Moms Matter Act

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3312 To address maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 15, 2023 Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER (for herself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Ms. UNDER- WOOD) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL 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 of Health and 7 Human Services, acting through the Assistant Secretary 8 for Mental Health and Substance Use, shall establish a 9 program to award grants to eligible entities to address ma- 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3312 IH ternal mental health conditions and substance use dis- 1 orders, with a focus on demographic groups with elevated 2 rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, 3 maternal health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or 4 childbirth outcomes. 5 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 6 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 7 Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 8 and containing such information as the Secretary may re- 9 quire. 10 (c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec- 11 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity 12 that— 13 (1) is, or will partner with, a community-based 14 organization to address maternal mental health con- 15 ditions and substance use disorders described in sub- 16 section (a); 17 (2) is operating in an area with elevated rates 18 of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, 19 maternal health disparities, or other adverse 20 perinatal or childbirth outcomes; and 21 (3) is operating in a health professional short- 22 age area designated under section 332 of the Public 23 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3312 IH (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\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3312 IH 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\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3312 IH 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\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3312 IH 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\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3312 IH (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\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3312 IH 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(1)). 10 (3) MATERNAL MORTALITY.—The term ‘‘mater- 11 nal mortality’’ means a death occurring during or 12 within a 1-year period after pregnancy, caused by 13 pregnancy-related or childbirth complications, in- 14 cluding a suicide, overdose, or other death resulting 15 from a mental health or substance use disorder at- 16 tributed to or aggravated by pregnancy-related or 17 childbirth complications. 18 (4) MATERNITY CARE PROVIDER.—The term 19 ‘‘maternity care provider’’ means a health care pro- 20 vider who— 21 (A) is a physician, a physician assistant, a 22 midwife who meets, at a minimum, the inter- 23 national definition of a midwife and global 24 standards for midwifery education as estab- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3312 IH lished by the International Confederation of 1 Midwives, an advanced practice registered 2 nurse, or a lactation consultant certified by the 3 International Board of Lactation Consultant 4 Examiners; and 5 (B) has a focus on maternal or perinatal 6 health. 7 (5) POSTPARTUM AND POSTPARTUM PERIOD.— 8 The terms ‘‘postpartum’’ and ‘‘postpartum period’’ 9 refer to the 1-year period beginning on the last day 10 of the pregnancy of an individual. 11 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 12 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 13 (7) SEVERE MATERNAL MORBIDITY.—The term 14 ‘‘severe maternal morbidity’’ means a health condi- 15 tion, including mental health conditions and sub- 16 stance use disorders, attributed to or aggravated by 17 pregnancy or childbirth that results in significant 18 short-term or long-term consequences to the health 19 of the individual who was pregnant. 20 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 21 out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 22 $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2027. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3312 IH SEC. 3. GRANTS TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY THE MATERNAL 1 MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE 2 WORKFORCE. 3 Title VII of the Public Health Service Act is amended 4 by inserting after section 757 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 5 294f) the following new section: 6 ‘‘SEC. 758. MATERNAL MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 7 CARE WORKFORCE GRANTS. 8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award grants 9 to entities to establish or expand programs described in 10 subsection (b) to grow and diversify the maternal mental 11 and behavioral health care workforce. 12 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—Recipients of grants under 13 this section shall use the grants to grow and diversify the 14 maternal mental and behavioral health care workforce 15 by— 16 ‘‘(1) establishing schools or programs that pro- 17 vide education and training to individuals seeking 18 appropriate licensing or certification as mental or 19 behavioral health care providers who will specialize 20 in maternal mental health conditions or substance 21 use disorders; or 22 ‘‘(2) expanding the capacity of existing schools 23 or programs described in paragraph (1), for the pur- 24 poses of increasing the number of students enrolled 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3312 IH in such schools or programs, including by awarding 1 scholarships for students. 2 ‘‘(c) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding grants under 3 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to any entity 4 that— 5 ‘‘(1) has demonstrated a commitment to re- 6 cruiting and retaining students and faculty from ra- 7 cial and ethnic minority groups; 8 ‘‘(2) has developed a strategy to recruit and re- 9 tain a diverse pool of students into the maternal 10 mental or behavioral health care workforce program 11 or school supported by funds received through the 12 grant, particularly from racial and ethnic minority 13 groups and other underserved populations; 14 ‘‘(3) has developed a strategy to recruit and re- 15 tain students who plan to practice in a health pro- 16 fessional shortage area designated under section 17 332; 18 ‘‘(4) has developed a strategy to recruit and re- 19 tain students who plan to practice in an area with 20 significant maternal health disparities, to the extent 21 practicable; and 22 ‘‘(5) includes in the standard curriculum for all 23 students within the maternal mental or behavioral 24 health care workforce program or school a bias, rac- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:52 May 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3312.IH H3312 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3312 IH ism, or discrimination training program that in- 1 cludes training on implicit bias and racism. 2 ‘‘(d) REPORTING.—As a condition on receipt of a 3 grant under this section for a maternal mental or behav- 4 ioral health care workforce program or school, an entity 5 shall agree to submit to the Secretary an annual report 6 on the activities conducted through the grant, including— 7 ‘‘(1) the number and demographics of students 8 participating in the program or school; 9 ‘‘(2) the extent to which students in the pro- 10 gram or school are entering careers in— 11 ‘‘(A) health professional shortage areas 12 designated under section 332; and 13 ‘‘(B) areas with significant maternal health 14 disparities, to the extent such data are [Text truncated for display. 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