119-hres759

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 759 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 759

Expressing support for the recognition of September 2025 as ``National 
 Children?s Emotional Wellness Month'' and for increased public 
 awareness regarding children?s emotional health and wellness.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 September 23, 2025

 Mrs. Kim (for herself, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Mr. Correa) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy 
 and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

Expressing support for the recognition of September 2025 as ``National 
 Children?s Emotional Wellness Month'' and for increased public 
 awareness regarding children?s emotional health and wellness.

Whereas National Children's Emotional Wellness Month brings attention to 
 childhood and adolescence as key stages for good emotional and mental 
 health development;
Whereas, during the month of September, people and organizations come together 
 to recognize the importance of children's emotional well-being to thrive 
 in the home, classroom, and society;
Whereas emotional wellness is the ability to manage and express emotions 
 effectively during stressful situations and adapt to changing and 
 difficult circumstances;
Whereas emotional wellness impacts every step of a child's development and is 
 closely linked with mental, physical, and behavioral health;
Whereas 140,000 children experienced a death of a caregiver during the COVID-19 
 pandemic, severely impacting their emotional well-being, according to 
 the American Academy of Pediatrics, and many children also faced 
 academic disruption and social isolation, had a parent lose their job, 
 or suffered physical or emotional abuse at home;
Whereas, from March to October 2020, mental health emergency visits rose by 24 
 percent among children ages 5 to 11 and 31 percent among children ages 
 12 to 17;
Whereas children who use social media for more than 3 hours a day face double 
 the risk of depression and anxiety, according to the Department of 
 Health and Human Services;
Whereas, according to the National Institutes of Health, 53 percent of youth own 
 a smartphone by age 11 and more than 95 percent of adolescents between 
 the ages of 13 and 17 have access to a cell phone, and youth who receive 
 a smartphone before age 13 face an elevated risk of adverse mental 
 health outcomes stemming from factors such as exposure to social media, 
 disrupted sleep, cyberbullying, and weakened family relationships;
Whereas 1 in 5 children in the United States, ranging from ages 3 through 17, 
 suffers from an emotional, mental, or behavioral disorder, according to 
 a 2022 National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine 
 report;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that only 20 
 percent of children with an emotional, mental, or behavioral disorder 
 receive specialized care and the treatment that they need;
Whereas the second-leading cause of death among United States children and young 
 adults is suicide, and approximately 2,000,000 children attempt suicide 
 annually;
Whereas a child's mental health is directly impacted by parental mental health, 
 and parents who experience perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are more 
 likely to have children who experience emotional problems at 2 years 
 postpartum;
Whereas the children's mental health workforce is vital to the emotional well-
 being of millions of adolescents, and it would be appropriate to 
 celebrate the pediatricians, therapists, and mental health care 
 providers for their invaluable service;
Whereas local nonprofit organizations such as the Extraordinary Lives Foundation 
 offer a unique approach to awareness, prevention, and early intervention 
 and support the mental and emotional health needs of children through 
 classroom toolkits, therapeutic resources, and educational opportunities 
 for families; and
Whereas spreading awareness during the month of September is crucial to increase 
 access to social-emotional and mental health support and reduce barriers 
 to access, including complicated and burdensome systems, limited supply 
 of qualified mental health providers, and stigma that prevents families 
 from seeking services: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

    (1) expresses support for the recognition of ``National 
 Children's Emotional Wellness Month'' and encourages increased 
 public awareness and support for children's emotional health 
 and wellness;

    (2) expresses concern regarding rising rates of suicide, 
 depression, and anxiety among American children;

    (3) thanks America's pediatric and mental health workforce 
 and nonprofit organizations for improving children's emotional 
 well-being and providing services to address the needs of 
 children and their families; and

    (4) supports maternal and paternal mental health care as an 
 effective means of promoting a child's emotional and mental 
 health.
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