I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1212 To end preventable maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in the United States and close disparities in maternal health outcomes, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 23, 2021 Ms. ADAMS (for herself, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mrs. MCBATH, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. RYAN, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. SOTO, Mr. NADLER, Mr. TRONE, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. BASS, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. EVANS, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. SE- WELL, and Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To end preventable maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in the United States and close disparities in maternal health outcomes, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Kira Johnson Act’’. 4 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1212 IH SEC. 2. INVESTMENTS IN COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZA- 1 TIONS TO IMPROVE BLACK MATERNAL 2 HEALTH OUTCOMES. 3 (a) AWARDS.—Following the 1-year period described 4 in subsection (c), the Secretary of Health and Human 5 Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 6 shall award grants to eligible entities to establish or ex- 7 pand programs to prevent maternal mortality and severe 8 maternal morbidity among Black pregnant and 9 postpartum individuals. 10 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to seek a grant 11 under this section, an entity shall be a community-based 12 organization offering programs and resources aligned with 13 evidence-based practices for improving maternal health 14 outcomes for Black pregnant and postpartum individuals. 15 (c) OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PE- 16 RIOD.—During the 1-year period beginning on the date 17 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— 18 (1) conduct outreach to encourage eligible enti- 19 ties to apply for grants under this section; and 20 (2) provide technical assistance to eligible enti- 21 ties on best practices for applying for grants under 22 this section. 23 (d) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1212 IH (1) OUTREACH.—In conducting outreach under 1 subsection (c), the Secretary shall give special con- 2 sideration to eligible entities that— 3 (A) are based in, and provide support for, 4 communities with high rates of adverse mater- 5 nal health outcomes or significant racial and 6 ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes, 7 to the extent such data are available; 8 (B) are led by Black women; and 9 (C) offer programs and resources that are 10 aligned with evidence-based practices for im- 11 proving maternal health outcomes for Black 12 pregnant and postpartum individuals. 13 (2) AWARDS.—In awarding grants under this 14 section, the Secretary shall give special consideration 15 to eligible entities that— 16 (A) are described in subparagraphs (A), 17 (B), and (C) of paragraph (1); 18 (B) offer programs and resources designed 19 in consultation with and intended for Black 20 pregnant and postpartum individuals; and 21 (C) offer programs and resources in the 22 communities in which the respective eligible en- 23 tities are located that— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1212 IH (i) promote maternal mental health 1 and maternal substance use disorder treat- 2 ments and supports that are aligned with 3 evidence-based practices for improving ma- 4 ternal mental and behavioral health out- 5 comes for Black pregnant and postpartum 6 individuals; 7 (ii) address social determinants of ma- 8 ternal health for pregnant and postpartum 9 individuals; 10 (iii) promote evidence-based health lit- 11 eracy and pregnancy, childbirth, and par- 12 enting education for pregnant and 13 postpartum individuals; 14 (iv) provide support from perinatal 15 health workers to pregnant and 16 postpartum individuals; 17 (v) provide culturally congruent train- 18 ing to perinatal health workers; 19 (vi) conduct or support research on 20 maternal health issues disproportionately 21 impacting Black pregnant and postpartum 22 individuals; 23 (vii) provide support to family mem- 24 bers of individuals who suffered a preg- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1212 IH nancy-associated death or pregnancy-re- 1 lated death; 2 (viii) operate midwifery practices that 3 provide culturally congruent maternal 4 health care and support, including for the 5 purposes of— 6 (I) supporting additional edu- 7 cation, training, and certification pro- 8 grams, including support for distance 9 learning; 10 (II) providing financial support 11 to current and future midwives to ad- 12 dress education costs, debts, and 13 other needs; 14 (III) clinical site investments; 15 (IV) supporting preceptor devel- 16 opment trainings; 17 (V) expanding the midwifery 18 practice; or 19 (VI) related needs identified by 20 the midwifery practice and described 21 in the practice’s application; or 22 (ix) have developed other programs 23 and resources that address community-spe- 24 cific needs for pregnant and postpartum 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1212 IH individuals and are aligned with evidence- 1 based practices for improving maternal 2 health outcomes for Black pregnant and 3 postpartum individuals. 4 (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 5 provide to grant recipients under this section technical as- 6 sistance on— 7 (1) capacity building to establish or expand pro- 8 grams to prevent adverse maternal health outcomes 9 among Black pregnant and postpartum individuals; 10 (2) best practices in data collection, measure- 11 ment, evaluation, and reporting; and 12 (3) planning for sustaining programs to prevent 13 maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity 14 among Black pregnant and postpartum individuals 15 after the period of the grant. 16 (f) EVALUATION.—Not later than the end of fiscal 17 year 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress an 18 evaluation of the grant program under this section that— 19 (1) assesses the effectiveness of outreach efforts 20 during the application process in diversifying the 21 pool of grant recipients; 22 (2) makes recommendations for future outreach 23 efforts to diversify the pool of grant recipients for 24 Department of Health and Human Services grant 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1212 IH programs and funding opportunities related to ma- 1 ternal health; 2 (3) assesses the effectiveness of programs fund- 3 ed by grants under this section in improving mater- 4 nal health outcomes for Black pregnant and 5 postpartum individuals, to the extent practicable; 6 and 7 (4) makes recommendations for future Depart- 8 ment of Health and Human Services grant programs 9 and funding opportunities that deliver funding to 10 community-based organizations that provide pro- 11 grams and resources that are aligned with evidence- 12 based practices for improving maternal health out- 13 comes for Black pregnant and postpartum individ- 14 uals. 15 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 16 out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 17 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 18 SEC. 3. INVESTMENTS IN COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZA- 19 TIONS TO IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH OUT- 20 COMES IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. 21 (a) AWARDS.—Following the 1-year period described 22 in subsection (c), the Secretary of Health and Human 23 Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’) 24 shall award grants to eligible entities to establish or ex- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1212 IH pand programs to prevent maternal mortality and severe 1 maternal morbidity among underserved groups. 2 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to seek a grant 3 under this section, an entity shall be a community-based 4 organization offering programs and resources aligned with 5 evidence-based practices for improving maternal health 6 outcomes for pregnant and postpartum individuals. 7 (c) OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PE- 8 RIOD.—During the 1-year period beginning on the date 9 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— 10 (1) conduct outreach to encourage eligible enti- 11 ties to apply for grants under this section; and 12 (2) provide technical assistance to eligible enti- 13 ties on best practices for applying for grants under 14 this section. 15 (d) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.— 16 (1) OUTREACH.—In conducting outreach under 17 subsection (c), the Secretary shall give special con- 18 sideration to eligible entities that— 19 (A) are based in, and provide support for, 20 communities with high rates of adverse mater- 21 nal health outcomes or significant racial and 22 ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes, 23 to the extent such data are available; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 1212 IH (B) are led by individuals from racially, 1 ethnically, and geographically diverse back- 2 grounds; and 3 (C) offer programs and resources that are 4 aligned with evidence-based practices for im- 5 proving maternal health outcomes for pregnant 6 and postpartum individuals. 7 (2) AWARDS.—In awarding grants under this 8 section, the Secretary shall give special consideration 9 to eligible entities that— 10 (A) are described in subparagraphs (A), 11 (B), and (C) of paragraph (1); 12 (B) offer programs and resources designed 13 in consultation with and intended for pregnant 14 and postpartum individuals from underserved 15 groups; and 16 (C) offer programs and resources in the 17 communities in which the respective eligible en- 18 tities are located that— 19 (i) promote maternal mental health 20 and maternal substance use disorder treat- 21 ments and support that are aligned with 22 evidence-based practices for improving ma- 23 ternal mental and behavioral health out- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 1212 IH comes for pregnant and postpartum indi- 1 viduals; 2 (ii) address social determinants of ma- 3 ternal health for pregnant and postpartum 4 individuals; 5 (iii) promote evidence-based health lit- 6 eracy and pregnancy, childbirth, and par- 7 enting education for pregnant and 8 postpartum individuals; 9 (iv) provide support from perinatal 10 health workers to pregnant and 11 postpartum individuals; 12 (v) provide culturally congruent train- 13 ing to perinatal health workers; 14 (vi) conduct or support research on 15 maternal health outcomes and disparities; 16 (vii) provide support to family mem- 17 bers of individuals who suffered a preg- 18 nancy-associated death or pregnancy-re- 19 lated death; 20 (viii) operate midwifery practices that 21 provide culturally congruent maternal 22 health care and support, including for the 23 purposes of— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 1212 IH (I) supporting additional edu- 1 cation, training, and certification pro- 2 grams, including support for distance 3 learning; 4 (II) providing financial support 5 to current and future midwives to ad- 6 dress education costs, debts, and 7 other needs; 8 (III) clinical site investments; 9 (IV) supporting preceptor devel- 10 opment trainings; 11 (V) expanding the midwifery 12 practice; or 13 (VI) related needs identified by 14 the midwifery practice and described 15 in the practice’s application; or 16 (ix) have developed other programs 17 and resources that address community-spe- 18 cific needs for pregnant and postpartum 19 individuals and are aligned with evidence- 20 based practices for improving maternal 21 health outcomes for pregnant and 22 postpartum individuals. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 1212 IH (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 1 provide to grant recipients under this section technical as- 2 sistance on— 3 (1) capacity building to establish or expand pro- 4 grams to prevent adverse maternal health outcomes 5 among pregnant and postpartum individuals from 6 underserved groups; 7 (2) best practices in data collection, measure- 8 ment, evaluation, and reporting; and 9 (3) planning for sustaining programs to prevent 10 maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity 11 among pregnant and postpartum individuals from 12 underserved groups after the period of the grant. 13 (f) EVALUATION.—Not later than the end of fiscal 14 year 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress an 15 evaluation of the grant program under this section that— 16 (1) assesses the effectiveness of outreach efforts 17 during the application process in diversifying the 18 pool of grant recipients; 19 (2) makes recommendations for future outreach 20 efforts to diversify the pool of grant recipients for 21 Department of Health and Human Services grant 22 programs and funding opportunities related to ma- 23 ternal health; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Mar 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1212.IH H1212 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 1212 IH (3) assesses the effectiveness of programs fund- 1 ed by grants under this section in improving mater- 2 nal health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum 3 individuals from underserved groups, to the extent 4 [Text truncated for display. 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