What This Bill Does
This bill requires the federal government's health department to give grants (money gifts) to pregnancy-help organizations. These grants would pay for security upgrades and accessibility improvements at these organizations' buildings.
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Who It Affects
- Pregnancy-help organizations that want to apply for grants
- The Secretary of Health and Human Services (the federal official who runs the health department)
- Potentially pregnant individuals who use these organizations' services
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Key Provisions
- The Secretary must award grants through a competitive process to pregnancy-help organizations. (Sec. 399V-8(a))
- Grant money can be used to upgrade buildings by installing security cameras, security systems, or making improvements to follow the Americans with Disabilities Act (a law requiring access for people with disabilities). (Sec. 399V-8(b)(1))
- Organizations cannot use grant money for abortion services or give grant money to other groups that provide abortion services. (Sec. 399V-8(b)(2))
- To qualify, an organization must provide services to people facing unexpected pregnancies with the goal of encouraging women to give birth, and cannot perform abortion services or work with groups that do. (Sec. 399V-8(c))
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What Changes
If passed, the health department must start awarding competitive grants to eligible pregnancy-help organizations for facility upgrades focused on security and disability access.
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Important Definitions
"Pregnancy-help organization" means a group that offers services to people with unexpected pregnancies and tries to encourage pregnant women to give birth to their babies. (Sec. 399V-8(c))
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II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 565
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants
to pregnancy-help organizations.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
FEBRUARY 28, 2023
Mr. RISCH (for himself, Mrs. HYDE-SMITH, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. CRUZ, Mr.
RUBIO, and Mr. HAWLEY) 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 award grants to pregnancy-help organizations.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pregnancy Center Se-
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curity Act’’.
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SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR PREGNANCY-HELP ORGANIZATIONS.
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Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act
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(42 U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
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the following:
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•S 565 IS
‘‘SEC. 399V–8. GRANTS FOR PREGNANCY-HELP ORGANIZA-
1
TIONS.
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‘‘(a) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award
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grants, on a competitive basis, to pregnancy-help organiza-
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tions.
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‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—
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‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A grant awarded under
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this section shall be used for upgrading the facilities
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of the pregnancy-help organization receiving such
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grant, including through—
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‘‘(A) implementing security upgrades, such
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as by installing security cameras or security
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systems; or
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‘‘(B) improvements to comply with require-
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ments under the Americans with Disabilities
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Act of 1990, including regulations promulgated
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under such Act.
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‘‘(2)
PROHIBITED
USES.—Notwithstanding
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paragraph (1), no funds from a grant under this
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section may be—
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‘‘(A) used to perform, assist, counsel, pre-
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scribe, refer for, or encourage abortion; or
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‘‘(B) provided by the pregnancy-help orga-
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nization to any other entity that performs, as-
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sists, counsels, prescribes, refers for, or encour-
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ages abortion.
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•S 565 IS
‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF PREGNANCY-HELP ORGANIZA-
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TION.—In this section, the term ‘pregnancy-help organiza-
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tion’—
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‘‘(1) means an organization that seeks to pro-
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vide a range of services to individuals facing unin-
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tended pregnancies, with the intention of encour-
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aging pregnant women to give birth to their unborn
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children; and
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‘‘(2) notwithstanding paragraph (1), does not
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include any organization that—
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‘‘(A) performs, assists, counsels, pre-
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scribes, refers for, or encourages abortion; or
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‘‘(B) affiliates with any organization that
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performs, assists, counsels, prescribes, refers
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for, or encourages abortion.
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‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
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are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
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necessary to carry out this section.’’.
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Æ
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