This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary to create a Task Force to develop strategies and coordinate federal and other efforts to eliminate preventable maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and maternal health disparities. The Task Force includes ex officio members from many Federal agencies (for example HHS, HUD, Transportation, Agriculture, Labor, EPA, CDC, NIH, CMS, IHS, HRSA, and the Department of Justice office on violence against women). The Secretary may also appoint patient representatives, community-based leaders, Tribal health leaders, perinatal workers, maternity care providers, and other maternal health stakeholders. The Task Force may address clinical and nonclinical causes and may work on topics such as barriers to prenatal and postpartum care; housing; food and perinatal supplies; water, air, and environmental risks; childcare during appointments; postpartum needs; public-private partnerships; and intimate partner violence. The Task Force must submit a report to Congress and post it online not later than 2 years after enactment and annually after that. The bill states that section 1013 of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to the Task Force with respect to termination.
The bill would create a federal group to coordinate actions that affect pregnant and postpartum people, especially in areas with high maternal death or morbidity and high poverty. It would fund community-based groups, Tribal organizations, Urban Indian organizations, public health departments, and nonprofits to address nonclinical factors that affect maternal outcomes. Grant activities can include housing support, transportation, nutrition, workplace conditions, environmental improvements, help with intimate partner violence, and other nonclinical services. Grant recipients must report annually on activities and results, with data broken down by race, ethnicity, gender, primary language, geography, and socioeconomic status. HHS must also report to Congress by the end of fiscal year 2031 summarizing grantee reports and recommending future funding.
The bill authorizes $100,000,000 to be appropriated for each fiscal year 2027 through 2031 to carry out the grant program. No publicly available information on additional estimated costs for the Task Force's operations or other federal expenses is provided in the bill text.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.