[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4522 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4522

 To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a 
 public awareness campaign to increase awareness of the importance of 
 father inclusion and engagement in improving overall health outcomes 
 during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 12, 2024

Mr. Warnock (for himself and Mr. Rubio) 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 carry out a 
 public awareness campaign to increase awareness of the importance of 
 father inclusion and engagement in improving overall health outcomes 
 during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, 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 ``Dads Matter Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Father engagement can play an important role in 
        improving maternal health care, addressing maternal mortality 
        and morbidity, and bettering the development and long-term 
        growth of the child.
            (2) The participation of fathers during prenatal care 
        appointments provides the mother with additional support to 
        recognize potential pregnancy-related complications that could 
        lead to maternal mortality and morbidity.
            (3) When fathers are involved during pregnancy appointments 
        and milestones, mothers are 1.5 times more likely to receive 
        prenatal care in the first trimester, which improves health 
        outcomes for both the mother and baby.
            (4) Father support during pregnancy can help promote 
        behavioral health of the mother.
            (5) Father engagement reduces the risks of postpartum mood 
        and anxiety disorders and contributes to a lower likelihood of 
        preterm birth and a healthier birthweight.
            (6) Including fathers in conversations about safe sleep 
        guidelines and sharing guidance about infant crying and the 
        risks of shaken baby syndrome can help reduce infant deaths.
            (7) Active support of the father during breastfeeding 
        greatly increases the chances of successful breastfeeding, 
        which improves the physical and mental health of the baby and 
        the mother.
            (8) Physical contact between the father and the baby just 
        after birth and in the months following birth has been shown to 
        improve the health and development of the baby, improve the 
        mental health of the father, and foster father-child bonding in 
        the short term and long term.

SEC. 3. INCREASING AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF FATHER INCLUSION AND 
              ENGAGEMENT IN THE PREGNANCY, BIRTH, AND POSTPARTUM 
              PROCESS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall carry out 
a public awareness campaign to increase understanding of the importance 
of father inclusion and engagement in improving overall health outcomes 
during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum, for both the mother and 
baby.
    (b) Requirements.--The campaign under subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) messaging intended to provide information to the public 
        about the importance of a father's role in pregnancy and 
        parenting;
            (2) resources and information to counter popular narratives 
        that minimize the importance of engaged and involved fathers in 
        pregnancy and parenting; and
            (3) resources and information that promote awareness about 
        the impact of father inclusion on maternal and infant outcomes, 
        including--
                    (A) the importance of father-to-infant skin-to-skin 
                contact in improving the health and development of a 
                newborn and fostering father-child bonding in the short 
                and long term;
                    (B) the role of fathers in promoting the behavioral 
                health of the mother;
                    (C) the role of fathers in increasing the number of 
                prenatal and postpartum appointments a mother attends;
                    (D) the effects of father attendance during 
                prenatal and postnatal appointments;
                    (E) the effects of paternal postpartum depression;
                    (F) the role of father support in improving rates 
                of successful breastfeeding; and
                    (G) the role of father involvement in providing the 
                mother with additional support to recognize potential 
                pregnancy-related complications, which could include--
                            (i) preeclampsia;
                            (ii) peripartum cardiomyopathy;
                            (iii) preterm labor;
                            (iv) perinatal mood and anxiety disorders;
                            (v) pregnancy loss or miscarriage;
                            (vi) stillbirth;
                            (vii) high blood pressure;
                            (viii) cervical infections;
                            (ix) gestational diabetes;
                            (x) placental abruption;
                            (xi) ectopic pregnancy; and
                            (xii) uterine rupture.

SEC. 4. GUIDANCE TO STATES ON ENCOURAGING FATHER INCLUSION AND 
              ENGAGEMENT IN THE PREGNANCY, BIRTH, AND POSTPARTUM 
              PROCESS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall issue 
guidance to States that addresses how States can encourage and 
incentivize providers of maternity care, including hospitals, health 
care systems, midwifery practices, freestanding birth centers, 
community health centers, and other maternity care providers, and 
providers of health care coverage, including managed care entities, to 
provide training and education to health care practitioners, such as 
pediatricians, obstetricians, and gynecologists, about the benefits of 
including and engaging fathers in the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum 
process.
    (b) Requirements.--The guidance under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) include information on how health care practitioners 
        can--
                    (A) offer peer-to-peer, father-to-father 
                encouragement, support, and education in communities 
                that traditionally are not inclusive of fathers;
                    (B) provide fathers with information on--
                            (i) what to expect before, during, and 
                        after the birth process;
                            (ii) how to better--
                                    (I) understand and support their 
                                partner throughout such process; and
                                    (II) serve as an advocate in her 
                                care;
                            (iii) recommendations and protocol relating 
                        to pregnancy, postpartum, and child care, 
                        including--
                                    (I) maternal, infant, and routine 
                                childhood vaccines;
                                    (II) maternal warning signs;
                                    (III) the importance of fetal 
                                movement counting;
                                    (IV) maternal mental health and 
                                postpartum recovery;
                                    (V) breastfeeding practices;
                                    (VI) health care appointments;
                                    (VII) safe sleep practices;
                                    (VIII) skin-to-skin contact;
                                    (IX) baby care, including safe 
                                soothing of a crying baby;
                                    (X) child bonding; and
                                    (XI) early childhood development; 
                                and
                    (C) screen fathers for depression and provide 
                referrals for treatment that may positively impact 
                child development and reduce the risk of adverse 
                childhood experiences;
            (2) address cultural beliefs about fatherhood, a man's role 
        in maternal health, and families; and
            (3) reaffirm a father's ability to play a positive and 
        valuable role during pregnancy, birth, and early childhood 
        development, regardless of race or ethnicity.

SEC. 5. GAO STUDY AND REPORT.

    Not later than 6 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct, and submit to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate 
and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
Representatives a report describing the results of, a study on the 
effectiveness of this Act.
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