Sponsored by:
Senator GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
Senator RENEE C. BURGESS
District 28 (Essex and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Urges Congress to pass federal Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Senate Resolution urging Congress to pass the federal Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act.
Whereas, The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income country, and New Jersey is ranked fourth among states with the worst maternal mortality rates; and
Whereas, Each year approximately 60,000 women across the United States experience severe maternal morbidity, which involves serious unexpected labor and delivery complications with short and long-term health consequences; and
Whereas, The maternal mortality and morbidity crisis facing the United States is marked by persistent racial disparities stemming from inequitable access to quality health care, underlying health conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias in maternal health care; and
Whereas, Black women have the highest maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the United States, and are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women; and
Whereas, The Covid-19 pandemic, which saw an 89 percent increase in maternal mortality from 2018 and 2021, further underscored the ongoing maternal health crisis and racial disparities in the United States; and
Whereas, While maternal mortality rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels, the racial disparities remain, with 51.1 deaths per 100,000 live births reported for Black, non-Hispanic mothers compared to 14.7 deaths per 100,000 live births reported for white, non-Hispanic mothers in 2023; and
Whereas, The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that over 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths from 2017 to 2019 were preventable; and
Whereas, According to the CDC, the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths were mental health conditions, including death by suicide, overdose or poisoning related to substance use, and substance use disorders, followed by hemorrhage, cardiac and coronary conditions, and infection; and
Whereas, Due to the multidimensional causes of maternal morbidity and mortality, effective prevention not only requires access to quality obstetric services, but also services that address womens complex health and social needs before, during, and after pregnancy; and
Whereas, On May 15, 2023, members of Congress reintroduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, (Momnibus) a legislative package comprised of 13 bills, which present a holistic approach to addressing the leading causes of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities in the United States; and
Whereas, The Momnibus appropriates over $1 billion to invest in improving maternal health care from the bottom up by addressing social determinants of health that impact maternal health outcomes, such as housing, transportation, and nutrition; growing and diversifying the perinatal workforce; supporting mothers with mental health conditions or substance use disorders; and extending eligibility for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program during the postpartum and breastfeeding periods; and
Whereas, The Momnibus funding would also address current information gaps by improving data collection processes and quality measures to better understand the causes of maternal mortality and effective ways to improve maternal health care, and promote access to maternal health care by investing in digital tools, such as telehealth, to reach underserved populations; and
Whereas, In addition, the Momnibus would increase funding for programs providing maternal health care to veterans; fund community-based initiatives to reduce mothers and infants exposure to risks related to climate change; support incarcerated mothers; promote maternal vaccinations; and invest in federal programs to improve maternal and infant health care during public health emergencies; and
Whereas, The Momnibus is an important step towards increasing access to high quality, culturally congruent maternal health care, promoting health equity, and saving the lives of mothers in New Jersey and across the United States; and
Whereas, This House recognizes the critical need for comprehensive legislation that addresses the major contributing factors of the maternal health crisis in the United States, and urges Congress to pass the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House urges Congress to pass the federal Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate, and every member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges Congress to pass the federal Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rates of any high-income country, and New Jersey is ranked fourth among states with the worst maternal mortality rates. The maternal health care crisis is even more dire among Black women, who have the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States, and are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. As the Center for Disease Control reported that over 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, more can and must be done to improve maternal health care in the United States.
On May 15, 2023, members of Congress re-introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, (Momnibus) a legislative package consisting of 13 bills aimed at addressing the causes of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities in the United States. The Momnibus appropriates over $1 billion to invest in social health determinants affecting maternal health outcomes, diversify and expand the perinatal workforce, fund community-based initiatives, improve data collection and measures to inform understanding of the causes of and how to prevent pregnancy-related deaths, and promote and increase access to high-quality maternity care for all pregnant and postpartum women, including underserved and vulnerable populations.
The House urges Congress to pass the federal Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, which is a critically needed step towards addressing the maternal health care crisis, promoting health equity, and saving the lives of mothers in New Jersey and across the United States.