II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 851 

To address social determinants of maternal health. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 18, 2021 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To address social determinants of maternal health. 

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 ‘‘Social Determinants 

5 for Moms Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) MATERNITY CARE PROVIDER.—The term 

9 ‘‘maternity care provider’’ means a health care pro10 vider who— 

11 (A) is a physician, physician assistant, 

12 midwife who meets at a minimum the interVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:02 Apr 14, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S851.IS S851

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1 national definition of the midwife and global 

2 standards for midwifery education as estab3 lished by the International Confederation of 

4 Midwives, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse 

5 specialist; and 

6 (B) has a focus on maternal or perinatal 

7 health. 

8 (2) MATERNAL MORTALITY.—The term ‘‘mater9 nal mortality’’ means a death occurring during or 

10 within a one-year period after pregnancy, caused by 

11 pregnancy-related or childbirth complications, in12 cluding a suicide, overdose, or other death resulting 

13 from a mental health or substance use disorder at14 tributed to or aggravated by pregnancy-related or 

15 childbirth complications. 

16 (3) PERINATAL HEALTH WORKER.—The term 

17 ‘‘perinatal health worker’’ means a doula, commu18 nity health worker, peer supporter, breastfeeding 

19 and lactation educator or counselor, nutritionist or 

20 dietitian, childbirth educator, social worker, home 

21 visitor, language interpreter, or navigator. 

22 (4) POSTPARTUM AND POSTPARTUM PERIOD.— 

23 The terms ‘‘postpartum’’ and ‘‘postpartum period’’ 

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

25 of the pregnancy of an individual. 


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1 (5) PREGNANCY-RELATED DEATH.—The term 

2 ‘‘pregnancy-related death’’ means a death of a preg3 nant or postpartum individual that occurs during, or 

4 within 1 year following, the individual’s pregnancy, 

5 from a pregnancy complication, a chain of events 

6 initiated by pregnancy, or the aggravation of an un7 related condition by the physiologic effects of preg8 nancy. 

9 (6) RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY GROUP.— 

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

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

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

13 6(g)(1)). 

14 (7) SEVERE MATERNAL MORBIDITY.—The term 

15 ‘‘severe maternal morbidity’’ means a health condi16 tion, including mental health conditions and sub17 stance use disorders, attributed to or aggravated by 

18 pregnancy or childbirth that results in significant 

19 short-term or long-term consequences to the health 

20 of the individual who was pregnant. 

21 (8) SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF MATERNAL

22 HEALTH.—The term ‘‘social determinants of mater23 nal health’’ means non-clinical factors that impact 

24 maternal health outcomes, including— 


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1 (A) economic factors, which may include 

2 poverty, employment, food security, support for 

3 and access to lactation and other infant feeding 

4 options, housing stability, and related factors; 

5 (B) neighborhood factors, which may in6 clude quality of housing, access to transpor7 tation, access to child care, availability of 

8 healthy foods and nutrition counseling, avail9 ability of clean water, air and water quality, 

10 ambient temperatures, neighborhood crime and 

11 violence, access to broadband, and related fac12 tors; 

13 (C) social and community factors, which 

14 may include systemic racism, gender discrimi15 nation or discrimination based on other pro16 tected classes, workplace conditions, incarcer17 ation, and related factors; 

18 (D) household factors, which may include 

19 ability to conduct lead testing and abatement, 

20 car seat installation, indoor air temperatures, 

21 and related factors; 

22 (E) education access and quality factors, 

23 which may include educational attainment, lan24 guage and literacy, and related factors; and 


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1 (F) health care access factors, including 

2 health insurance coverage, access to culturally 

3 congruent health care services, providers, and 

4 non-clinical support, access to home visiting 

5 services, access to wellness and stress manage6 ment programs, health literacy, access to tele7 health and items required to receive telehealth 

8 services, and related factors. 

9 SEC. 3. TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY TO AD10 DRESS SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF MATER11 NAL HEALTH. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

13 Human Services shall convene a task force (in this section 

14 referred to as the ‘‘Task Force’’) to develop a strategy 

15 to coordinate efforts between Federal agencies to address 

16 social determinants of maternal health with respect to 

17 pregnant and postpartum individuals. 

18 (b) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The ex officio members 

19 of the Task Force shall consist of the following: 

20 (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Serv21 ices (or a designee thereof). 

22 (2) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel23 opment (or a designee thereof). 

24 (3) The Secretary of Transportation (or a des25 ignee thereof). 


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1 (4) The Secretary of Agriculture (or a designee 

2 thereof). 

3 (5) The Secretary of Labor (or a designee 

4 thereof). 

5 (6) The Secretary of Defense (or a designee 

6 thereof). 

7 (7) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs (or a des8 ignee thereof). 

9 (8) The Administrator of the Environmental 

10 Protection Agency (or a designee thereof). 

11 (9) The Assistant Secretary for the Administra12 tion for Children and Families (or a designee there13 of). 

14 (10) The Administrator of the Centers for 

15 Medicare & Medicaid Services (or a designee there16 of). 

17 (11) The Director of the Indian Health Service 

18 (or a designee thereof). 

19 (12) The Director of the National Institutes of 

20 Health (or a designee thereof). 

21 (13) The Administrator of the Health Re22 sources and Services Administration (or a designee 

23 thereof). 


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1 (14) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minor2 ity Health of the Department of Health and Human 

3 Services (or a designee thereof). 

4 (15) The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Wom5 en’s Health of the Department of Health and 

6 Human Services (or a designee thereof). 

7 (16) The Director of the Centers for Disease 

8 Control and Prevention (or a designee thereof). 

9 (17) The Director of the Office on Violence 

10 Against Women at the Department of Justice (or a 

11 designee thereof). 

12 (c) APPOINTED MEMBERS.—In addition to the ex 

13 officio members of the Task Force, the Secretary of 

14 Health and Human Services shall appoint the following 

15 members of the Task Force: 

16 (1) At least 2 representatives of patients, to in17 clude— 

18 (A) a representative of patients who have 

19 suffered from severe maternal morbidity; or 

20 (B) a representative of patients who is a 

21 family member of an individual who suffered a 

22 pregnancy-related death. 

23 (2) At least 2 leaders of community-based orga24 nizations that address maternal mortality and severe 

25 maternal morbidity with a specific focus on racial 


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1 and ethnic disparities. In appointing such leaders 

2 under this paragraph, the Secretary of Health and 

3 Human Services shall give priority to individuals 

4 who are leaders of organizations led by individuals 

5 from racial and ethnic minority groups. 

6 (3) At least 2 perinatal health workers. 

7 (4) A professionally diverse panel of maternity 

8 care providers. 

9 (d) CHAIR.—The Secretary of Health and Human 

10 Services shall select the chair of the Task Force from 

11 among the members of the Task Force. 

12 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

13 of enactment of this Act, the Task Force shall submit to 

14 Congress a report on— 

15 (1) the strategy developed under subsection (a); 

16 (2) recommendations on funding amounts with 

17 respect to implementing such strategy; and 

18 (3) recommendations for how to expand cov19 erage of social services to address social deter20 minants of maternal health under Medicaid managed 

21 care organizations and State Medicaid programs. 

22 (f) TERMINATION.—Section 14 of the Federal Advi23 sory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to 

24 the Task Force with respect to termination. 


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1 SEC. 4. HOUSING FOR MOMS GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Housing and 

3 Urban Development shall establish a Housing for Moms 

4 grant program under this section to make grants to eligi5 ble entities to increase access to safe, stable, affordable, 

6 and adequate housing for pregnant and postpartum indi7 viduals and their families. 

8 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

9 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 

10 Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 

11 and containing such information as the Secretary may 

12 provide. 

13 (c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec14 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity 

15 that— 

16 (1) is a community-based organization or will 

17 partner with a community-based organization to im18 plement initiatives to increase access to safe, stable, 

19 affordable, and adequate housing for pregnant and 

20 postpartum individuals and their families; 

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

22 adverse maternal health outcomes or significant ra23 cial or ethnic disparities in maternal health out24 comes, to the extent such data are available; and 

25 (3) is operating in an area with a high poverty 

26 rate or significant number of individuals who lack 


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1 consistent access to safe, stable, affordable, and ade2 quate housing. 

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

4 a grant under this section shall use funds under the grant 

5 for the purposes of— 

6 (1) identifying and conducting outreach to 

7 pregnant and postpartum individuals who are low in8 come and lack consistent access to safe, stable, af9 fordable, and adequate housing; 

10 (2) providing safe, stable, affordable, and ade11 quate housing options to such individuals; 

12 (3) connecting such individuals with local orga13 nizations offering safe, stable, affordable, and ade14 quate housing options; 

15 (4) providing application assistance to such in16 dividuals seeking to enroll in programs offering safe, 

17 stable, affordable, and adequate housing options; 

18 (5) providing direct financial assistance to such 

19 individuals for the purposes of maintaining safe, sta20 ble, and adequate housing for the duration of the in21 dividual’s pregnancy and postpartum periods; and 

22 (6) working with relevant stakeholders to en23 sure that local housing and homeless shelter infra24 structure is supportive to pregnant and postpartum 

25 individuals, including through— 


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1 (A) health-promoting housing codes; 

2 (B) enforcement of housing codes; 

3 (C) proactive rental inspection programs; 

4 (D) code enforcement officer training; and 

5 (E) partnerships between regional offices 

6 of the Department of Housing and Urban De7 velopment and community-based organizations 

8 to ensure housing laws are understood and vio9 lations are discovered. 

10 (e) REPORTING.— 

11 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary shall 

12 require each eligible entity receiving a grant under 

13 this section to annually submit to the Secretary and 

14 make publicly available a report on the status of ac15 tivities conducted using the grant. 

16 (2) SECRETARY.—Not later than the end of 

17 each fiscal year in which grants are made under this 

18 section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress and 

19 make publicly available a report that— 

20 (A) summarizes the reports received under 

21 paragraph (1); 

22 (B) evaluates the effectiveness of grants 

23 awarded under this section in increasing access 

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1 ing for pregnant and postpartum individuals 

2 and their families; and 

3 (C) makes recommendations with respect 

4 to ensuring activities described in subsection (d) 

5 continue after grant amounts made available 

6 under this section are expended. 

7 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti9 ty’’ means— 

10 (A) a community-based organization; 

11 (B) a State or local governmental entity, 

12 including a State or local public health depart13 ment; 

14 (C) an Indian tribe or tribal organization 

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

16 Indian Self-Determination and Education As17 sistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); or 

18 (D) an Urban Indian organization (as such 

19 term is defined in section 4 of the Indian 

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

21 1603)). 

22 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 

24 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

25 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 


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1 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2022, which shall remain 

2 available until expended. 

3 SEC. 5. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. 

4 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

5 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation 

6 shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a 

7 report that contains— 

8 (1) an assessment of transportation barriers 

9 preventing individuals from attending prenatal and 

10 postpartum appointments, accessing maternal health 

11 care services, or accessing services and resources re12 lated to social determinants of maternal health; 

13 (2) recommendations on how to overcome the 

14 barriers described in paragraph (1); 

15 (3) an assessment of transportation safety risks 

16 for pregnant individuals and recommendations on 

17 how to mitigate those risks; and 

18 (4) an assessment of the impact of disabilities, 

19 including service-related disabilities, on pregnant 

20 and postpartum women’s mobility and access to ap21 propriate care. 

22 (b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out subsection 

23 (a), the Secretary of Transportation shall give special con24 sideration to solutions for— 


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1 (1) pregnant and postpartum individuals living 

2 in a health professional shortage area designated 

3 under section 332 of the Public Health Service Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 254e); 

5 (2) pregnant and postpartum individuals living 

6 in areas with high maternal mortality or severe mor7 bidity rates or significant racial or ethnic disparities 

8 in maternal health outcomes; and 

9 (3) pregnant and postpartum individuals with a 

10 disability that impacts mobility. 

11 SEC. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

12 (a) SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION PROGRAM

13 FOR WOMEN, INFANTS, AND CHILDREN.— 

14 (1) BREASTFEEDING WOMEN.— 

15 (A) DEFINITION OF BREASTFEEDING

16 WOMAN.—Section 17(b) of the Child Nutrition 

17 Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(b)) is amended by 

18 striking paragraph (1) and inserting the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(1) BREASTFEEDING WOMAN.—The term 

21 ‘breastfeeding woman’ means— 

22 ‘‘(A) a woman who is not more than 1 year 

23 postpartum and is breastfeeding the infant of 

24 the woman; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) for purposes of subsection (d), a 

2 woman who is not more than 2 years 

3 postpartum and is breastfeeding the infant of 

4 the woman.’’. 

5 (B) EXTENSION OF BREASTFEEDING PE6 RIOD.—Section 17(d)(3)(A)(ii) of the Child Nu7 trition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 

8 1786(d)(3)(A)(ii)) is amended by striking ‘‘1 

9 year’’ and inserting ‘‘2 years’’. 

10 (2) POSTPARTUM WOMEN.— 

11 (A) DEFINITION OF POSTPARTUM

12 WOMEN.—Section 17(b)(10) of the Child Nutri13 tion Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(b)(10)) is 

14 amended by striking ‘‘six months’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘2 years’’. 

16 (B) CERTIFICATION.—Section 17(d)(3)(A) 

17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 

18 1786(d)(3)(A)) is amended by adding at the 

19 end the following: 

20 ‘‘(iv) POSTPARTUM WOMEN.—A State 

21 may elect to certify a postpartum woman 

22 for a period of up to 2 years after the ter23 mination of pregnancy of the postpartum 

24 woman.’’. 


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1 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 

2 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of 

3 Agriculture shall submit to Congress a report that 

4 includes an evaluation of the effect of each of the 

5 amendments made by this subsection on— 

6 (A) maternal and infant health outcomes, 

7 including racial and ethnic disparities with re8 spect to those outcomes; 

9 (B) breastfeeding rates among postpartum 

10 individuals; 

11 (C) qualitative evaluations of family experi12 ences under the special supplemental nutrition 

13 program for women, infants, and children es14 tablished under section 17 of the Child Nutri15 tion Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786); and 

16 (D) other relevant information as deter17 mined by the Secretary of Agriculture. 

18 (b) GRANT PROGRAM FOR HEALTHY FOOD AND

19 CLEAN WATER FOR PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM INDI20 VIDUALS.— 

21 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

22 (A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible 

23 entity’’ means— 

24 (i) a community-based organization; 


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1 (ii) a State or local governmental enti2 ty, including a State or local public health 

3 department; 

4 (iii) an Indian tribe or tribal organiza5 tion (as those terms are defined in section 

6 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 

7 Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 

8 5304)); and 

9 (iv) an Urban Indian organization (as 

10 defined in section 4 of the Indian Health 

11 Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)). 

12 (B) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

13 means the Secretary of Agriculture. 

14 (2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es15 tablish a program to award grants, on a competitive 

16 basis, to eligible entities to carry out the activities 

17 described in paragraph (5). 

18 (3) APPLICATION.—To be eligible for a grant 

19 under this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit 

20 to the Secretary an application at such time, in such 

21 manner, and containing such information as the Sec22 retary determines appropriate. 

23 (4) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 

24 subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to an eli25 gible entity that— 


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1 (A) is, or will partner with, a community2 based organization; and 

3 (B) is operating in an area with high rates 

4 of— 

5 (i) adverse maternal health outcomes; 

6 or 

7 (ii) significant racial or ethnic dispari8 ties in maternal health outcomes. 

9 (5) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity shall 

10 use grant funds awarded under this subsection to 

11 deliver healthy food, infant formula, clean water, or 

12 diapers to pregnant women (as defined in section 

13 17(b) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 

14 1786(b))) and postpartum individuals located in 

15 areas that are food deserts, as determined by the 

16 Secretary using data from the Food Access Research 

17 Atlas of the Department of Agriculture. 

18 (6) REPORTS.— 

19 (A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—Each eligible enti20 ty that receives a grant under this subsection 

21 shall, not later than 1 year after receiving the 

22 grant, and annually thereafter, submit to the 

23 Secretary a report on the status of activities 

24 conducted using the grant, which shall contain 

25 such information as the Secretary may require. 


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1 (B) SECRETARY.— 

2 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 

3 years after the date on which the first 

4 grant is awarded under this subsection, the 

5 Secretary shall submit to Congress a re6 port that includes— 

7 (I) a summary of the reports 

8 submitted by eligible entities under 

9 subparagraph (A); 

10 (II) an assessment of the extent 

11 to which food distributed through the 

12 grant program under this subsection 

13 was purchased from local and regional 

14 food systems; 

15 (III) an evaluation of the effect 

16 of the grant program under this sub17 section on maternal and infant health 

18 outcomes, including racial and ethnic 

19 disparities and disparities impacting 

20 other underserved mothers, such as 

21 mothers living in rural areas, with re22 spect to those outcomes; and 

23 (IV) recommendations with re24 spect to ensuring the activities de25 scribed in paragraph (5) continue 


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1 after the grant funding for those ac2 tivities expires. 

3 (ii) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary 

4 shall make the report submitted under 

5 clause (i) publicly available on the website 

6 of the Department of Agriculture. 

7 (7) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

8 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec9 retary $5,000,000 to carry out this subsection for 

10 the period of fiscal years 2022 through 2024. 

11 SEC. 7. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY THROUGH NATIONAL 

12 ACADEMIES. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

14 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 

15 Environmental Protection Agency shall seek to enter into 

16 an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, 

17 Engineering, and Medicine (referred to in this section as 

18 the ‘‘National Academies’’) under which the National 

19 Academies agree to conduct a study on the impacts of 

20 water and air quality, exposure to extreme temperatures, 

21 exposure to environmental chemicals, environmental risks 

22 in the workplace and the home, and pollution levels on 

23 maternal and infant health outcomes. 


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1 (b) STUDY REQUIREMENTS.—The agreement under 

2 subsection (a) shall direct the National Academies to make 

3 recommendations for— 

4 (1) improving the environmental conditions de5 scribed in that subsection to improve maternal and 

6 infant health outcomes; and 

7 (2) reducing or eliminating racial and ethnic 

8 disparities in those outcomes. 

9 (c) REPORT.—The agreement under subsection (a) 

10 shall require the National Academies— 

11 (1) to complete the study described in that sub12 section; and 

13 (2) not later than 1 year after the date of en14 actment of this Act, to transmit to Congress and 

15 make publicly available a report that— 

16 (A) describes the results of the study; and 

17 (B) includes the recommendations de18 scribed in subsection (b). 

19 SEC. 8. CHILD CARE ACCESS. 

20 (a) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Health and 

21 Human Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Sec22 retary’’) shall award grants to eligible organizations to 

23 provide pregnant and postpartum individuals with free 

24 and accessible drop-in child care services during prenatal 

25 and postpartum appointments, including for mental health 


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1 care, prenatal and childbirth classes, and labor and deliv2 ery. The Secretary shall coordinate with the Secretary of 

3 Defense to disseminate information regarding such serv4 ices and to expand on-installation drop-in child care serv5 ices for military parents. 

6 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

7 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 

8 Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 

9 and containing such information as the Secretary may re10 quire. 

11 (c) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.— 

12 (1) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a 

13 grant under this section, an organization shall be an 

14 organization that provides child care services and 

15 can carry out programs providing pregnant and 

16 postpartum individuals with free and accessible 

17 drop-in child care services during prenatal and 

18 postpartum appointments. 

19 (2) PRIORITIZATION.—In selecting grant recipi20 ents under this section, the Secretary shall give pri21 ority to eligible organizations that operate in an area 

22 with high rates of adverse maternal health outcomes 

23 or significant racial or ethnic disparities in maternal 

24 health outcomes, to the extent such data are avail25 able. 


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1 (d) TIMING.—The Secretary shall commence the 

2 grant program under subsection (a) not later than 1 year 

3 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

4 (e) REPORTING.— 

5 (1) GRANTEES.—Each recipient of a grant 

6 under this section shall annually submit to the Sec7 retary and make publicly available a report on the 

8 status of activities conducted using the grant. Each 

9 such report shall include— 

10 (A) an analysis of the effect of the funded 

11 program on prenatal and postpartum appoint12 ment attendance rates; 

13 (B) summaries of qualitative assessments 

14 of the funded program from— 

15 (i) pregnant and postpartum individ16 uals participating in the program; and 

17 (ii) the families of such individuals; 

18 and 

19 (C) such additional information as the Sec20 retary may require. 

21 (2) SECRETARY.—Not later than the end of fis22 cal year 2024, the Secretary shall submit to Con23 gress and make publicly available a report con24 taining the following: 


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1 (A) A summary of the reports under para2 graph (1). 

3 (B) An assessment of the effects, if any, of 

4 the funded programs on maternal health out5 comes, with a specific focus on racial and ethnic 

6 disparities in such outcomes. 

7 (C) A description of actions the Secretary 

8 can take to ensure that pregnant and 

9 postpartum individuals eligible for medical as10 sistance under a State plan under title XIX of 

11 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1936 et 

12 seq.) have access to free and accessible drop-in 

13 child care services during prenatal and 

14 postpartum appointments, including identifica15 tion of the funding necessary to carry out such 

16 actions. 

17 (f) DROP-IN CHILD CARE SERVICES DEFINED.—In 

18 this section, the term ‘‘drop-in child care services’’ means 

19 child care and early childhood education services that 

20 are— 

21 (1) delivered at a facility that meets the re22 quirements of all applicable laws and regulations of 

23 the State or local government in which it is located, 

24 including the licensing of the facility as a child care 

25 facility; and 


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1 (2) provided in single encounters without re2 quiring full-time enrollment of a person in a child 

3 care program. 

4 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

5 out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated 

6 $5,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2022 through 

7 2024. 

8 SEC. 9. GRANTS TO LOCAL ENTITIES ADDRESSING SOCIAL 

9 DETERMINANTS OF MATERNAL HEALTH. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

11 Human Services (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Sec12 retary’’) shall award grants to eligible entities to— 

13 (1) address social determinants of maternal 

14 health for pregnant and postpartum individuals; and 

15 (2) eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in 

16 maternal health outcomes. 

17 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

18 under this subsection an eligible entity shall submit to the 

19 Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 

20 and containing such information as the Secretary may 

21 provide. 

22 (c) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding grants under sub23 section (a), the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible 

24 entity that— 


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

2 organization to carrying out the activities under sub3 section (d); 

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

5 adverse maternal health outcomes or significant ra6 cial or ethnic disparities in maternal health out7 comes; and 

8 (3) is operating in an area with a high poverty 

9 rate. 

10 (d) ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity that receives a 

11 grant under this section may— 

12 (1) hire and retain staff; 

13 (2) develop and distribute a culturally and lin14 guistically appropriate list of available resources 

15 with respect to social service programs in a commu16 nity, including housing supports, child care access, 

17 nutrition counseling, and resources for pregnant 

18 women facing intimate partner violence; 

19 (3) establish a culturally appropriate resource 

20 center that provides multiple social service programs 

21 in a single location; 

22 (4) offer programs and resources in the commu23 nities in which the respective eligible entities are lo24 cated to address social determinants of health for 

25 pregnant and postpartum individuals; and 


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1 (5) consult with such pregnant and postpartum 

2 individuals, pregnant women who are unauthorized 

3 aliens, to conduct an assessment of the activities 

4 under this subsection. 

5 (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 

6 provide to grant recipients under this section technical as7 sistance to plan for sustaining programs to address social 

8 determinants of maternal health among pregnant and 

9 postpartum individuals after the period of the grant. 

10 (f) REPORTING.— 

11 (1) GRANTEES.—Not later than 1 year after an 

12 eligible entity first receives a grant under this sec13 tion, and annually thereafter, an eligible entity shall 

14 submit to the Secretary, and make publicly available, 

15 a report on the status of activities conducted using 

16 the grant. Each such report shall include data on 

17 the effects of such activities, disaggregated by race, 

18 ethnicity, gender, and other relevant factors. 

19 (2) SECRETARY.—Not later than the end of fis20 cal year 2026, the Secretary shall submit to Con21 gress a report that includes— 

22 (A) a summary of the reports under para23 graph (1); and 

24 (B) recommendations for— 


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1 (i) improving maternal health out2 comes; and 

3 (ii) reducing or eliminating racial and 

4 ethnic disparities in maternal health out5 comes. 

6 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

7 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

8 $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 

Æ 


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