Moms Matter Act

II 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1602 To provide for grants to address maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MAY 15, 2023 Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself and Mr. BOOKER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Edu- cation, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To provide for grants to address maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders, 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 ‘‘Moms Matter Act’’. 4 SEC. 2. MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH EQUITY GRANT PRO- 5 GRAM. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 7 program to award grants to eligible entities to address ma- 8 ternal mental health conditions and substance use dis- 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1602 IS orders, with a focus on demographic groups with elevated 1 rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, 2 maternal health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or 3 childbirth outcomes. 4 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 5 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 6 Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 7 and containing such information as the Secretary may re- 8 quire. 9 (c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec- 10 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity 11 that— 12 (1) is, or will partner with, a community-based 13 organization to address maternal mental health con- 14 ditions and substance use disorders described in sub- 15 section (a); 16 (2) is operating in an area with elevated rates 17 of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, 18 maternal health disparities, or other adverse 19 perinatal or childbirth outcomes; and 20 (3) is operating in a health professional short- 21 age area designated under section 332 of the Public 22 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1602 IS (d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 1 a grant under this section shall use the grant for the fol- 2 lowing: 3 (1) Establishing or expanding maternity care 4 programs to improve the integration of maternal 5 mental health and behavioral health care services 6 into primary care settings where pregnant individ- 7 uals regularly receive health care services. 8 (2) Establishing or expanding group prenatal 9 care programs or postpartum care programs. 10 (3) Expanding existing programs that improve 11 maternal mental and behavioral health during the 12 prenatal and postpartum periods, with a focus on in- 13 dividuals from demographic groups with elevated 14 rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal mor- 15 bidity, maternal health disparities, or other adverse 16 perinatal or childbirth outcomes. 17 (4) Providing services and support for pregnant 18 and postpartum individuals with maternal mental 19 health conditions and substance use disorders, in- 20 cluding referrals to addiction treatment centers that 21 offer evidence-based treatment options. 22 (5) Addressing stigma associated with maternal 23 mental health conditions and substance use dis- 24 orders, with a focus on individuals from demo- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1602 IS graphic groups with elevated rates of maternal mor- 1 tality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal health 2 disparities, or other adverse perinatal or childbirth 3 outcomes. 4 (6) Raising awareness of warning signs of ma- 5 ternal mental health conditions and substance use 6 disorders, with a focus on pregnant and postpartum 7 individuals from demographic groups with elevated 8 rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal mor- 9 bidity, maternal health disparities, or other adverse 10 perinatal or childbirth outcomes. 11 (7) Establishing or expanding programs to pre- 12 vent suicide or self-harm among pregnant and 13 postpartum individuals. 14 (8) Offering evidence-aligned programs at free- 15 standing birth centers that provide maternal mental 16 and behavioral health care education, treatments, 17 and services, and other services for individuals 18 throughout the prenatal and postpartum period. 19 (9) Establishing or expanding programs to pro- 20 vide education and training to maternity care pro- 21 viders with respect to— 22 (A) identifying potential warning signs for 23 maternal mental health conditions or substance 24 use disorders in pregnant and postpartum indi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1602 IS viduals, with a focus on individuals from demo- 1 graphic groups with elevated rates of maternal 2 mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal 3 health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or 4 childbirth outcomes; and 5 (B) in the case where such providers iden- 6 tify such warning signs, offering referrals to 7 mental and behavioral health care professionals. 8 (10) Developing a website, or other source, that 9 includes information on health care providers who 10 treat maternal mental health conditions and sub- 11 stance use disorders. 12 (11) Establishing or expanding programs in 13 communities to improve coordination between mater- 14 nity care providers and mental and behavioral health 15 care providers who treat maternal mental health 16 conditions and substance use disorders, including 17 through the use of toll-free hotlines. 18 (12) Carrying out other programs aligned with 19 evidence-based practices for addressing maternal 20 mental health conditions and substance use dis- 21 orders for pregnant and postpartum individuals from 22 demographic groups with elevated rates of maternal 23 mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1602 IS health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or 1 childbirth outcomes. 2 (e) REPORTING.— 3 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An eligible entity 4 that receives a grant under subsection (a) shall sub- 5 mit annually to the Secretary, and make publicly 6 available, a report on the activities conducted using 7 funds received through a grant under this section. 8 Such reports shall include quantitative and quali- 9 tative evaluations of such activities, including the ex- 10 perience of individuals who received health care 11 through such grant. 12 (2) SECRETARY.—Not later than the end of fis- 13 cal year 2027, the Secretary shall submit to Con- 14 gress a report that includes— 15 (A) a summary of the reports received 16 under paragraph (1); 17 (B) an evaluation of the effectiveness of 18 grants awarded under this section; 19 (C) recommendations with respect to ex- 20 panding coverage of evidence-based screenings 21 and treatments for maternal mental health con- 22 ditions and substance use disorders; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1602 IS (D) recommendations with respect to en- 1 suring activities described under subsection (d) 2 continue after the end of a grant period. 3 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 4 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 5 ty’’ means— 6 (A) a community-based organization serv- 7 ing pregnant and postpartum individuals, in- 8 cluding such organizations serving individuals 9 from demographic groups with elevated rates of 10 maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, 11 maternal health disparities, or other adverse 12 perinatal or childbirth outcomes; 13 (B) a nonprofit or patient advocacy organi- 14 zation with expertise in maternal mental and 15 behavioral health; 16 (C) a maternity care provider; 17 (D) a mental or behavioral health care pro- 18 vider who treats maternal mental health condi- 19 tions or substance use disorders; 20 (E) a State or local governmental entity, 21 including a State or local public health depart- 22 ment; 23 (F) an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization 24 (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1602 IS Indian Self-Determination and Education As- 1 sistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); and 2 (G) an Urban Indian organization (as such 3 term is defined in section 4 of the Indian 4 Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 5 1603)). 6 (2) FREESTANDING BIRTH CENTER.—The term 7 ‘‘freestanding birth center’’ has the meaning given 8 that term under section 1905(l) of the Social Secu- 9 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(l)). 10 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 11 the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 12 through the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health 13 and Substance Use. 14 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 15 out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 16 $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2027. 17 SEC. 3. GRANTS TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY THE MATERNAL 18 MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE 19 WORKFORCE. 20 Title VII of the Public Health Service Act is amended 21 by inserting after section 757 (42 U.S.C. 294f) the fol- 22 lowing: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1602 IS ‘‘SEC. 758. MATERNAL MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 1 CARE WORKFORCE GRANTS. 2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award grants 3 to entities to establish or expand programs described in 4 subsection (b) to grow and diversify the maternal mental 5 and behavioral health care workforce. 6 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—Recipients of grants under 7 this section shall use the grants to grow and diversify the 8 maternal mental and behavioral health care workforce 9 by— 10 ‘‘(1) establishing schools or programs that pro- 11 vide education and training to individuals seeking 12 appropriate licensing or certification as mental or 13 behavioral health care providers who will specialize 14 in maternal mental health conditions or substance 15 use disorders; or 16 ‘‘(2) expanding the capacity of existing schools 17 or programs described in paragraph (1), for the pur- 18 poses of increasing the number of students enrolled 19 in such schools or programs, including by awarding 20 scholarships for students. 21 ‘‘(c) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding grants under 22 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to any entity 23 that— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1602 IS ‘‘(1) has demonstrated a commitment to re- 1 cruiting and retaining students and faculty from ra- 2 cial and ethnic minority groups; 3 ‘‘(2) has developed a strategy to recruit and re- 4 tain a diverse pool of students into the maternal 5 mental or behavioral health care workforce program 6 or school supported by funds received through the 7 grant, particularly from racial and ethnic minority 8 groups and other underserved populations; 9 ‘‘(3) has developed a strategy to recruit and re- 10 tain students who plan to practice in a health pro- 11 fessional shortage area designated under section 12 332; 13 ‘‘(4) has developed a strategy to recruit and re- 14 tain students who plan to practice in an area with 15 significant maternal health disparities, to the extent 16 practicable; and 17 ‘‘(5) includes in the standard curriculum for all 18 students within the maternal mental or behavioral 19 health care workforce program or school a bias, rac- 20 ism, or discrimination training program that in- 21 cludes training on implicit bias and racism. 22 ‘‘(d) REPORTING.—As a condition on receipt of a 23 grant under this section for a maternal mental or behav- 24 ioral health care workforce program or school, an entity 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1602 IS shall agree to submit to the Secretary an annual report 1 on the activities conducted through the grant, including— 2 ‘‘(1) the number and demographics of students 3 participating in the program or school; 4 ‘‘(2) the extent to which students in the pro- 5 gram or school are entering careers in— 6 ‘‘(A) health professional shortage areas 7 designated under section 332; and 8 ‘‘(B) areas with significant maternal health 9 disparities, to the extent such data are avail- 10 able; and 11 ‘‘(3) whether the program or school has in- 12 cluded in the standard curriculum for all students a 13 bias, racism, or discrimination training program that 14 includes training on implicit bias and racism, and if 15 so the effectiveness of such training program. 16 ‘‘(e) PERIOD OF GRANTS.—The period of a grant 17 under this section shall be up to 5 years. 18 ‘‘(f) APPLICATION.—To seek a grant under this sec- 19 tion, an entity shall submit to the Secretary an application 20 at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor- 21 mation as the Secretary may require, including any infor- 22 mation necessary for prioritization under subsection (c). 23 ‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 24 provide, directly or by contract, technical assistance to en- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1602.IS S1602 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1602 IS tities seeking or receiving a grant under this section on 1 the development, use, evaluation, and postgrant period 2 sustainability of the maternal mental or behavioral health 3 care workforce programs or schools proposed to be, or 4 being, established or expanded through the grant. 5 ‘‘(h) REPORT BY THE SECRETARY.—Not later than 6 4 years after the date of enactment of this section, the 7 Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Congress, and 8 post on the internet website of the Department of Health 9 and Human Services, a report on the effectiveness of the 10 grant program under this section at— 11 ‘‘(1) recruiting students from racial and ethnic 12 minority groups and other underserved population [Text truncated for display. 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