SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Adverse 
Childhood Experiences Act’’ or the ‘‘PACE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PROGRAMS TO PREVENT ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EX-
PERIENCES AND PROMOTE POSITIVE CHILD-
HOOD EXPERIENCES. 
Part J of title III of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 280b et seq.) is amended by inserting after 
section 393D the following: 
‘‘SEC. 393E. PROGRAMS TO PREVENT ADVERSE CHILDHOOD 
EXPERIENCES 
AND 
PROMOTE 
POSITIVE 
CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES. 
‘‘(a) GRANT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, shall award grants or coop-
erative agreements to States, territories, Indian 
Tribes and Tribal organizations, and local govern-
mental entities for purposes of carrying out pro-
grams to prevent adverse childhood experiences and 
promoting positive childhood experiences. 
‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—Recipients of an award 
under this subsection shall use such award to carry 
out any of the following activities: 
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‘‘(A) Prevention of adverse childhood expe-
riences and promotion of positive childhood ex-
periences through— 
‘‘(i) data-driven, comprehensive, evi-
dence-based adverse childhood experience 
prevention strategies and approaches; and 
‘‘(ii) activities that leverage multi-sec-
tor partnerships and resources to coordi-
nate and implement prevention activities. 
‘‘(B) Activities to improve quality and con-
sistency of data collection and analysis regard-
ing the prevention of adverse childhood experi-
ences and the promotion of positive childhood 
experiences, and use of such data to inform the 
implementation of prevention strategies, which 
may include— 
‘‘(i) evaluating data to continuously 
identify— 
‘‘(I) specific types of adverse 
childhood experiences with high bur-
den; 
‘‘(II) specific types of positive 
childhood experiences with low preva-
lence; and 
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‘‘(III) geographically and demo-
graphically specific subpopulations of 
interest in the State, territory, local-
ity, or land of the Tribe that have a 
disproportionate burden of adverse 
childhood experiences that contribute 
to health inequities; 
‘‘(ii) using data to inform strategic se-
lection or adjustment of prevention strate-
gies or prevention strategy implementation 
efforts for populations with dispropor-
tionate burden; 
‘‘(iii) conducting or updating capacity 
assessments for adverse childhood experi-
ences and promotion of positive childhood 
experiences data collection, analysis, and 
readiness to implement jurisdiction-wide 
adverse childhood experiences prevention 
plans and program improvement activities; 
and 
‘‘(iv) 
promoting 
collaborations 
to 
focus on the complex and changing nature 
of the overdose and mental health crises 
and their reciprocal impact on the preva-
lence of adverse childhood experiences as 
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urgent, related, and preventable public 
health challenges that require an inter-
disciplinary, comprehensive, and cohesive 
public health approach that addresses such 
interrelated risks both as adverse childhood 
experiences and contributors to future 
health risk behaviors. 
‘‘(3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 
may provide training and technical assistance to re-
cipients of awards under this subsection. 
‘‘(4) PROGRAM EVALUATION.—Not later than 2 
years after making the first awards under this sub-
section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
report to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives on the performance of programs 
conducted by recipients of awards under this sub-
section. 
‘‘(5) CONSIDERATIONS.—In making awards 
under subsection (a), the Secretary may give priority 
to— 
‘‘(A) Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations; 
or 
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‘‘(B) entities with previous programmatic 
experience in preventing adverse childhood ex-
periences or promoting positive childhood expe-
riences. 
‘‘(b) STUDIES, EVALUATIONS, AND RESEARCH.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, shall conduct studies, eval-
uations, and research to— 
‘‘(A) address adverse childhood experi-
ences, including consideration of the impact of 
historical trauma in communities disproportion-
ately impacted, as identified by the Secretary, 
such as American Indians and Alaska Natives 
and the intersections between historical trauma 
and adverse childhood experiences; and 
‘‘(B) promote positive childhood experi-
ences. 
‘‘(2) CONTENT.—The studies, evaluations, and 
research under this subsection shall— 
‘‘(A) include diverse, nationally representa-
tive samples of participants; 
‘‘(B) include at least one longitudinal 
study; and 
‘‘(C) examine factors including— 
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‘‘(i) the strength of the relationship 
between individual, specific adverse child-
hood experiences and negative health out-
comes; 
‘‘(ii) the intensity and frequency of 
adverse childhood experiences; 
‘‘(iii) the relative strength of par-
ticular risk and protective factors; and 
‘‘(iv) the effect of social, economic, 
and other community conditions, including 
historical trauma, on health and well- 
being. 
‘‘(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ADVERSE
CHILDHOOD
EXPERIENCES.— 
The term ‘adverse childhood experiences’ means pre-
ventable, potentially traumatic events that occur in 
childhood, and include— 
‘‘(A) experiencing violence, abuse, or ne-
glect; 
‘‘(B) witnessing violence in the home or 
community; 
‘‘(C) having a family member attempt or 
die by suicide; and 
‘‘(D) aspects of a child’s environment that 
can undermine their sense of safety, stability, 
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and bonding, such as growing up in a household 
where a parent or caregiver struggles with sub-
stance use, mental health challenges, or insta-
bility due to parental separation or household 
members being in jail or prison. 
‘‘(2) CHILD; CHILDHOOD.—The term ‘child’ or 
‘childhood’ means an individual under the age of 18, 
or the period of time in one’s life prior to reaching 
the age of 18. 
‘‘(3) HISTORICAL TRAUMA.—The term ‘histor-
ical 
trauma’ 
means 
the 
cumulative, 
transgenerational, collective experience of emotional 
and psychological injury in communities. 
‘‘(4) INDIAN
TRIBE
AND
TRIBAL
ORGANIZA-
TION.—The terms ‘Indian Tribe’ and ‘Tribal organi-
zation’ have the meanings given such terms in sec-
tion 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu-
cation Assistance Act. 
‘‘(5) POSITIVE
CHILDHOOD
EXPERIENCES.— 
The term ‘positive childhood experiences’ means ex-
periences in a child’s home or community and can 
create or enhance safe, stable, nurturing relation-
ships and environments, and include positive inter-
personal experiences with family and friends, and 
early care settings, schools, and community such as 
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positive parenting and discipline methods, men-
toring, and trauma-informed care approaches.’’. 
Æ 
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