[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3706 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3706

 To implement policies to end preventable maternal, newborn, and child 
                            deaths globally.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 7, 2015

   Mr. Reichert (for himself, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Lee, and Mr. McCaul) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To implement policies to end preventable maternal, newborn, and child 
                            deaths globally.

    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 ``Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to implement a strategic approach for 
providing foreign assistance in order to end preventable maternal, 
newborn, and child deaths globally within a generation.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
        Development.
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (3) Coordinator.--The term ``Coordinator'' means the Child 
        and Maternal Survival Coordinator established under section 6.
            (4) Target countries.--The term ``target countries'' means 
        specific countries that have the greatest need and highest 
        burden of maternal and child deaths, taking into consideration 
        countries that--
                    (A) have high-need communities in fragile states or 
                conflict-affected states;
                    (B) are low- or middle-income countries; or
                    (C) are located in regions with weak health 
                systems.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States, in partnership with target 
countries, other donor country governments, international financial 
institutions, nongovernmental organizations, international 
organizations, multilateral organizations, and the private sector to 
establish and implement a coordinated, integrated, and comprehensive 
strategy to combat the leading causes of maternal, newborn, and child 
mortality globally and ensure healthy lives by--
            (1) scaling up the most effective, evidence-based 
        interventions, including for the most vulnerable populations, 
        with a focus on country ownership;
            (2) designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating 
        programs in a way that enhances transparency and 
        accountability, increases the sustainability, and improves 
        outcomes in target countries;
            (3) supporting the development and scale up of innovative 
        tools and approaches to accelerate progress toward ending 
        preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths; and
            (4) utilizing and expanding the use of innovative public-
        private financing mechanisms.

SEC. 5. STRATEGY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the President shall establish and implement a 
comprehensive five-year, whole-of-government strategy to achieve, with 
target countries and donors, the goal of ending preventable maternal, 
newborn, and child deaths globally and ensure healthy and productive 
lives within a generation.
    (b) Elements.--The strategy established under subsection (a) 
shall--
            (1) set outcome-based targets to achieve the goals of the 
        strategy and ascertain baseline data relevant for each target 
        country and for all areas of focus and programming as of the 
        date of the release of the strategy;
            (2) building on the evidence outlined in USAID's ``Acting 
        on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths'', 
        include specific objectives, programs, and approaches to 
        utilize highest impact evidence-based interventions to address 
        the leading causes of death among--
                    (A) women during pregnancy, childbirth, and post 
                delivery;
                    (B) newborns in their first 28 days; and
                    (C) children under the age of five, particularly 
                among the most vulnerable populations;
            (3) include development and scale up of new technologies 
        and approaches, including those supported by public-private 
        partnerships for research and innovation;
            (4) promote coordination and efficiency within and amongst 
        the relevant executive branch agencies and initiatives, 
        including the United States Agency for International 
        Development, the Department of State, the Department of Health 
        and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Millennium 
        Challenge Corporation, the Peace Corps, the Department of the 
        Treasury, the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, and the 
        President's Malaria Initiative;
            (5) project general levels of resources needed to achieve 
        the strategy's stated objectives;
            (6) identify strategies for leveraging resources in new and 
        innovative ways;
            (7) align with country-driven maternal, newborn, and child 
        health and survival plans and improve coordination with foreign 
        governments and international organizations; and
            (8) outline consultations with governments, international 
        financial institutions, nongovernmental organizations, local 
        and international civil society groups, multilateral 
        organizations, the private sector, and local health workers and 
        professional associations, as appropriate.

SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF CHILD AND MATERNAL SURVIVAL COORDINATOR.

    (a) In General.--The President, acting through the Administrator, 
shall designate a current USAID employee serving in a career or non-
career position in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a 
Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the 
Child and Maternal and Survival Coordinator, who shall be responsible 
for--
            (1) overseeing the strategy established under section 5; 
        and
            (2) all United States Government funds appropriated or used 
        for international maternal and child health and nutrition 
        programs.
    (b) Duties.--The Coordinator shall--
            (1) have the primary responsibility for the oversight and 
        coordination of all resources and international activities of 
        the United States Government appropriated or used for 
        international maternal and child health and nutrition programs;
            (2) direct the budget, planning, and staffing to implement 
        international maternal and child health and nutrition projects 
        and programs for the purpose of achieving reductions in 
        preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths;
            (3) lead implementation and revision, not less frequently 
        than once every 5 years, of the strategy established under 
        section 5(a);
            (4) coordinate with relevant executive branch agencies, 
        governments of partner countries, nongovernmental 
        organizations, local civil society organizations, and private 
        sector entities to carry out the strategy established under 
        section 5(a) and to align current and future instruments with 
        high-impact, evidence-based interventions to save lives;
            (5) provide direction to the design and oversight of 
        grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements with 
        nongovernmental organizations (including faith-based, 
        community-based, and civil society organizations) and private 
        sector entities for the purpose of carrying out the strategy 
        established under section 5(a); and
            (6) report directly to the Administrator regarding 
        implementation of the strategy established under section 5(a).
    (c) Restriction on Additional or Supplemental Compensation.--The 
Coordinator shall receive no additional or supplemental compensation as 
a result of carrying out responsibilities and duties under this Act.

SEC. 7. AUTHORITY TO ASSIST IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGY.

    (a) In General.--The President shall provide assistance to 
implement the strategy established under section 5(a).
    (b) Focus on Impact.--
            (1) Targets for increased implementation required.--USAID 
        grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements for the purposes 
        of the strategy established under section 5(a) shall be 
        required to include targets for increased implementation of 
        high-impact, evidence-based interventions and strengthening 
        health systems, as appropriate, including the establishment of 
        baseline measurements from which to quantify progress.
            (2) Exception.--In exceptional circumstances where USAID 
        deems that inclusion of coverage targets or baseline measures 
        are not reasonable or practicable for the grant, contract, or 
        cooperative agreement, the funding mechanism shall include an 
        explanation of the omission and explicitly how measurable 
        impact will be targeted and tracked.

SEC. 8. REPORTS.

    (a) Report Required.--The President shall update Congress on 
progress made to achieve the strategy established under section 5(a) as 
well as progress toward the goals set forth in USAID's 2014 ``Acting on 
the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths'' report by 
submitting an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees 
and making all report data publicly available.
    (b) Information Included in Report.--A report submitted under 
subsection (a) shall include the following:
            (1) Indicators of progress made by United States Government 
        programs carried out under international maternal and child 
        health and nutrition programs for the purposes of improving 
        maternal, newborn, and child health, particularly among the 
        most vulnerable populations, in each target country and 
        overall, including--
                    (A) number of maternal, newborn, and child deaths 
                averted;
                    (B) percentage of births attended by skilled health 
                personnel;
                    (C) density of health workforce (number of health 
                professionals per population);
                    (D) descriptions of the measured or estimated 
                impact on maternal, newborn, and child survival of each 
                ongoing program or project; and
                    (E) any other targets identified by the Coordinator 
                as essential to meeting the goals of the strategy for 
                ending preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths.
            (2) Assessments of progress made toward achieving the 
        targets set forth under paragraph (1).
            (3) Descriptions of how the interventions or programs are 
        designed--
                    (A) to increase activities in target countries;
                    (B) to reach underserved, marginalized, and 
                impoverished populations;
                    (C) to address causes of maternal, newborn, and 
                child mortality with innovative efforts and 
                interventions posed to go to scale;
                    (D) to invest in activities that empower women, 
                support voluntarism, and provide respectful maternity 
                care;
                    (E) to improve transparency and accountability at 
                all levels and include common metrics for tracking 
                progress;
                    (F) to ensure that high-impact, evidence-based 
                interventions are prioritized; and
                    (G) to expand access to quality services through 
                community-based approaches and include community 
                accountability measures.
            (4) Reporting on each aspect of the strategy established 
        under section 5(a), including--
                    (A) multi-sectoral approaches, specific strategies, 
                and programming utilizing high-impact, evidence-based 
                interventions to address the leading causes of 
                preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths;
                    (B) activities to develop and scale up new 
                technologies and approaches, including those identified 
                by public-private partnerships for research and 
                innovation;
                    (C) coordination with United States agencies, 
                foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations, and 
                international organizations;
                    (D) methods used to leverage new financial and 
                other public and private resources in innovative ways; 
                and
                    (E) best practices identified by the executive 
                branch.
            (5) Reporting on grants, contracts, and cooperative 
        agreements awarded, including--
                    (A) a comprehensive list of USAID grants, 
                contracts, and cooperative agreements awarded in 
                implementation of the strategy established under 
                section 5(a); and
                    (B) a description of--
                            (i) the targets for coverage of 
                        interventions or services and the baseline 
                        against which they are measured and the status 
                        of progress in meeting the targets; or
                            (ii) in the case of exceptional 
                        circumstances where USAID determines that 
                        inclusion of targets or baseline measurements 
                        is not reasonably possible, an explanation of 
                        how the impact of the grant, contract, 
                        agreement, or resulting program is being 
                        measured.
            (6) Reporting on the innovative public-private financing 
        tools, including an analysis of the feasibility and potential 
        effectiveness of new financing tools that could be used to fund 
        efforts to end preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths 
        globally.

SEC. 9. INNOVATIVE PUBLIC-PRIVATE FINANCING TOOLS.

    (a) In General.--In addition to existing bilateral and multilateral 
assistance for maternal, newborn, and child survival, the United States 
Government, through USAID and other relevant executive branch agencies 
identified by the Coordinator, should identify and remove financial 
barriers to strengthen access to delivery systems that reach vulnerable 
and marginalized populations. This can be accomplished through the 
utilization of new and existing tools that leverage public and private 
capital to expand delivery of high-impact, evidence-based interventions 
for international maternal, newborn, and child health.
    (b) Authorities.--To carry out provisions of this Act, USAID is 
authorized--
            (1) to grant loans;
            (2) to set aside funds for use in the implementation of 
        financing tools;
            (3) to establish and use a financial intermediary to 
        implement new financing tools, as appropriate;
            (4) to issue sovereign level guarantees; and
            (5) to make equity investments.
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