II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 484 

To establish grant programs for maternal mental health equity and to grow 

and diversify the maternal mental and behavioral health care workforce. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 25, 2021 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Ms. SMITH, Mrs. SHAHEEN, and Mr. SANDERS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To establish grant programs for maternal mental health equity and to grow and diversify the maternal mental and 

behavioral health care workforce. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Moms Matter Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH EQUITY GRANT PRO6 GRAM. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 

8 Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, 

9 shall establish a program to award grants to eligible entiVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:58 Mar 21, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S484.IS S484

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1 ties to address maternal mental health conditions and sub2 stance use disorders with respect to pregnant and 

3 postpartum individuals, with a focus on racial and ethnic 

4 minority groups. 

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 

9 provide, including how such entity will use funds for activi10 ties described in subsection (d) that are culturally con11 gruent. 

12 (c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec13 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity 

14 that— 

15 (1) is, or will partner with, a community-based 

16 organization to address maternal mental health con17 ditions and substance use disorders described in sub18 section (a); 

19 (2) is operating in an area with high rates of— 

20 (A) adverse maternal health outcomes; or 

21 (B) significant racial or ethnic disparities 

22 in maternal health outcomes; and 

23 (3) is operating in a health professional short24 age area designated under section 332 of the Public 

25 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e). 


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1 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 

2 a grant under this section shall use funds for the fol3 lowing: 

4 (1) Establishing or expanding maternity care 

5 programs to improve the integration of maternal 

6 health and behavioral health care services into pri7 mary care settings where pregnant individuals regu8 larly receive health care services. 

9 (2) Establishing or expanding group prenatal 

10 care programs or postpartum care programs. 

11 (3) Expanding existing programs that improve 

12 maternal mental and behavioral health during the 

13 prenatal and postpartum periods, with a focus on in14 dividuals from racial and ethnic minority groups. 

15 (4) Providing services and support for pregnant 

16 and postpartum individuals with maternal mental 

17 health conditions and substance use disorders, in18 cluding referrals to addiction treatment centers that 

19 offer evidence-based treatment options. 

20 (5) Addressing stigma associated with maternal 

21 mental health conditions and substance use dis22 orders, with a focus on racial and ethnic minority 

23 groups. 

24 (6) Raising awareness of warning signs of ma25 ternal mental health conditions and substance use 


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1 disorders, with a focus on pregnant and postpartum 

2 individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups. 

3 (7) Establishing or expanding programs to pre4 vent suicide or self-harm among pregnant and 

5 postpartum individuals. 

6 (8) Offering evidence-aligned programs at free7 standing birth centers that provide maternal mental 

8 and behavioral health care education, treatments, 

9 and services, and other services for individuals 

10 throughout the prenatal and postpartum period. 

11 (9) Establishing or expanding programs to pro12 vide education and training to maternity care pro13 viders with respect to— 

14 (A) identifying potential warning signs for 

15 maternal mental health conditions or substance 

16 use disorders in pregnant and postpartum indi17 viduals, with a focus on individuals from racial 

18 and ethnic minority groups; and 

19 (B) in the case where such providers iden20 tify such warning signs, offering referrals to 

21 mental and behavioral health care professionals. 

22 (10) Developing a website, or other source, that 

23 includes information on health care providers who 

24 treat maternal mental health conditions and sub25 stance use disorders. 


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1 (11) Establishing or expanding programs in 

2 communities to improve coordination between mater3 nity care providers and mental and behavioral health 

4 care providers who treat maternal mental health 

5 conditions and substance use disorders, including 

6 through the use of toll-free hotlines. 

7 (12) Carrying out other programs aligned with 

8 evidence-based practices for addressing maternal 

9 mental health conditions and substance use dis10 orders for pregnant and postpartum individuals from 

11 racial and ethnic minority groups. 

12 (e) REPORTING.— 

13 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An eligible entity 

14 that receives a grant under subsection (a) shall sub15 mit annually to the Secretary, and make publicly 

16 available, a report on the activities conducted using 

17 funds received through a grant under this section. 

18 Such reports shall include quantitative and quali19 tative evaluations of such activities, including the ex20 perience of individuals who received health care 

21 through such grant. 

22 (2) SECRETARY.—Not later than the end of fis23 cal year 2024, the Secretary shall submit to Con24 gress a report that includes— 


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1 (A) a summary of the reports received 

2 under paragraph (1); 

3 (B) an evaluation of the effectiveness of 

4 grants awarded under this section; 

5 (C) recommendations with respect to ex6 panding coverage of evidence-based screenings 

7 and treatments for maternal mental health con8 ditions and substance use disorders; and 

9 (D) recommendations with respect to en10 suring activities described under subsection (d) 

11 continue after the end of a grant period. 

12 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

13 (1) CULTURALLY CONGRUENT.—The term ‘‘cul14 turally congruent’’, with respect to care or maternity 

15 care, means care that is in agreement with the pre16 ferred cultural values, beliefs, worldview, language, 

17 and practices of the health care consumer and other 

18 stakeholders. 

19 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti20 ty’’ means— 

21 (A) a community-based organization serv22 ing pregnant and postpartum individuals, in23 cluding such organizations serving individuals 

24 from racial and ethnic minority groups and 

25 other underserved populations; 


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1 (B) a nonprofit or patient advocacy organi2 zation with expertise in maternal mental and 

3 behavioral health; 

4 (C) a maternity care provider; 

5 (D) a mental or behavioral health care pro6 vider who treats maternal mental health condi7 tions or substance use disorders; 

8 (E) a State or local governmental entity, 

9 including a State or local public health depart10 ment; 

11 (F) an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization 

12 (as such terms are defined in section 4 of the 

13 Indian Self-Determination and Education As14 sistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); and 

15 (G) an Urban Indian organization (as such 

16 term is defined in section 4 of the Indian 

17 Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 

18 1603)). 

19 (3) FREESTANDING BIRTH CENTER.—The term 

20 ‘‘freestanding birth center’’ has the meaning given 

21 that term under section 1905(l) of the Social Secu22 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1396d(1)). 

23 (4) MATERNITY CARE PROVIDER.—The term 

24 ‘‘maternity care provider’’ means a health care pro25 vider who— 


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1 (A) is a physician, physician assistant, 

2 midwife who meets at a minimum the inter3 national definition of the midwife and global 

4 standards for midwifery education as estab5 lished by the International Confederation of 

6 Midwives, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse 

7 specialist; and 

8 (B) has a focus on maternal or perinatal 

9 health. 

10 (5) POSTPARTUM AND POSTPARTUM PERIOD.— 

11 The terms ‘‘postpartum’’ and ‘‘postpartum period’’ 

12 refer to the 1-year period beginning on the last day 

13 of the pregnancy of an individual. 

14 (6) RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY GROUP.— 

15 The term ‘‘racial and ethnic minority group’’ has the 

16 meaning given such term in section 1707(g)(1) of 

17 the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u– 

18 6(g)(1)). 

19 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

20 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

21 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

22 out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 

23 $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025. 


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1 SEC. 3. GRANTS TO GROW AND DIVERSIFY THE MATERNAL 

2 MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE 

3 WORKFORCE. 

4 Title VII of the Public Health Service Act is amended 

5 by inserting after section 757 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

6 294f) the following new section: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 758. MATERNAL MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 

8 CARE WORKFORCE GRANTS. 

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award grants 

10 to entities to establish or expand programs described in 

11 subsection (b) to grow and diversify the maternal mental 

12 and behavioral health care workforce. 

13 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—Recipients of grants under 

14 this section shall use the grants to grow and diversify the 

15 maternal mental and behavioral health care workforce 

16 by— 

17 ‘‘(1) establishing schools or programs that pro18 vide education and training to individuals seeking 

19 appropriate licensing or certification as mental or 

20 behavioral health care providers who will specialize 

21 in maternal mental health conditions or substance 

22 use disorders; or 

23 ‘‘(2) expanding the capacity of existing schools 

24 or programs described in paragraph (1), for the pur25 poses of increasing the number of students enrolled 


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1 in such schools or programs, including by awarding 

2 scholarships for students. 

3 ‘‘(c) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding grants under 

4 this section, the Secretary shall give priority to any entity 

5 that— 

6 ‘‘(1) has demonstrated a commitment to re7 cruiting and retaining students and faculty from ra8 cial and ethnic minority groups; 

9 ‘‘(2) has developed a strategy to recruit and re10 tain a diverse pool of students into the maternal 

11 mental or behavioral health care workforce program 

12 or school supported by funds received through the 

13 grant, particularly from racial and ethnic minority 

14 groups and other underserved populations; 

15 ‘‘(3) has developed a strategy to recruit and re16 tain students who plan to practice in a health pro17 fessional shortage area designated under section 

18 332; 

19 ‘‘(4) has developed a strategy to recruit and re20 tain students who plan to practice in an area with 

21 significant racial and ethnic disparities in maternal 

22 health outcomes, to the extent practicable; and 

23 ‘‘(5) includes in the standard curriculum for all 

24 students within the maternal mental or behavioral 

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1 ism, or discrimination training program that in2 cludes training on implicit bias and racism. 

3 ‘‘(d) REPORTING.—As a condition on receipt of a 

4 grant under this section for a maternal mental or behav5 ioral health care workforce program or school, an entity 

6 shall agree to submit to the Secretary an annual report 

7 on the activities conducted through the grant, including— 

8 ‘‘(1) the number and demographics of students 

9 participating in the program or school; 

10 ‘‘(2) the extent to which students in the pro11 gram or school are entering careers in— 

12 ‘‘(A) health professional shortage areas 

13 designated under section 332; and 

14 ‘‘(B) areas with significant racial and eth15 nic disparities in maternal health outcomes, to 

16 the extent such data are available; and 

17 ‘‘(3) whether the program or school has in18 cluded in the standard curriculum for all students a 

19 bias, racism, or discrimination training program that 

20 includes training on implicit bias and racism, and if 

21 so the effectiveness of such training program. 

22 ‘‘(e) PERIOD OF GRANTS.—The period of a grant 

23 under this section shall be up to 5 years. 

24 ‘‘(f) APPLICATION.—To seek a grant under this sec25 tion, an entity shall submit to the Secretary an application 


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1 at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor2 mation as the Secretary may require, including any infor3 mation necessary for prioritization under subsection (c). 

4 ‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

5 provide, directly or by contract, technical assistance to en6 tities seeking or receiving a grant under this section on 

7 the development, use, evaluation, and post-grant period 

8 sustainability of the maternal mental or behavioral health 

9 care workforce programs or schools proposed to be, or 

10 being, established or expanded through the grant. 

11 ‘‘(h) REPORT BY THE SECRETARY.—Not later than 

12 4 years after the date of enactment of this section, the 

13 Secretary shall prepare and submit to Congress, and post 

14 on the internet website of the Department of Health and 

15 Human Services, a report on the effectiveness of the grant 

16 program under this section at— 

17 ‘‘(1) recruiting students from racial and ethnic 

18 minority groups and other underserved populations; 

19 ‘‘(2) increasing the number of mental or behav20 ioral health care providers specializing in maternal 

21 mental health conditions or substance use disorders 

22 from racial and ethnic minority groups and other 

23 underserved populations; 

24 ‘‘(3) increasing the number of mental or behav25 ioral health care providers specializing in maternal 


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1 mental health conditions or substance use disorders 

2 working in health professional shortage areas des3 ignated under section 332; and 

4 ‘‘(4) increasing the number of mental or behav5 ioral health care providers specializing in maternal 

6 mental health conditions or substance use disorders 

7 working in areas with significant racial and ethnic 

8 disparities in maternal health outcomes, to the ex9 tent such data are available. 

10 ‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 ‘‘(1) RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY GROUP.— 

12 The term ‘racial and ethnic minority group’ has the 

13 meaning given such term in section 1707(g)(1). 

14 ‘‘(2) MENTAL OR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE

15 PROVIDER.—The term ‘mental or behavioral health 

16 care provider’ refers to a health care provider in the 

17 field of mental and behavioral health, including sub18 stance use disorders, acting in accordance with State 

19 law. 

20 ‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

21 carry out this section, there is authorized to be appro22 priated $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 

23 2026.’’. 

Æ 


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