National ACERT Grant Program Authorization Act

Key Points

• This bill creates a new grant program to help local communities set up teams that respond when children are exposed to trauma. These teams bring together police, mental health experts, and community groups to help kids who witness violence or other scary events.
• The program would provide $10 million every year from 2026 through 2029. This money would go to state and local governments, tribal groups, and neighborhood organizations to build better ways to help children in crisis.
• Communities can use the funds to train emergency workers in how to handle childhood trauma and to create better referral systems. This ensures that when a child is in a bad situation, they are quickly connected to doctors or counselors who can help them recover.
• By coordinating law enforcement and social services, the policy aims to break the cycle of trauma. It helps different agencies work together so that children do not get lost in the system after a traumatic event happens in their home or neighborhood.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.