PRINTER'S NO. 820

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

No.

72

Session of

2021

INTRODUCED BY STURLA, SANCHEZ, HILL-EVANS, MADDEN, SCHLOSSBERG,

FREEMAN, PASHINSKI, SCHWEYER, NEILSON, CIRESI AND KINKEAD,

MARCH 8, 2021

WHEREAS, Research over the last two decades in the evolving

fields of neuroscience, molecular biology, public health,

genomics and epigenetics reveals that experiences in the first

few years of life build changes into the biology of the human

body that, in turn, influence an individual's physical and

mental health over his or her lifetime; and

WHEREAS, Adverse childhood experiences can have a profound

effect on a child's developing brain and body and can result in

poor health during the individual's adulthood; and

WHEREAS, An adverse childhood experience may include any of

household members;

and

WHEREAS, The original Adverse Childhood Experiences Study

from 1998, which surveyed approximately 17,000 individuals,

found that two-thirds of participants had at least one adverse

childhood experience and one in six participants had four or

more adverse childhood experiences; and

WHEREAS, The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study also found a

strong correlation between the number of adverse childhood

experiences and an individual's risk for disease and negative

WHEREAS, Researchers found that an individual with four or

more adverse childhood experiences was 12.2 times more likely

to attempt suicide, 10.3 times more likely to use injection

drugs and 7.4 times more likely to be an alcoholic; and

WHEREAS, The life expectancy of an individual with six or

more adverse childhood experiences is 20 years shorter than an

individual with no adverse childhood experiences; and

WHEREAS, Adverse childhood experiences literally shape the

physical architecture of a child's developing brain and

establish a fragile foundation for learning, health and behavior

architecture and stress response systems; and

WHEREAS, Early childhood offers a unique window of

opportunity to prevent and heal the impacts of adverse

childhood experiences and toxic stress on a child's brain and

body; and

WHEREAS, A child's brain continues to develop through

adolescence and into young adulthood; and

WHEREAS, The emerging science and research on toxic stress

and adverse childhood experiences evidence a growing public

health crisis for this Commonwealth's educational, juvenile

can diminish concentration, memory and organizational and

language abilities that a student needs to succeed in school;

and

WHEREAS, Traumatic experiences in childhood and adolescence

can negatively impact a student's academic performance and

classroom behavior and the ability of a student to form

relationships; and

WHEREAS, A child with four or more adverse childhood

experiences is 46 times more likely to have learning or

emotional problems; and

future contact with the criminal justice system; and

WHEREAS, A woman with three violent adverse childhood

experiences is 3.5 times more likely to become the victim of

intimate partner violence; and

WHEREAS, A man with three violent adverse childhood

experiences is 3.8 times more likely to perpetrate intimate

partner violence; and

WHEREAS, A critical factor in buffering a child from the

effects of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences is the

existence of supportive and stable relationships between the

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint

State Government Commission to conduct a comprehensive study to

find an age-appropriate measuring tool that could be used by the

500 school districts in this Commonwealth to measure adverse

childhood experiences and childhood trauma; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission analyze

how school systems in other states are measuring and tracking

trauma; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission conduct

a thorough and comprehensive study of existing school programs

Pennsylvania Youth Survey and analyze its impact as a potential

mechanism to measure and track trauma; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission, as part

of its study, establish an advisory committee consisting of all

of the following members:

of Intermediate Units.

of School Administrators.

of School Nurses and Practitioners.

American Academy of Pediatrics.

Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of

Colored People.

Boards Association.

Counselors Association.

Education Association.

of the Commonwealth or other entities that the Joint State

Government Commission deems appropriate in conducting the

study;

the Joint State Government Commission's findings, along with any

statutory or regulatory recommendations, to the General Assembly

within one year of the adoption of this resolution; and be it

further

RESOLVED, That, at a minimum, the report include all of the

following information:

measure trauma.

in school districts.