[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5283 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5283
To end preventable maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and
maternal health disparities in the United States, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 6, 2026
Mr. Booker (for himself, Mr. Sanders, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Blunt Rochester,
Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Merkley, Mr.
Kaine, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Heinrich, Mr.
Schatz, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Baldwin, Mr.
Welch, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Klobuchar, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Schiff,
Ms. Slotkin, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Kim, Ms. Smith, Mr. Markey, and Mr.
Peters) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To end preventable maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and
maternal health disparities in the United States, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Momnibus Act''.
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. Sense of Congress.
TITLE I--SOCIAL DETERMINANTS FOR MOMS
Sec. 101. Task force to address the United States maternal health
crisis.
Sec. 102. Sustained funding to address social determinants of maternal
health.
TITLE II--EXTENDING WIC FOR NEW MOMS
Sec. 201. Extending WIC eligibility for new moms.
TITLE III--HONORING KIRA JOHNSON
Sec. 301. Sustained funding for community-based organizations to
advance maternal health equity.
Sec. 302. Respectful maternity care training for all employees in
maternity care settings.
Sec. 303. Study on reducing and preventing bias, racism, and
discrimination in maternity care settings.
Sec. 304. Respectful maternity care compliance program.
Sec. 305. GAO report.
TITLE IV--MATERNAL HEALTH FOR VETERANS
Sec. 401. Support for maternity health care and coordination programs
of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
TITLE V--PERINATAL WORKFORCE
Sec. 501. HHS agency directives.
Sec. 502. Grants to grow and diversify the perinatal workforce.
Sec. 503. Grants to grow and diversify the nursing workforce in
maternal and perinatal health.
Sec. 504. GAO report.
TITLE VI--DATA TO SAVE MOMS
Sec. 601. Funding for maternal mortality review committees to promote
representative community engagement.
Sec. 602. Data collection and review.
Sec. 603. Review of maternal health data collection processes and
quality measures.
Sec. 604. Study on maternal health among American Indian and Alaska
Native individuals.
Sec. 605. Grants to minority-serving institutions to study maternal
mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and
other adverse maternal health outcomes.
TITLE VII--MOMS MATTER
Sec. 701. Maternal mental health equity grant program.
Sec. 702. Grants to grow and diversify the maternal mental and
behavioral health care workforce.
TITLE VIII--JUSTICE FOR INCARCERATED MOMS
Sec. 801. Ending the shackling of pregnant individuals.
Sec. 802. Creating model programs for the care of incarcerated
individuals in the prenatal and postpartum
periods.
Sec. 803. Grant program to improve maternal health outcomes for
individuals in State and local prisons and
jails.
Sec. 804. GAO report.
TITLE IX--TECH TO SAVE MOMS
Sec. 901. Integrated telehealth models in maternity care services.
Sec. 902. Grants to expand the use of technology-enabled collaborative
learning and capacity models for pregnant
and postpartum individuals.
Sec. 903. Grants to promote equity in maternal health outcomes through
digital tools.
Sec. 904. Report on the use of technology in maternity care.
TITLE X--IMPACT TO SAVE MOMS
Sec. 1001. Perinatal Care Alternative Payment Model Demonstration
Project.
TITLE XI--MATERNAL HEALTH PANDEMIC RESPONSE
Sec. 1101. Definitions.
Sec. 1102. Funding for data collection, surveillance, and research on
maternal health outcomes during public
health emergencies.
Sec. 1103. Public health emergency maternal health data collection and
disclosure.
Sec. 1104. Public health communication regarding maternal care during
public health emergencies.
Sec. 1105. Task force on birthing experience and safe, respectful,
responsive, and empowering maternity care
during public health emergencies.
TITLE XII--PROTECTING MOMS AND BABIES AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
Sec. 1201. Definitions.
Sec. 1202. Grant program to protect vulnerable mothers and babies from
climate change risks.
Sec. 1203. Grant program for education and training at health
profession schools.
Sec. 1204. NIH Consortium on Birth and Climate Change Research.
Sec. 1205. Strategy for identifying climate change risk zones for
vulnerable mothers and babies.
TITLE XIII--NIH IMPROVE
Sec. 1301. IMPROVE Initiative.
TITLE XIV--MATERNAL VACCINATIONS
Sec. 1401. Maternal vaccination awareness and equity campaign.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Culturally and linguistically congruent.--The term
``culturally and linguistically congruent'', with respect to
care or maternity care, means care that is in agreement with
the preferred cultural values, beliefs, worldview, language,
and practices of the health care consumer and other
stakeholders.
(2) Maternal mortality.--The term ``maternal mortality''
means a death occurring during or within a 1-year period after
pregnancy, caused by pregnancy-related or childbirth
complications, including a suicide, overdose, or other death
resulting from a mental health or substance use disorder
attributed to or aggravated by pregnancy-related or childbirth
complications.
(3) Maternity care provider.--The term ``maternity care
provider'' means a health care provider who--
(A) is a physician, a physician assistant, a
midwife who meets, at a minimum, the international
definition of a midwife and global standards for
midwifery education as established by the International
Confederation of Midwives, an advanced practice
registered nurse, a doula accredited by a State to
receive reimbursement for doula services under a State
plan (or a waiver of such plan) under title XIX of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), or a
lactation consultant certified by the International
Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners; and
(B) has a focus on maternal or perinatal health.
(4) Perinatal health worker.--The term ``perinatal health
worker'' means a nonclinical health worker focused on maternal
or perinatal health, such as a doula, community health worker,
peer supporter, lactation educator or counselor, nutritionist
or dietitian, childbirth educator, social worker, home visitor,
patient navigator or coordinator, or language interpreter.
(5) Postpartum and postpartum period.--The terms
``postpartum'' and ``postpartum period'' refer to the 1-year
period beginning on the last day of the pregnancy of an
individual.
(6) Pregnancy-associated death.--The term ``pregnancy-
associated death'' means a death of a pregnant or postpartum
individual, by any cause, that occurs during, or within 1 year
following, the individual's pregnancy, regardless of the
outcome, duration, or site of the pregnancy.
(7) Pregnancy-related death.--The term ``pregnancy-related
death'' means a death of a pregnant or postpartum individual
that occurs during, or within 1 year following, the
individual's pregnancy, from a pregnancy complication, a chain
of events initiated by pregnancy, or the aggravation of an
unrelated condition by the physiologic effects of pregnancy.
(8) Public health emergency.--The term ``public health
emergency'' means a public health emergency declared under
section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d).
(9) Racial and ethnic minority group.--The term ``racial
and ethnic minority group'' has the meaning given such term in
section 1707(g)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
300u-6(g)(1)).
(10) Severe maternal morbidity.--The term ``severe maternal
morbidity'' means a health condition, including mental health
conditions and substance use disorders, attributed to or
aggravated by pregnancy or childbirth that results in
significant short-term or long-term consequences to the health
of the individual who was pregnant.
(11) Social determinants of maternal health.--The term
``social determinants of maternal health'' means nonclinical
factors that impact maternal health outcomes.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the respect and proper care that birthing people
deserve is inclusive; and
(2) regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual
orientation, religion, marital status, primary language,
familial status, socioeconomic status, immigration status,
incarceration status, or disability, all deserve dignity.
TITLE I--SOCIAL DETERMINANTS FOR MOMS
SEC. 101. TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS THE UNITED STATES MATERNAL HEALTH
CRISIS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
convene a task force (in this section referred to as the ``Task
Force'') to develop strategies and coordinate efforts between Federal
agencies and other stakeholders to eliminate preventable maternal
mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and maternal health disparities
in the United States, including actions to address clinical and
nonclinical causes of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity,
and maternal health disparities.
(b) Ex Officio Members.--The ex officio members of the Task Force
shall consist of the following:
(1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services (or a
designee thereof).
(2) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (or a
designee thereof).
(3) The Secretary of Transportation (or a designee
thereof).
(4) The Secretary of Agriculture (or a designee thereof).
(5) The Secretary of Labor (or a designee thereof).
(6) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency (or a designee thereof).
(7) The Assistant Secretary for the Administration for
Children and Families (or a designee thereof).
(8) The Administrator of the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (or a designee thereof).
(9) The Director of the Indian Health Service (or a
designee thereof).
(10) The Director of the National Institutes of Health (or
a designee thereof).
(11) The Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National
Institute of Child Health and Human Development (or a designee
thereof).
(12) The Director of the Tribal Health Research Office of
the National Institutes of Health (or a designee thereof).
(13) The Administrator of the Health Resources and Services
Administration (or a designee thereof).
(14) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health of
the Department of Health and Human Services (or a designee
thereof).
(15) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health of
the Department of Health and Human Services (or a designee
thereof).
(16) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (or a designee thereof).
(17) The Director of the Office on Violence Against Women
at the Department of Justice (or a designee thereof).
(c) Appointed Members.--In addition to the ex officio members of
the Task Force, the Secretary of Health and Human Services may appoint
the following members of the Task Force:
(1) Representatives of patients, to include--
(A) a representative of patients who have suffered
from severe maternal morbidity; or
(B) a representative of patients who is a family
member of an individual who suffered a pregnancy-
related death.
(2) Leaders of community-based organizations that address
maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and maternal
health with a specific focus on racial and ethnic disparities.
In appointing such leaders under this paragraph, the Secretary
of Health and Human Services shall give priority to individuals
who are leaders of organizations led by individuals from
demographic groups with elevated rates of maternal mortality,
severe maternal morbidity, maternal health disparities, or
other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes.
(3) Leaders from the Indian health care system, including
leaders from Tribal Epidemiology Centers.
(4) Perinatal health workers.
(5) A professionally and geographically diverse panel of
maternity care providers.
(6) Other maternal health stakeholders outside of the
Federal Government with expertise in maternal health, including
social determinants of maternal health.
(d) Chair.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall select
the chair of the Task Force from among the members of the Task Force.
(e) Topics.--In developing strategies coordinating efforts between
Federal agencies and other stakeholders to eliminate preventable
maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and maternal health
disparities in the United States under this section, the Task Force may
address topics such as--
(1) addressing barriers that prevent individuals from
attending prenatal and postpartum appointments, accessing
maternal health care services, or accessing services and
resources related to social determinants of maternal health;
(2) increasing access to safe, stable, affordable, and
adequate housing for pregnant and postpartum individuals and
their families;
(3) delivering healthy food, infant formula, clean water,
diapers, or other perinatal necessities to pregnant and
postpartum individuals located in areas that are food deserts;
(4) addressing the impacts of water and air quality,
exposure to extreme temperatures, environmental chemicals,
environmental risks in the workplace and the home, and
pollution levels, on maternal and infant health outcomes;
(5) offering free and accessible drop-in childcare services
during prenatal and postpartum appointments;
(6) addressing the clinical and nonclinical needs of
postpartum individuals and their families for the duration of
the postpartum period;
(7) engaging with nongovernmental entities to address
social determinants of maternal health, including through
public-private partnerships;
(8) addressing the impact of domestic or intimate partner
violence on maternal health outcomes; and
(9) other topics determined by the chair of the Task Force.
(f) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, and every year thereafter, the Task Force shall submit to
Congress and make publicly available on the website of the Department
of Health and Human Services a report--
(1) describing the Task Force's efforts to develop
strategies and coordinate efforts between Federal agencies and
other stakeholders to eliminate preventable maternal mortality,
severe maternal morbidity, and maternal health disparities in
the United States;
(2) providing an overview of actions taken by each member
of the Task Force listed under subsection (b) to eliminate
preventable maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and
maternal health disparities in the United States;
(3) providing recommendations on Federal funding amounts
and authorities needed to implement strategies developed by the
Task Force to eliminate preventable maternal mortality, severe
maternal morbidity, and maternal health disparities in the
United States;
(4) providing recommendations on actions that stakeholders
outside of the Federal Government can take to eliminate
preventable maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and
maternal health disparities in the United States; and
(5) addressing other topics as determined by the chair of
the Task Force.
(g) Termination.--Section 1013 of title 5, United States Code,
shall not apply to the Task Force with respect to termination.
SEC. 102. SUSTAINED FUNDING TO ADDRESS SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF MATERNAL
HEALTH.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in
this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall award grants to
eligible entities to address social determinants of maternal health to
eliminate maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and maternal
health disparities.
(b) Eligible Entities.--In this section, the term ``eligible
entity'' means--
(1) a community-based organization, Indian Tribe or Tribal
organization, or Urban Indian organization;
(2) a public health department or nonprofit organization
working with an entity listed in paragraph (1); or
(3) a consortium of entities listed in paragraph (1) or (2)