HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 1

Rep. Wozniak offered the following concurrent resolution:

A concurrent resolution to urge the Governor of Michigan to issue an executive directive that would require administrating agencies to assess if the implementation of their programs reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and provide an annual report and data to the Legislature and general public about progress in reducing ACEs in Michigan.

Whereas, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events occurring before age 18. ACEs are widely recognized as dominant factors in the current and future well-being of children due to their harmful effects. ACEs can include physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; physical and emotional neglect; and various other events leading to instability within the household; and

Whereas, The relationship between ACEs and future health issues and conditions has an evidence-based foundation starting with the groundbreaking ACE study conducted collaboratively between the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente in the 1990s. This study found a correlation between the number of ACEs and an individual?s risk for negative health and well-being outcomes. The growing body of evidence on the science of human development incorporates research findings on ACEs and the long-term neurobiological, biomedical, and epigenetic consequences of toxic stress; and

Whereas, In 2019, a state survey estimated that 4.4 million Michigan adults, 68 percent of the adult population, had at least one ACE during their childhood. As many as 20 percent of all Michigan adults had four or more ACEs. Those who had a greater number of ACEs were more likely to experience and be diagnosed with chronic diseases, such as depression. Forty-one percent of Michigan adults with four or more ACEs reported being diagnosed with depression and all Michigan adults with one or more ACEs reported higher health risks than those with no ACEs; and

Whereas, ACEs are strongly associated with long-term mental health outcomes, including increased risk for depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and suicidal ideation. The impact of ACEs on brain development and emotional regulation can persist into adulthood, straining mental health systems and communities alike; and

Whereas, The relationship between ACEs and the current prevalence of chronic disease, addictive behaviors, and related conditions must be recognized as a public health crisis. Nationwide, these conditions and illnesses cost billions of dollars in resources and reduce lifetime expectancy. Negative health outcomes resulting from childhood trauma have the potential to be stopped for future generations if preventative actions are taken now; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That we urge the Governor of Michigan to issue an executive directive that would require administrating agencies to assess if the implementation of their programs reduce ACEs and provide an annual report and data to the Legislature and general public about progress in reducing ACEs in Michigan; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the state of Michigan and the Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.