Kira Johnson Act

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3310 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 MAY 15, 2023 Ms. ADAMS (for herself, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. AGUILAR, Mr. ALLRED, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. BUDZINSKI, Ms. BUSH, Ms. CARAVEO, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COHEN, Ms. CRAIG, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. GARAMENDI, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. GARCI´A of Illi- nois, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. IVEY, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. JACOBS, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. KUSTER, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LIEU, Ms. LOFGREN, Mrs. MCBATH, Mrs. MCCLELLAN, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. MENG, Mr. MFUME, Mr. MORELLE, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. MRVAN, Mr. MULLIN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. NEGUSE, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PHILLIPS, Ms. PORTER, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. RUPPERS- BERGER, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. SCHOLTEN, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. SOTO, Ms. SPANBERGER, Ms. STANSBURY, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mrs. SYKES, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. TONKO, Mrs. TORRES of California, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. TRONE, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. WEXTON, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mr. PASCRELL, Ms. DELBENE, and Mr. LYNCH) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com- merce VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H3310.IH H3310 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3310 IH 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 SEC. 2. SUSTAINED FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY-BASED OR- 5 GANIZATIONS TO ADVANCE MATERNAL 6 HEALTH EQUITY. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 8 Human Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Sec- 9 retary’’) shall award grants to eligible entities to establish 10 or expand programs to advance maternal health equity. 11 (b) TIMING.—Following the 1-year period described 12 in subsection (d), the Secretary shall commence awarding 13 the grants authorized by subsection (a). 14 (c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to seek a 15 grant under this section, an entity shall be a community- 16 based organization offering programs and resources 17 aligned with evidence-based practices for improving mater- 18 nal health outcomes for demographic groups with elevated 19 rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, 20 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3310.IH H3310 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3310 IH maternal health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or 1 childbirth outcomes. 2 (d) OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PE- 3 RIOD.—During the 1-year period beginning on the date 4 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— 5 (1) conduct outreach to encourage eligible enti- 6 ties to apply for grants under this section; and 7 (2) provide technical assistance to eligible enti- 8 ties on best practices for applying for grants under 9 this section. 10 (e) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.— 11 (1) OUTREACH.—In conducting outreach under 12 subsection (d), the Secretary shall give special con- 13 sideration to eligible entities that— 14 (A) are based in, and provide support for, 15 communities with elevated rates of maternal 16 mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal 17 health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or 18 childbirth outcomes, to the extent such data are 19 available; 20 (B) are led by individuals from demo- 21 graphic groups with elevated rates of maternal 22 mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal 23 health disparities, or other adverse perinatal or 24 childbirth outcomes; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3310.IH H3310 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3310 IH (C) offer programs and resources that are 1 aligned with evidence-based practices for im- 2 proving maternal health outcomes for individ- 3 uals from demographic groups with elevated 4 rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal 5 morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other 6 adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes. 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 individ- 14 uals from demographic groups with elevated 15 rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal 16 morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other 17 adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes; 18 (C) offer programs and resources in the 19 communities in which the respective eligible en- 20 tities are located that— 21 (i) promote maternal mental health 22 and maternal substance use disorder treat- 23 ments and supports that are aligned with 24 evidence-based practices for improving ma- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3310.IH H3310 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3310 IH ternal mental and behavioral health out- 1 comes for individuals from demographic 2 groups with elevated rates of maternal 3 mortality, severe maternal morbidity, ma- 4 ternal health disparities, or other adverse 5 perinatal or childbirth outcomes; 6 (ii) address social determinants of ma- 7 ternal health; 8 (iii) promote evidence-based health lit- 9 eracy and pregnancy, childbirth, and par- 10 enting education; 11 (iv) provide support from perinatal 12 health workers; 13 (v) provide culturally and linguis- 14 tically congruent training to perinatal 15 health workers; 16 (vi) conduct or support research on 17 maternal health issues disproportionately 18 impacting individuals from demographic 19 groups with elevated rates of maternal 20 mortality, severe maternal morbidity, ma- 21 ternal health disparities, or other adverse 22 perinatal or childbirth outcomes; 23 (vii) offer group prenatal care or 24 group postpartum care; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3310.IH H3310 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3310 IH (viii) coordinate mutual aid efforts 1 during infant formula shortages, including 2 community milk depots, donor human milk 3 banks and exchanges, and forums for com- 4 munity outreach and education; 5 (ix) provide support to individuals or 6 family members of individuals who suffered 7 a pregnancy loss, pregnancy-associated 8 death, or pregnancy-related death; or 9 (x) operate midwifery practices that 10 provide culturally and linguistically con- 11 gruent maternal health care and support, 12 including for the purposes of— 13 (I) supporting additional edu- 14 cation, training, and certification pro- 15 grams, including support for distance 16 learning; 17 (II) providing financial support 18 to current and future midwives to ad- 19 dress education costs, debts, and 20 other needs; 21 (III) clinical site investments; 22 (IV) supporting preceptor devel- 23 opment trainings; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3310.IH H3310 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3310 IH (V) expanding the midwifery 1 practice; or 2 (VI) related needs identified by 3 the midwifery practice and described 4 in the practice’s application; and 5 (D) have developed other programs and re- 6 sources that address community-specific needs 7 for pregnant and postpartum individuals and 8 are aligned with evidence-based practices for 9 improving maternal health outcomes for individ- 10 uals from demographic groups with elevated 11 rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal 12 morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other 13 adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes. 14 (f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 15 provide to grant recipients under this section technical as- 16 sistance on— 17 (1) capacity building to establish or expand pro- 18 grams to advance maternal health equity; 19 (2) best practices in data collection, measure- 20 ment, evaluation, and reporting; and 21 (3) planning for sustaining programs to ad- 22 vance maternal health equity after the period of the 23 grant. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3310.IH H3310 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3310 IH (g) EVALUATION.—Not later than the end of fiscal 1 year 2028, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress an 2 evaluation of the grant program under this section that— 3 (1) assesses the effectiveness of outreach efforts 4 during the application process in diversifying the 5 pool of grant recipients; 6 (2) makes recommendations for future outreach 7 efforts to diversify the pool of grant recipients for 8 Department of Health and Human Services grant 9 programs and funding opportunities related to ma- 10 ternal health; 11 (3) assesses the effectiveness of programs fund- 12 ed by grants under this section in improving mater- 13 nal health outcomes for individuals from demo- 14 graphic groups with elevated rates of maternal mor- 15 tality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal health 16 disparities, or other adverse perinatal or childbirth 17 outcomes, to the extent practicable; and 18 (4) makes recommendations for future Depart- 19 ment of Health and Human Services grant programs 20 and funding opportunities that deliver funding to 21 community-based organizations that provide pro- 22 grams and resources that are aligned with evidence- 23 based practices for improving maternal health out- 24 comes for individuals from demographic groups with 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3310.IH H3310 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3310 IH elevated rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal 1 morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other ad- 2 verse perinatal or childbirth outcomes. 3 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 4 out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 5 $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 6 SEC. 3. RESPECTFUL MATERNITY CARE TRAINING FOR ALL 7 EMPLOYEES IN MATERNITY CARE SETTINGS. 8 Part B of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 9 (42 U.S.C. 293 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 10 the following new section: 11 ‘‘SEC. 742. RESPECTFUL MATERNITY CARE TRAINING FOR 12 ALL EMPLOYEES IN MATERNITY CARE SET- 13 TINGS. 14 ‘‘(a) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall award grants for 15 programs to reduce and prevent bias, racism, and dis- 16 crimination in maternity care settings and to advance re- 17 spectful, culturally and linguistically congruent, trauma- 18 informed care. 19 ‘‘(b) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.—In awarding grants 20 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give special con- 21 sideration to applications for programs that would— 22 ‘‘(1) apply to all maternity care providers and 23 any employees who interact with pregnant and 24 postpartum individuals in the provider setting, in- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3310.IH H3310 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3310 IH cluding front desk employees, sonographers, sched- 1 ulers, health care professionals, hospital or health 2 system administrators, security staff, and other em- 3 ployees; 4 ‘‘(2) emphasize periodic, as opposed to one- 5 time, trainings for all birthing professionals and em- 6 ployees described in paragraph (1); 7 ‘‘(3) address implicit bias, racism, and cultural 8 humility; 9 ‘‘(4) be delivered in ongoing education settings 10 for providers maintaining their licenses, with a pref- 11 erence for trainings that provide continuing edu- 12 cation units; 13 ‘‘(5) include trauma-informed care best prac- 14 tices and an emphasis on shared decision making be- 15 tween providers and patients; 16 ‘‘(6) include antiracism training and programs; 17 ‘‘(7) be delivered in undergraduate programs 18 that funnel into health professions schools; 19 ‘‘(8) be delivered in settings that apply to pro- 20 viders of the special supplemental nutrition program 21 for women, infants, and children under section 17 of 22 the Child Nutrition Act of 1966; 23 ‘‘(9) integrate bias training in obstetric emer- 24 gency simulation trainings or related trainings; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:11 May 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3310.IH H3310 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3310 IH ‘‘(10) include training for emergency depart- 1 ment employees and emergency medical technicians 2 on recognizing warning signs for severe pregnancy- 3 related complications; 4 ‘‘(11) offer training to all maternity care pro- 5 viders on the value of racially, ethnically, and profes- 6 sionally diverse maternity care teams to provide cul- 7 turally and linguistically congruent care; or 8 ‘‘(12) be based on one or more programs de- 9 signed by a historically Black college or university or 10 other minority-serving institution. 11 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To seek a grant under sub- 12 section (a), an entity shall submit an application at such 13 time, in such manner, and containing such information as 14 the Secretary may require. 15 ‘‘(d) REPORTING.—Each recipient of a grant under 16 this section shall annually submit to the Secretary a report 17 on the status of activities conducted using the grant, in- 18 cluding, as applicable, a description of the impact of train- 19 ing provided through the grant on patient outcomes and 20 patient experience for pregnant and postpartum individ- 21 uals from racial and ethnic minority groups and their fam- 22 ilies. 23 ‘‘(e) BEST PRACTICES.—Based on the annual reports 24 submitted pursuant to subsection (d), the Secretary— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:1 [Text truncated for display. 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