Mapping "Trauma-Informed" Legislative Proposals in U.S. Congress.

Despite calls for translation of trauma-informed practice into public policy, no empirical research has investigated how the construct has been integrated into policy proposals. This policy mapping study identified and analyzed every bill introduced in US Congress that mentioned "trauma-informed" between 1973 and 2015. Forty-nine bills and 71 bill sections mentioned the construct. The number of trauma-informed bills introduced annually increased dramatically, from 0 in 2010 to 28 in 2015. Trauma-informed bill sections targeted a range of sectors, but disproportionally focused on youth (73.2%). Only three bills defined "trauma-informed." Implications within the context of a changing political environment are discussed.