[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1594 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1594
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a task
force to develop strategies and coordinate efforts to eliminate
preventable maternal mortality, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 15, 2023
Mr. Blumenthal (for himself and Mr. Booker) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene a task
force to develop strategies and coordinate efforts to eliminate
preventable maternal mortality, 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 ``Social Determinants for Moms Act''.
SEC. 2. TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS THE UNITED STATES MATERNAL HEALTH CRISIS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
(referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall convene a task
force (referred to in this section 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 (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 Administrator of the Health Resources and Services
Administration (or a designee thereof).
(13) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health of
the Department of Health and Human Services (or a designee
thereof).
(14) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health of
the Department of Health and Human Services (or a designee
thereof).
(15) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (or a designee thereof).
(16) 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 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
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) Perinatal health workers.
(4) A professionally and geographically diverse panel of
maternity care providers.
(5) Other maternal health stakeholders outside of the
Federal Government with expertise in maternal health, including
social determinants of maternal health.
(d) Chair.--The Secretary 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. 3. SUSTAINED FUNDING TO ADDRESS SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF MATERNAL
HEALTH.
(a) In General.--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)
that includes at minimum one entity listed in paragraph (1).
(c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may provide.
(d) Prioritization.--In awarding grants under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity that is operating
in an area with--
(1) high rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal
morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other adverse
perinatal or childbirth outcomes; and
(2) a high poverty rate.
(e) Activities.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under
this section may use the grant to address social determinants of
maternal health such as--
(1) housing;
(2) transportation;
(3) nutrition;
(4) employment, workplace conditions, and other economic
factors;
(5) environmental conditions;
(6) intimate partner violence; and
(7) other nonclinical factors that impact maternal health
outcomes.
(f) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary shall provide to grant
recipients under this section technical assistance to plan for
sustaining programs to address social determinants of maternal health
after the period of the grant.
(g) Reporting.--
(1) Grantees.--Not later than 1 year after an eligible
entity first receives a grant under this section, and annually
thereafter, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary,
and make publicly available, a report on the status of
activities conducted using the grant. Each such report shall
include data on the effects of such activities, disaggregated
by race, ethnicity, gender, primary language, geography,
socioeconomic status, and other relevant factors.
(2) Secretary.--Not later than the end of fiscal year 2028,
the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that includes--
(A) a summary of the reports under paragraph (1);
and
(B) recommendations for future Federal grant
allocations to address social determinants of maternal
health.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2024 through 2028.
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