I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4201 

To amend title V of the Social Security Act to allow the Secretary of 

Health and Human Services to make grants to States under the Maternal 

and Child Health Care Program for purposes of establishing Baby Box 

Programs. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 20, 2019 

Mr. VEASEY (for himself and Mr. ALLRED) 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 allow the 

Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants 

to States under the Maternal and Child Health Care 

Program for purposes of establishing Baby Box Programs. 

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 ‘‘Baby Box and Mater5 nal Assistance Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF BABY BOX PROGRAMS. 

2 Section 501 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

3 701) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a)(2), insert ‘‘and including 

5 by providing such grants to States for the establish6 ment of Baby Box Programs described in subsection 

7 (d)’’ after ‘‘services development’’; and 

8 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub9 section: 

10 ‘‘(d)(1) For purposes of subsection (a)(2), a Baby 

11 Box Program described in this subsection is a program 

12 under which a State— 

13 ‘‘(A) provides to eligible individuals and to a 

14 partner chosen by such an individual, at no cost to 

15 such individuals and such partners— 

16 ‘‘(i) training with respect to prenatal, new17 born, and postpartum care (as defined by the 

18 State), including evidence-based training with 

19 respect to safe sleeping practices for newborns 

20 and smoking cessation practices for parents; 

21 ‘‘(ii) baby boxes to such individuals who 

22 have completed an amount of such training de23 termined appropriate by the State; and 

24 ‘‘(iii) doula services or midwife services, 

25 furnished by doulas or midwives who meet such 


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1 standards as specified by the State, for such in2 dividuals who have so completed such training; 

3 ‘‘(B) makes available, using funds other than 

4 funds made available through grants awarded under 

5 subsection (a)(2), training and boxes described in 

6 clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, of subparagraph (A) 

7 to all individuals residing in such State at an afford8 able cost determined appropriate by such State; and 

9 ‘‘(C) provides funding for the recruitment and 

10 training of doulas or midwives from diverse back11 grounds. 

12 ‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection: 

13 ‘‘(A) The term ‘baby box’ means a package that 

14 contains such items with respect to newborn and 

15 postpartum care as the State determines appro16 priate. 

17 ‘‘(B) The term ‘eligible individual’ means— 

18 ‘‘(i) a low-income (as defined in subsection 

19 (b)(2)) woman; or 

20 ‘‘(ii) a woman eligible to enroll under the 

21 State plan (or waiver of such plan) under title 

22 XIX of the State in which such woman resides. 

23 ‘‘(C) The term— 


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1 ‘‘(i) ‘doula’ means an individual trained to 

2 provide pre and postpartum care with respect to 

3 pregnant women; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) ‘doula services’ means such care fur5 nished by such an individual.’’. 

Æ 


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