This bill creates a federal Task Force and a grant program to address nonclinical factors that affect pregnant and postpartum people. The Task Force, led by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, will include officials from many federal agencies and outside members such as patient representatives, community leaders, perinatal health workers, and maternity care providers. The Task Force will develop strategies to eliminate preventable maternal deaths, severe maternal health conditions, and disparities. It may study barriers to care, housing, food and formula access, water and air quality, workplace and home environmental risks, childcare during appointments, postpartum needs, intimate partner violence, and public-private partnerships. The Task Force must report to Congress and post reports online not later than 2 years after enactment and annually after that.
The bill also directs HHS to award grants to community-based organizations, Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations, Urban Indian organizations, public health departments, nonprofits working with those entities, or consortia that include them. Grants may fund work on housing, transportation, nutrition, employment and workplace conditions, environmental conditions, intimate partner violence, and other nonclinical factors. Grant applicants in areas with high maternal mortality or morbidity and high poverty get priority. Grantees must report within 1 year of receiving a grant and annually after, including data disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, language, geography, and socioeconomic status. HHS must provide technical assistance to help grantees sustain programs. The bill defines key terms such as maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternity care provider, perinatal health worker, and the postpartum period.
If enacted, the bill would set up a federal Task Force to coordinate government and outside groups on nonmedical causes of poor maternal outcomes. It would fund local groups, tribes, and nonprofits to address needs like housing, food, transportation, workplace conditions, environmental risks, childcare during visits, and support for people experiencing intimate partner violence. Organizations in high-need and high-poverty areas are prioritized. Grant recipients must report results and share data broken down by race, ethnicity, language, and other factors.
The bill authorizes $100,000,000 per year for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out the grant program. No publicly available information on other federal costs, including Task Force administrative costs or additional staffing, is included in the bill text.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.