider model. Employees of a 
provider under such a model shall include personnel 
who implement special educational and behavioral 
intervention plans for children of members of the 
Armed Forces that are developed, reviewed, and 
maintained by supervisory level providers approved 
by the Secretary. In authorizing such a model, the 
Secretary shall establish— 
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(A) minimum education, training, and ex-
perience criteria required to be met by employ-
ees who provide services to children; 
(B) requirements for IECMH consultation 
personnel and supervision, including require-
ments for infant and early childhood mental 
health credentials and for the frequency and in-
tensity of supervision; and 
(C) such other requirements as the Sec-
retary considers appropriate to ensure the safe-
ty and protection of children who receive serv-
ices from such employees under the demonstra-
tion projects. 
(5) PERIOD.—If the Secretary of Defense de-
termines to conduct demonstration projects under 
this subsection, the Secretary shall commence such 
demonstration projects not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. The dem-
onstration projects shall be conducted for not less 
than 2 years. 
(6) EVALUATION.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall conduct an evaluation of each demonstration 
project conducted under this section. The evaluation 
shall include the following: 
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(A) An assessment of the extent to which 
the activities under the demonstration project 
contributed to positive outcomes for children of 
members of the Armed Forces. 
(B) An assessment of the extent to which 
the activities under the demonstration project 
led to improvements in services and continuity 
of care for such children. 
(C) An assessment of the extent to which 
the activities under the demonstration project 
improved military family readiness and en-
hanced military retention. 
(d) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER BENEFITS.—Nothing 
in this section precludes the eligibility of members of the 
Armed Forces and their dependents for extended benefits 
under section 1079 of title 10, United States Code. 
(e) REPORTS ON DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.—Not 
later than 30 months after the commencement of any 
demonstration project under subsection (e), the Secretary 
of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Serv-
ices of the Senate and the House of Representatives a re-
port on the demonstration project. The report shall in-
clude a description of the project, the results of the evalua-
tion under subsection (e)(5) with respect to the project, 
and a description of plans for the further provision of serv-
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ices for children of members of the Armed Forces under 
the project. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CHILD.—The term ‘‘child’’ has the meaning 
given that term in section 1072 of title 10, United 
States Code. 
(2) COVERED EDUCATIONAL AND TREATMENT 
SERVICES.—The term ‘‘covered educational and 
treatment services’’ means provision of quality early 
childhood education that promotes healthy social and 
emotional development and provides supports for 
children experiencing mental health challenges and 
supportive services that include assessment, coaching 
for educators and parents, and when warranted, re-
ferral to appropriately licensed and specialized infant 
and early childhood mental health services for diag-
nosis, therapeutic treatment, and early intervention. 
(3) COVERED
MILITARY
INSTALLATION.—The 
term ‘‘covered military installation’’ means a mili-
tary installation at which at least 1,000 members of 
the Armed Forces are assigned who are eligible for 
an assignment accompanied by dependents. 
(4) INFANT AND EARLY CHILDHOOD MENTAL 
HEALTH.—The term ‘‘Infant and Early Childhood 
Mental Health’’ (IECMH) means the developing ca-
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pacity of the child, birth to age 5, to form close and 
secure adult and peer relationships, to experience, 
manage, and express a full range of emotions, and 
to explore the environment and learn, all in the con-
text of family, community, and culture. 
(5) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 
‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 8013(9) of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7713(9)), except that the term includes publicly fi-
nanced schools in communities, Department of De-
fense domestic dependent elementary and secondary 
schools, and schools of the defense dependents’ edu-
cation system. 
Æ 
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