What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to pregnancy-help organizations on a competitive basis. Organizations would use these grants to upgrade their facilities, including adding security systems and making improvements for people with disabilities.
Who It Affects
Pregnancy-help organizations that receive grants from the federal government.
Key Provisions
- The Secretary of Health and Human Services must award grants to pregnancy-help organizations on a competitive basis (Sec. 2)
- Grant funds can be used for security upgrades like installing security cameras or security systems (Sec. 2)
- Grant funds can be used for improvements to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which requires facilities to be accessible to people with disabilities (Sec. 2)
- No grant money may be used to perform, assist, counsel, prescribe, refer for or encourage abortion (Sec. 2)
- Organizations that receive grants cannot give grant money to any other organization that performs, assists, counsels, prescribes, refers for or encourages abortion (Sec. 2)
What Changes
If this becomes law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services would need to establish and run a new grant program for pregnancy-help organizations to upgrade their facilities and security systems.
Important Definitions
A "pregnancy-help organization" is defined as an organization that provides a range of services to people facing unintended pregnancies with the intention of encouraging pregnant women to give birth to their unborn children. The organization cannot perform, assist, counsel, prescribe, refer for or encourage abortion, and cannot affiliate with any organization that does these things.
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1575
To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants
to pregnancy-help organizations.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 14, 2023
Mr. FULCHER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
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-
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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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•HR 1575 IH
‘‘SEC. 399V–8. GRANTS FOR PREGNANCY-HELP ORGANIZA-
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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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‘‘(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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