[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 118 (Monday, July 20, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4651-H4652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NIH IMPLEMENTING A MATERNAL HEALTH AND PREGNANCY OUTCOMES VISION FOR
EVERYONE ACT
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 6238) to establish the IMPROVE Initiative within the
National Institutes of Health, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6238
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 ``NIH Implementing a Maternal
health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone Act'' or
the ``NIH IMPROVE Act''.
SEC. 2. IMPROVE INITIATIVE.
Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 284 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 409K. IMPROVE INITIATIVE.
``(a) In General.--The Director of NIH shall continue to
carry out a program to improve maternal health outcomes, to
be known as the Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy
Outcomes Vision for Everyone Initiative or the `IMPROVE
Initiative' (referred to in this section as the
`Initiative').
``(b) Objectives.--The Initiative shall--
``(1) advance research to--
``(A) reduce preventable causes of maternal mortality and
severe maternal morbidity;
``(B) reduce health disparities related to maternal health
outcomes, including such disparities associated with
populations with disproportionately high rates of maternal
mortality and severe maternal morbidity relative to the
national rate; and
``(C) improve health for pregnant and postpartum women
before, during, and after pregnancy;
``(2) use an integrated approach to understand the factors,
including biological, behavioral, and other factors, that
affect maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity by
building an evidence base for improved outcomes in specific
regions of the United States; and
``(3) target health disparities associated with maternal
mortality and severe maternal morbidity by--
``(A) implementing and evaluating community-based
interventions for disproportionately affected women; and
``(B) identifying risk factors and the underlying
biological mechanisms associated with leading causes of
maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in the
United States.
``(c) Implementation.--The Director of NIH may award grants
or enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, or other
transactions to carry out this section.
``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section $63,400,000 for
each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. DeGette)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
general leave
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the
legislation and include extraneous material on H.R. 6238.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6238, led by my
colleagues Representatives Underwood and Fitzpatrick, which authorizes
the Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for
Everyone Initiative within the National Institutes of Health.
According to CDC estimates, more than 80 percent of the pregnancy-
related deaths and roughly half of the severe maternal morbidity events
could be prevented.
That is why it is so essential for us to advance the IMPROVE
Initiative, which supports research into identifying and reducing
preventable causes of maternal death and ways to improve maternal
health outcomes.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, shockingly, the U.S. has the highest rate of maternal
mortality among developed nations in this entire world. What is worse
is that the mortality rates for women of color are exponentially higher
than those of the general population. Black women die from pregnancy-
related causes at rates at least three times those of White women, and
that is irrespective of socioeconomic status or income.
It is appalling that this statistic has emerged from data collection
by State maternal mortality review committees. Congress affirmed its
support for these committees in February by reauthorizing my bill, the
Preventing Maternal Deaths Act.
Thanks to this enduring bipartisan commitment, we have identified the
problem, that 649 women died of maternal causes in the U.S. in 2024.
Now that we have identified the problem, we need to work together to
solve it.
Mr. Speaker, 80 to 84 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are
preventable. The IMPROVE Initiative at NIH investigates the leading
cause of these deaths, supports the development of interventions to
prevent them, and importantly identifies factors that contribute to
disparities in maternal health. We must not let this critical program
lapse.
I thank Representatives Underwood and Fitzpatrick for their undying
and wonderful leadership on this bill, as well as my friend and
colleague Robin Kelly, who has been a leader on this issue for more
than a decade.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join us in passing the bill
today because no pregnancy-related death is acceptable in the richest
nation in the world. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
[[Page H4652]]
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Fitzpatrick), my good friend. He is a member of the Ways and Means
and Intel Committees and is really passionate about these issues.
My friend from Colorado has touched on this. It is something that we
absolutely have to get to the bottom of. I am very thankful for the
leadership of the gentlewoman from Illinois and the gentleman from
Pennsylvania.
Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of our
legislation, H.R. 6238, the NIH IMPROVE Act.
Mr. Speaker, this critical legislation will ensure consistent funding
for research on maternal care and mortality. So many maternal deaths in
America are preventable. Addressing that reality demands research that
is stable, long term, and grounded in measurable outcomes.
The NIH IMPROVE Act locks in the dedicated funding that NIH's
maternal health portfolio so desperately needs to track outcomes over
time, evaluate what works in high-risk settings, and direct resources
to the communities facing the greatest challenges.
This bipartisan legislation strengthens a proven NIH initiative and
ensures that mothers across our Nation will benefit from research that
saves lives and improves care through the entire pregnancy journey.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague Representative Underwood for her
leadership on this critical piece of legislation to ensure that
improvements to maternal health across our Nation continue and are
strengthened.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation,
H.R. 6238.
Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Illinois (Ms. Underwood), the sponsor of this legislation.
Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the
NIH IMPROVE Act.
This bipartisan bill, co-led by Congressman Fitzpatrick, will provide
consistent funding for research on maternal mortality.
The United States has the highest pregnancy-related death rate of any
high-income country, and Black women are dying at the highest rate of
all.
The crisis is only getting worse. Over the past two decades, maternal
mortality rates have more than doubled, and disparities have worsened.
{time} 1610
What is both frustrating and promising is that over 80 percent of
these deaths are preventable.
That is why in 2019 I worked with NIH to start the IMPROVE
initiative, which stands for Implementing a Maternal health and
PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone. Through IMPROVE, we are making
smart investments in evidence-based solutions that save moms' lives and
advance birth equity.
Over the past 7 years, IMPROVE has invested more than $200 million in
lifesaving research that will help end our Nation's maternal health
crisis. These investments have already been made all across the
country, from Utah to Alabama, Mississippi to Pennsylvania, and to my
home State of Illinois. It is already allowing more moms to survive and
thrive, and my bill will ensure that this funding keeps flowing to the
communities that need it the most.
The NIH IMPROVE Act is one of the 14 bills that make up the momnibus,
a comprehensive package of evidence-based, data-driven bills that
address every driver of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities
in the United States.
I know all my colleagues agree that no mom should feel fear or
uncertainty about her pregnancy. So, today, I urge them to pass the NIH
IMPROVE Act. After that, we are going to keep it going until the entire
momnibus is signed into law. Together, we can end this crisis and keep
moms alive.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Guthrie and Mr. Pallone for their
support for this legislation.
Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. In closing, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in favor of the NIH IMPROVE
Act.
One of my core beliefs that has led to my work in Congress is that
health care is our most basic human right. Yet, in our country, we see
some of the worst disparities in health care access and outcomes. The
maternal health crisis is no exception.
Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-
related causes than other women. Women living in rural areas are losing
access to local labor and delivery units, as more rural hospitals close
their maternity wards.
This has not only delayed care but has led to worsening outcomes. Our
country's maternal mortality rate is higher than any other high-income
country in the world. Over 80 percent of these deaths are preventable.
We can and must do better.
We have made substantial progress in understanding and addressing
this crisis through the NIH IMPROVE Initiative. In early 2019,
Congresswoman Underwood and I met with then-Director of the National
Institutes of Health to urge the agency to do more to address the
maternal health crisis.
In response, the NIH launched the IMPROVE Initiative later that year,
which stands for Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes
Vision for Everyone. The IMPROVE Initiative supports research to reduce
preventable causes of maternal deaths and improve health for women
before, during, and after pregnancy.
It includes a special emphasis on health disparities and populations
that are disproportionately affected, such as racial and ethnic
minorities, very young women and women of advanced maternal age, women
living in rural areas, and people with disabilities.
THE IMPROVE Initiative has funded:
Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence--two of which are
housed at HBCUs;
Research projects on social determinants of maternal health, the
impact of community violence on maternal health outcomes, and
structural racism and discrimination; and
The development of new home-based and point-of-care diagnostic
devices for postpartum care.
Through the federal appropriations process, Congress has quintupled
funding for the Initiative since it was first launched.
However, it has not yet been put into statute, which would ensure the
longevity of the program and maintain consistent funding to address
maternal mortality.
The bill would authorize $53.4 million every year for seven years.
With that funding, the program will continue to investigate disparities
in maternal health care, and develop ways to improve care and outcomes,
including in our underserved maternal care deserts.
For too long, families in our country have faced the devastating
losses of mothers to pregnancy-related causes. And too often these
deaths have been completely preventable.
This is personal to me. My daughter, Jeanelle, almost lost her life
to this crisis. Her doctor dismissed her pain and concerns, and by the
time her medical team finally responded, it was almost too late.
That dismissal and delay in care is a story I hear far too often from
other mothers, especially Black mothers. Jeanelle is one of the tens of
thousands of women who've experience ``near misses'' with pregnancy-
related complications. That experience made me think about what it
means to be a mom.
Jeanelle is my daughter, a sister, and the mother of two amazing
chiidren--she's also a dedicated contributor to her community.
Mothers everywhere, like Jeanelle, are calling on Congress to do
everything we can to better understand this crisis, so we can fix this
crisis.
Dedicated research funding is the way to do that. This bill was
reported out of the Energy and Commerce Committee with unanimous
support. It is bipartisan and bicameral.
Passing the NIH IMPROVE Act today signifies Congress's united
commitment to all mothers across our country that we can and will do
better. We will deliver for our moms--because our moms can't wait.
I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 6238, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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