Federal

Community Mentors for Moms Act

Source: Congress.gov · 2,590 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill creates a new grant program called the Community Mentors for Moms Act that provides federal funding to organizations to run mentoring programs for mothers. These programs pair pregnant women and mothers of young children with community volunteer mentors to improve their health, finances and access to social services.

Who It Affects

- Pregnant women and mothers of children under age 6 - Local governments, Indian tribes and nonprofits that run mentoring programs - The federal Department of Health and Human Services (which manages the program) - Religious organizations that want to participate in the program

Key Provisions

- Organizations applying for grants must describe how their programs will improve maternal health, increase access to mentoring relationships and use community volunteer mentors (Sec. 514(b)(1)) - Programs must include one-on-one mentoring, assess each mother's individual needs, recruit volunteer mentors and train them on best practices and available resources (Sec. 514(c)(1)) - Organizations must establish measurable goals for 3 and 5 years, showing improvements in areas like maternal health, financial literacy and access to community resources (Sec. 514(c)(2)(A)) - Organizations must prioritize serving low-income mothers, pregnant women under 21, mothers in high-risk health populations and mothers in qualified opportunity zones (Sec. 514(d)) - Grant funds cannot go to organizations that perform abortions, refer for abortions or provide financial support to abortion providers (Sec. 514(k)(3))

What Changes

If this bill becomes law, the federal government will begin distributing grants to eligible organizations to establish community-based maternal mentoring programs. Organizations that currently provide maternal services will be able to apply for additional funding to expand mentoring components. The bill requires these programs to track specific outcomes and report progress annually.

Important Definitions

- Eligible mother: A pregnant woman or a woman who is the primary caregiver for a child under 6 years old (Sec. 514(k)(2)) - Eligible entity: A local government, Indian tribe, nonprofit organization or religious organization with a history of serving mothers (Sec. 514(k)(1)) - Community-based mentoring relationship: A dedicated mentor or group of mentors who regularly meets with a mother to help her address barriers to healthcare, mental health, physical health and financial stability by connecting her to community resources (Sec. 514(k)(4)) - Prohibited entity: An organization that performs abortions, induces abortions, refers people for abortions or counsels in favor of abortions, or gives money to organizations that do these things (Sec. 514(k)(3))

Effective Date

Not specified in bill text

I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 477 To amend title V of the Social Security Act to establish a grant program for community-based maternal mentoring programs. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 24, 2023 Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend title V of the Social Security Act to establish a grant program for community-based maternal men- toring programs. 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 ‘‘Community Mentors 4 for Moms Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED MATERNAL MEN- 6 TORING PROGRAMS. 7 Title V of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 701 8 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 477 IH ‘‘SEC. 514. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED MATERNAL 1 MENTORING PROGRAMS. 2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any other pay- 3 ments made under this title to a State, the Secretary shall 4 make grants to eligible entities to conduct demonstration 5 projects for, and enable such entities to deliver services 6 under, community-based mentoring programs that satisfy 7 the requirements of subsection (c) to eligible mothers in 8 order to promote improvements in maternal and child well- 9 being, financial stewardship, child development, parenting, 10 and access to social services and other community re- 11 sources. 12 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—The Secretary may not award 13 funds made available under this subsection on a non- 14 competitive basis, and may not provide any such funds to 15 an entity for the purpose of carrying out a community- 16 based mentoring program unless the entity has submitted 17 an application to the Secretary that includes— 18 ‘‘(1) a description of how the programs or ac- 19 tivities proposed in the application will improve ma- 20 ternal mental and physical health outcomes in a 21 service area identified by the entity, substantially in- 22 crease the number of eligible mothers in a service 23 area with access to a community-based mentoring 24 relationship, utilize community volunteer mentors, 25 and supplement, including by avoiding duplication 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 477 IH with, existing social services and community re- 1 sources; 2 ‘‘(2) a description of how the program will part- 3 ner with other community institutions, including pri- 4 vate institutions, in identifying eligible mothers in 5 need of a mentor and, as applicable, creating sup- 6 port communities among eligible mothers; 7 ‘‘(3) a description of the populations to be 8 served by the entity, including specific information 9 on how the entity will serve eligible mothers who be- 10 long to high-risk populations as identified in sub- 11 section (d); 12 ‘‘(4) a description of the maternal and child 13 health indicators, financial well-being, and other 14 needs of populations to be served by the entity as 15 described in paragraph (3), including, to the extent 16 practicable, the prevalence of mentoring opportuni- 17 ties for such populations; 18 ‘‘(5) the quantifiable benchmarks that will be 19 used to measure program success; 20 ‘‘(6) a commitment by the entity to consult 21 with experts with a demonstrated history of men- 22 toring and case management success in achieving 23 the outcomes described in subsection (c)(2)(A) in de- 24 veloping the programs and activities; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 477 IH ‘‘(7) such other application information as the 1 Secretary may deem necessary, with the goal of 2 minimizing the application burden on small non- 3 governmental organizations that would otherwise 4 qualify for the grant. 5 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.— 6 ‘‘(1) CORE COMPONENTS.—A community ma- 7 ternal mentoring program conducted with a grant 8 made under this section shall include the following 9 core components: 10 ‘‘(A) Provision of community-based men- 11 toring relationships for eligible mothers, which 12 may include dedicated individual mentors and 13 networks of peer and community support 14 groups. 15 ‘‘(B) An individualized needs assessment 16 for each eligible mother participating in the 17 program, to be administered at the outset of 18 the program. 19 ‘‘(C) Recruitment and utilization of com- 20 munity-based, volunteer mentors. 21 ‘‘(D) Provision of training to participating 22 mentors to equip them with mentoring best 23 practices and knowledge of public and private 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 477 IH resources available to eligible mothers (includ- 1 ing public social services). 2 ‘‘(2) MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENTS IN BENCH- 3 MARK AREAS.— 4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The eligible entity 5 shall establish, subject to the approval of the 6 Secretary, quantifiable, measurable 3- and 5- 7 year benchmarks demonstrating the program 8 results in improvements for eligible mothers 9 participating in the program in the following 10 areas: 11 ‘‘(i) The number of eligible mothers in 12 the eligible entity’s service area with access 13 to a community-based mentoring relation- 14 ship. 15 ‘‘(ii) Improved maternal and child 16 health, including mental and behavioral 17 health. 18 ‘‘(iii) Improved financial literacy. 19 ‘‘(iv) Improved family economic self- 20 sufficiency. 21 ‘‘(v) Improved coordination and refer- 22 rals for other community resources and 23 supports, including public and private re- 24 sources. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 477 IH ‘‘(B) DEMONSTRATION OF IMPROVE- 1 MENT.— 2 ‘‘(i) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.— 3 Not later than 30 days after the end of the 4 third year in which the eligible entity con- 5 ducts the program, the entity shall submit 6 to the Secretary a report describing the 7 program’s results in the areas specified in 8 subparagraph (A). 9 ‘‘(ii) IMPROVEMENT PLAN.—If the re- 10 port submitted to the Secretary fails to 11 demonstrate improvements in at least 3 of 12 the areas outlined in subparagraph (A), 13 the eligible entity shall develop and imple- 14 ment a plan to improve outcomes in each 15 of the areas specified in subparagraph (A), 16 subject to approval by the Secretary. 17 ‘‘(iii) NO IMPROVEMENT OR FAILURE 18 TO SUBMIT REPORT.—If, 1 year after an 19 eligible entity submits an improvement 20 plan under clause (ii), the Secretary deter- 21 mines that the entity has failed to dem- 22 onstrate any improvement in the areas 23 specified in subparagraph (A), or if the 24 Secretary determines that an eligible entity 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •HR 477 IH has failed to submit the report required 1 under clause (i), and has not agreed to a 2 reasonable timeline to submit such report 3 under such conditions as may be deter- 4 mined by the Secretary, the Secretary shall 5 terminate the entity’s grant and may re- 6 allocate any unpaid grant funds toward fu- 7 ture grants provided under this section. 8 ‘‘(3) IMPROVEMENTS IN PARTICIPANT OUT- 9 COMES.— 10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The program is de- 11 signed, with respect to an eligible mother par- 12 ticipating in the program, to result in the par- 13 ticipant outcomes described in subparagraph 14 (B) that are relevant to the mother (as deter- 15 mined pursuant to an individualized needs as- 16 sessment administered to the mother). 17 ‘‘(B) PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES.—The par- 18 ticipant outcomes described in this subpara- 19 graph are the following: 20 ‘‘(i) Improvements in prenatal and 21 maternal health, including mental and be- 22 havioral health and improved pregnancy 23 outcomes. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 8 •HR 477 IH ‘‘(ii) Improvements in child health 1 and development, including the prevention 2 of child injuries and maltreatment. 3 ‘‘(iii) Higher levels of engagement be- 4 tween mothers, children, and their health 5 providers. 6 ‘‘(iv) Reductions in mother’s stress 7 and anxiety. 8 ‘‘(v) Improvements in parenting skills. 9 ‘‘(vi) Improvement in financial literacy 10 skills. 11 ‘‘(vii) Improvements in child’s school 12 readiness and academic achievement. 13 ‘‘(viii) Improvements in family eco- 14 nomic self-sufficiency. 15 ‘‘(ix) Improvements in the coordina- 16 tion of referrals for, and the provision of, 17 other community resources, including pri- 18 vate and public resources, and supports for 19 eligible families. 20 ‘‘(d) PRIORITIZATION.—An eligible entity receiving a 21 grant under this section shall identify and prioritize high- 22 risk populations in provision of services, including— 23 ‘‘(1) low-income eligible mothers; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 9 •HR 477 IH ‘‘(2) eligible mothers who are pregnant women 1 who have not attained the age of 21; 2 ‘‘(3) eligible mothers from populations with a 3 high risk of maternal morbidity; 4 ‘‘(4) eligible mothers with a history of sub- 5 stance abuse or victims of domestic abuse; 6 ‘‘(5) eligible mothers with children with develop- 7 mental disabilities; and 8 ‘‘(6) eligible mothers residing in a qualified op- 9 portunity zone, as designated under section 1400Z– 10 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 11 ‘‘(e) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—Funds provided to 12 an eligible entity under a grant awarded under subsection 13 (a) shall supplement, and not supplant, funds from other 14 sources for maternal mentorship or case management 15 services. 16 ‘‘(f)(1) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall engage in 17 ongoing research and evaluation activities in order to in- 18 crease knowledge about the implementation and effective- 19 ness of community maternal mentoring programs. The 20 Secretary may carry out such activities directly, or 21 through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts, and 22 shall submit a report to Congress not less than annually 23 on the research and evaluation steps being taken to meas- 24 ure the impact and effectiveness of programs funded 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 10 •HR 477 IH under this subchapter, as well as any interim outcomes 1 that may be available. 2 ‘‘(2) REPORT REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 3 3 years after the date of enactment of this section, the Sec- 4 retary shall submit a report to Congress on the effective- 5 ness of programs funded with grants under subsection (a) 6 in producing the outcomes described in subsection 7 (c)(3)(B), which shall include recommendations for im- 8 proving program design and implementation. 9 ‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 10 provide an eligible entity required to develop and imple- 11 ment an improvement plan under clause (c)(2)(B) with 12 technical assistance to develop and implement the plan. 13 The Secretary may provide the technical assistance di- 14 rectly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agree- 15 ments. 16 ‘‘(h) NO FUNDS TO PROHIBITED ENTITIES.—No 17 prohibited entity shall be eligible to receive a grant under 18 subsection (a), or any other funds made available by this 19 section. 20 ‘‘(i) PROTECTIONS FOR PARTICIPATING RELIGIOUS 21 ORGANIZATIONS.—A religious organization shall be eligi- 22 ble to apply for and receive funding for a program under 23 this section on the same basis as a nonreligious organiza- 24 tion, and a religious organization’s exemptions, in title VII 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 11 •HR 477 IH of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (including exemption from 1 prohibitions in employment discrimination in section 2 702(a) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 2000e–1(a))), title VIII of 3 the Civil Rights Act of 1968, title IX of the Educational 4 Amendments of 1987, the Americans with Disabilities Act, 5 the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Religious 6 Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or any other 7 provision in law providing an exemption for a religious or- 8 ganization, shall not be waived by its participation in, or 9 receipt of funds from, a grant provided by this section. 10 ‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 11 purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized 12 to be appropriated $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 13 2024 through 2026. 14 ‘‘(1) RESERVATIONS.—Of the amounts appro- 15 priated under this subsection for a fiscal year (or 16 portion of a fiscal year), the Secretary shall reserve 17 3 percent for purposes of carrying out subsections 18 (f) and (g). 19 ‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY.—Funds made available to 20 an eligible entity under this section for a fiscal year 21 (or portion of a fiscal year) shall remain available 22 for expenditure by the eligible entity through the end 23 of the third succeeding fiscal year after award. 24 ‘‘(k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:05 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H477.IH H477 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 12 •HR 477 IH ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en- 1 tity’ means a local government, Indian Tribe (or a 2 consortium of Indian Tribes), Tribal Organization, 3 Urban Indian Organization, or nonprofit organiza- 4 tion, including religious organizations, with a dem- 5 onstrated history of serving eligible mothers. 6 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE MOTHER.—The term ‘eligible 7 mother’ means— 8 ‘‘(A) a woman who is pregnant; or 9 ‘‘(B) a woman who has primary caregiving 10 responsibilities for a child under the age of 6. 11 ‘‘(3) PROHIBITED ENTITY.—The term ‘prohib- 12 ited entity’ means an entity, including its affiliates, 13 subsidiaries, successors, and clinics that, as of the 14 date of enactment of this section, performs, induces, 15 refers for, or counsels in favor of abortions, or pro- 16 vides financial support to any other organization 17 that conducts such activities. 18 ‘‘(4) [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]

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