I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4901 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve reproductive health 

care of individuals with disabilities. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 26, 2023 

Ms. BUSH (for herself, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. 

MCGOVERN, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. 

CROCKETT, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. NORTON, Ms. MCCLELLAN, Mr. POCAN, Ms. 

JAYAPAL, Ms. MENG, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. SALINAS, Mr. 

MORELLE, Ms. TOKUDA, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. TONKO, and Mr. NADLER) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve 

reproductive health care of individuals with disabilities. 

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 ‘‘Reproductive Health 

5 Care Accessibility Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 4901 IH

1 (1) In the United States, approximately 1 in 4 

2 adults have some type of disability, more than 1 in 

3 10 individuals with disabilities can become pregnant, 

4 and over 4,100,000 people are parents with disabil5 ities. 

6 (2) All people, including individuals with dis7 abilities, have the right to decide if, when, and how 

8 to start and raise a family as well as have healthy 

9 pregnancies and postpartum periods. 

10 (3) Title II and III of the Americans with Dis11 abilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12131 et seq. and 

12 12181 et seq.), section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act 

13 of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), and section 1557 of the 

14 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 

15 U.S.C. 18116) provide individuals with disabilities 

16 with the right to equitably access and receive health 

17 care. 

18 (4) Disabled people face unique barriers when 

19 accessing reproductive health care, including accessi20 bility issues at health care facilities, lack of acces21 sible medical diagnostic equipment, barriers to ac22 cessible travel, delay in receiving preventative serv23 ices, and lack of health care providers with training 

24 and knowledge on the needs of individuals with dis25 abilities receiving reproductive health care. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 4901 IH

1 (5) Reproductive health care is critical to a per2 son’s long-term health. Disabled people have higher 

3 mortality rates from reproductive related cancers 

4 often due to lack of access to reproductive health 

5 care. 

6 (6) The United States Access Board has estab7 lished standards for accessible medical diagnostic 

8 equipment; however without enforceable standards 

9 adopted by the Department of Health and Human 

10 Services and Department of Justice, systemic im11 provements in the availability of accessible medical 

12 diagnostic equipment will not be achieved. 

13 (7) Disabled people have an equal right to re14 productive autonomy, but harmful stereotypes about 

15 people with disabilities create barriers to getting 

16 care that respects that autonomy. 

17 (8) Laws that restrict access to reproductive 

18 health care, including abortion care, 

19 disproportionally harm people who already face bar20 riers to reproductive health care, which includes dis21 abled people. 

22 (9) Individuals with and without disabilities 

23 want children at the same frequency, but individuals 

24 with disabilities are less likely to receive contracep25 tion counseling and timely prenatal care, experience 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 4901 IH

1 a higher rate of sterilization, and are at a greater 

2 risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. 

3 (10) Diversity and inclusion in the health care 

4 workforce is a critical factor in the delivery of high5 quality, culturally competent health care and im6 proves patient outcomes. However, the rate of stu7 dents and trainees with disabilities in medical and 

8 allied health education remains low compared to 

9 those without disabilities. 

10 SEC. 3. PROGRAM FOR TRAINING THE WORKFORCE. 

11 Part D of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 

12 (42 U.S.C. 294 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

13 the following: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 760A. PROGRAM FOR TRAINING THE WORKFORCE 

15 CONCERNING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE 

16 FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 

18 the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services 

19 Administration and in consultation with the Administrator 

20 of the Administration for Community Living, shall award 

21 grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible en22 tities to carry out training programs for health care pro23 fessionals providing sexual and reproductive health care 

24 concerning comprehensive disability clinical care curricula. 

25 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 4901 IH

1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive an 

2 award under this section, an entity shall be a public 

3 or private nonprofit entity with demonstrated exper4 tise in serving individuals with disabilities, which 

5 may include— 

6 ‘‘(A) a multidisciplinary health care pro7 vider who provides reproductive health care, 

8 such as Federally qualified health centers and 

9 title X clinics; 

10 ‘‘(B) institutions of higher education, as 

11 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

12 Act of 1965, with expertise in reproductive 

13 health care; 

14 ‘‘(C) an entity primarily led by individuals 

15 with disabilities; 

16 ‘‘(D) an entity with expertise in reproduc17 tive rights and justice; 

18 ‘‘(E) an Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, 

19 or urban Indian organization; or 

20 ‘‘(F) a consortium of entities described in 

21 any of subparagraphs (A) through (E). 

22 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive an 

23 award under this section, an eligible entity shall sub24 mit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 4901 IH

1 such manner, and containing such information as 

2 the Secretary may require, that includes— 

3 ‘‘(A) a description of the eligible entity’s or 

4 consortium of entities’ expertise in providing 

5 technical assistance and training, including evi6 dence such as— 

7 ‘‘(i) knowledge of the rights afforded 

8 to individuals with a disability under rel9 evant Federal and State law; 

10 ‘‘(ii) knowledge of accessibility stand11 ards established by the United States Ac12 cess Board; 

13 ‘‘(iii) expertise in evidence-based or 

14 evidence-informed practices in providing 

15 sexual and reproductive health care, in16 cluding preventive health care services and 

17 perinatal care, to individuals with disabil18 ities and those facing compounded barriers 

19 to accessing care; 

20 ‘‘(iv) experience working with health 

21 care providers, public or private nonprofit 

22 entities, or Federal, State, or local agencies 

23 focusing on sexual and reproductive health 

24 care services for individuals with disabil25 ities; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 4901 IH

1 ‘‘(v) experience working with individ2 uals with disabilities and their families; 

3 ‘‘(vi) expertise in providing, collecting, 

4 compiling, communicating, and dissemi5 nating reproductive health care informa6 tion in culturally and linguistically appro7 priate manner especially in easily acces8 sible formats; and 

9 ‘‘(vii) experience improving coordina10 tion of services, such as mental health, 

11 substance use disorder prevention, treat12 ment, and recovery support services, social 

13 services, other health care services, and 

14 transportation services for individuals with 

15 disabilities; 

16 ‘‘(B) a description of the activities to be 

17 funded under the award and the goals of such 

18 activities, including a description of— 

19 ‘‘(i) the training or education program 

20 to be implemented that meets the require21 ments of subsection (c); 

22 ‘‘(ii) the process to be used to identify 

23 health care providers that will participate 

24 in the training program, including the 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 4901 IH

1 process to increase diversity in the pool of 

2 participating providers; 

3 ‘‘(iii) the process to be used to engage 

4 stakeholders in such training, including in5 dividuals with disabilities; and 

6 ‘‘(iv) the eligible entity’s evaluation 

7 plan to determine the scope and impact of 

8 the training program; 

9 ‘‘(C) an assurance that the recipients of 

10 the training will receive ongoing and com11 prehensive training or professional development 

12 on the sexual and reproductive health care 

13 needs of individuals with disabilities; and 

14 ‘‘(D) any other assurances that the Sec15 retary may require. 

16 ‘‘(3) SUBAWARDS.—An eligible entity or eligible 

17 consortium receiving an award under this section 

18 may, for contracting purposes, make subawards to 

19 individuals or entities with expertise in reproductive 

20 health care and serving individuals with disabilities. 

21 ‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—An entity or entities shall use 

22 amounts received under this section to carry out a training 

23 program for health care professionals providing sexual and 

24 reproductive health care that provides training con25 cerning— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 4901 IH

1 ‘‘(1) comprehensive disability clinical care cur2 ricula to inform health professionals providing sexual 

3 and reproductive health care on how to provide ef4 fective, interprofessional team-based health care; 

5 ‘‘(2) culturally and linguistically competent care 

6 for individuals with disabilities; 

7 ‘‘(3) delivering sexual and reproductive health 

8 care for individuals with disabilities in a manner 

9 that emphasizes the independence, self-determina10 tion, and choices of individuals with disabilities with 

11 respect to their sexual and reproductive health 

12 through comprehensive disability clinical care cur13 ricula; 

14 ‘‘(4) the rights afforded to individuals with dis15 abilities under relevant Federal and State law; and 

16 ‘‘(5) methods and evidence-based or evidence-in17 formed practices for providing sexual and reproduc18 tive health care, including preventive health care 

19 services, to individuals with disabilities. 

20 ‘‘(d) EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity or entities that 

22 receives an award under this section shall, at the 

23 end of the award period, carry out an evaluation of 

24 any progress made through the program in training 

25 health care professionals providing sexual and reproVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:07 Aug 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4901.IH H4901

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 4901 IH

1 ductive health care, consistent with the purposes of 

2 this section. 

3 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

4 the end of the award period, an entity that receives 

5 an award under this section shall submit to the Sec6 retary a report on the results of the evaluation con7 ducted under paragraph (1). 

8 ‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The Secretary shall annu9 ally compile the reports submitted under paragraph 

10 (2) and submit such compilation to the Committee 

11 on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 

12 Senate and the Committee on Energy and Com13 merce of the House of Representatives. Such com14 pilations shall be posted on the internet website of 

15 the Department of Health and Human Services in 

16 an accessible format. 

17 ‘‘(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 ‘‘(1) DISABILITY.—The terms ‘disability’ and 

19 ‘disabilities’ have the meaning given such terms for 

20 purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 

21 1990. 

22 ‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The terms ‘Indian Tribe’ 

23 and ‘Tribal organization’ have the meaning given 

24 such terms in section 4 of the Indian Self-Deter25 mination and Education Assistance Act. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 4901 IH

1 ‘‘(3) URBAN INDIAN ORGANIZATION.—The term 

2 ‘urban Indian organization’ has the meaning given 

3 such term in section 4 of the Indian Health Care 

4 Improvement Act. 

5 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

6 is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

7 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 

8 Funds provided to carry out this section shall supplement 

9 not supplant funds otherwise made available to carry out 

10 title VII.’’. 

11 SEC. 4. PROGRAM FOR EXPANDING THE REPRODUCTIVE 

12 HEALTH CARE PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE. 

13 Part B of title VII of the Public Health Service Act 

14 (42 U.S.C. 293 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

15 the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 742. PROGRAM FOR EXPANDING THE REPRODUCTIVE 

17 HEALTH CARE PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE. 

18 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section— 

19 ‘‘(1) to establish and sustain a competitive 

20 health professions applicant pool of individuals with 

21 disabilities by increasing the total number of individ22 uals with disabilities who pursue a career in sexual 

23 and reproductive health care, including abortion care 

24 and maternal health care; and 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 4901 IH

1 ‘‘(2) to develop a culturally and linguistically 

2 competent health care workforce providing reproduc3 tive health care that will serve unserved and under4 served populations, including individuals with dis5 abilities. 

6 ‘‘(b) AWARDS.—To assist individuals with disabilities 

7 in undertaking education to enter into the reproductive 

8 health care workforce, the Secretary may award grants, 

9 contracts, or cooperative agreements to public or private 

10 nonprofit health or educational entities, including schools 

11 of medicine, schools of osteopathic medicine, and institu12 tions of higher education, that offer programs, including 

13 graduate programs, in obstetrics and gynecology or pro14 grams for the training of health care providers to enable 

15 such entities to carry out the activities described in sub16 section (d). 

17 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive an 

18 award under subsection (b), an entity described in such 

19 subsection shall submit to the Secretary an application at 

20 such time, in such manner, and containing such informa21 tion as the Secretary may require. 

22 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—An entity shall use amounts 

23 received under an award under subsection (b) to— 

24 ‘‘(1) conduct or support activities to develop a 

25 competitive applicant pool, through partnership with 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 4901 IH

1 public or private nonprofit institutions of higher 

2 education, local educational agencies, health care 

3 providers, such as sexual and reproductive health 

4 care providers and primary care providers, or other 

5 community-based entities, and establish an edu6 cation pipeline for individuals with disabilities enter7 ing the reproductive health care workforce; 

8 ‘‘(2) establish, strengthen, or expand programs 

9 to support the academic performance of individuals 

10 with disabilities participating in activities funded 

11 under this section, including mentorship programs; 

12 ‘‘(3) identify, recruit, enroll, and retain individ13 uals with disabilities in education and training re14 lated to sexual and reproductive health care; 

15 ‘‘(4) improve the capacity of the entity involved 

16 to train, recruit, and retain faculty with disabilities 

17 including the payment of such stipends and fellow18 ships as the Secretary may determine appropriate; 

19 ‘‘(5) carry out activities to improve the informa20 tion resources, clinical education, curricula, and 

21 competencies of the graduates of the entity involved, 

22 as it relates to individuals with disabilities; 

23 ‘‘(6) facilitate faculty and student research on 

24 health issues affecting individuals with disabilities, 

25 including research on issues relating to the delivery 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 4901 IH

1 of sexual and reproductive health care to individuals 

2 with disabilities; 

3 ‘‘(7) carry out programs, or offer experiences, 

4 to train students in providing reproductive health 

5 services to individuals with disabilities at commu6 nity-based health facilities that provide reproductive 

7 health services; 

8 ‘‘(8) provide stipends to individuals with disabil9 ities participating in activities funded under this sec10 tion as the Secretary determines appropriate, in 

11 amounts as the Secretary determines appropriate, 

12 with an assurance that such stipends shall not result 

13 in loss of an individual’s Federal or State benefits; 

14 or 

15 ‘‘(9) any other activities that the Secretary may 

16 require. 

17 ‘‘(e) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants, contracts, 

18 or cooperative agreements under this section, the Sec19 retary shall give preference to applications that have been 

20 approved for programs that involve a comprehensive ap21 proach through multiple entities described in subsection 

22 (b) to establish, enhance, and expand educational pro23 grams that will result in the development of a competitive 

24 applicant pool of individuals with disabilities who desire 

25 to pursue careers in reproductive health care services. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 4901 IH

1 ‘‘(f) CONSIDERATION FOR AWARDS.—In awarding 

2 grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements under this 

3 section, the Secretary shall— 

4 ‘‘(1) consider current enrollment trends and the 

5 needs of certain populations, including individuals 

6 with disabilities; and 

7 ‘‘(2) align and coordinate with other training 

8 programs administered by the Health Resources and 

9 Services Administration. 

10 ‘‘(g) EFFECT ON OTHER PROGRAMS.—Assistance or 

11 stipends provided to an individual under this section shall 

12 not be considered when applying asset or resource limita13 tion provisions related to the eligibility of such individual 

14 for any benefit, assistance, or service provided under any 

15 Federal or State program. 

16 ‘‘(h) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the end 

17 of the award period, the Secretary shall submit to the 

18 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of 

19 the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

20 of the House of Representatives, a report concerning the 

21 activities carried out under this section to increase the rep22 resentation of individuals with disabilities in the reproduc23 tive health profession and related training programs. 

24 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

25 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 4901 IH

1 $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 

2 Funds provided to carry out this section shall supplement 

3 not supplant funds otherwise made available to carry out 

4 title VII.’’. 

5 SEC. 5. EXPANDING THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE 

6 NURSING WORKFORCE. 

7 Section 821 of the Public Health Service Act (42 

8 U.S.C. 296m) is amended by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(d) EXPANDING THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

11 CARE NURSING WORKFORCE.— 

12 ‘‘(1) AWARDS.—To assist individuals with dis13 abilities in undertaking education to enter into the 

14 reproductive nursing workforce, the Secretary may 

15 award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements 

16 under subsection (a)(1) to eligible entities to enable 

17 such entities to carry out the activities described in 

18 paragraph (4). 

19 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive an 

20 award under paragraph (1), an entity described in 

21 such paragraph shall submit to the Secretary an ap22 plication at such time, in such manner, and con23 taining such information as the Secretary may re24 quire. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 4901 IH

1 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—An entity shall use 

2 amounts received under an award under paragraph 

3 (1) to— 

4 ‘‘(A) conduct activities to develop a com5 petitive applicant pool, through partnership 

6 with public or private nonprofit institutions of 

7 higher education, local educational agencies, 

8 nurse-managed health clinics, health care pro9 viders, such as reproductive health care pro10 viders and nurses, or other community-based 

11 entities, and establish an education pipeline for 

12 individuals with disabilities entering the repro13 ductive health care nursing workforce; 

14 ‘‘(B) establish, strengthen, or expand pro15 grams to support the academic performance of 

16 individuals with disabilities participating in ac17 tivities funded under this subsection, including 

18 mentorship programs; 

19 ‘‘(C) identify, recruit, enroll, and retain in20 dividuals with disabilities in education and 

21 training related to sexual and reproductive 

22 health care; 

23 ‘‘(D) improve the capacity of the entity in24 volved to train, recruit, and retain faculty with 

25 disabilities, including the payment of such stiVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:07 Aug 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4901.IH H4901

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 4901 IH

1 pends and fellowships as the Secretary may de2 termine appropriate; 

3 ‘‘(E) carry out activities to improve the in4 formation resources, clinical education, cur5 ricula, and competencies of the graduates of the 

6 entity involved, as it relates to individuals with 

7 disabilities; 

8 ‘‘(F) facilitate faculty and student research 

9 to include evidence-based practice and quality 

10 improvement projects focused on health issues 

11 affecting individuals with disabilities, including 

12 research on issues relating to the delivery of 

13 sexual and reproductive health care to individ14 uals with disabilities; 

15 ‘‘(G) carry out programs, or offer experi16 ences, to train students in providing reproduc17 tive health services to individuals with disabil18 ities at community-based health care facilities 

19 that provide reproductive health services; 

20 ‘‘(H) provide stipends to individuals with 

21 disabilities participating in activities funded 

22 under this subsection as the Secretary deter23 mines appropriate, in amounts as the Secretary 

24 determines appropriate, with an assurance that 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 4901 IH

1 such stipends shall not result in the loss of an 

2 individual’s Federal or State benefits; or 

3 ‘‘(I) any other activities that the Secretary 

4 may require. 

5 ‘‘(4) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants, con6 tracts, or cooperative agreements under this sub7 section, the Secretary shall give preference to appli8 cations that have been approved for programs that 

9 involve a comprehensive approach through multiple 

10 entities described in paragraph (1) to establish, en11 hance, and expand educational programs that will 

12 result in the development of a competitive applicant 

13 pool of individuals with disabilities who desire to 

14 pursue careers in reproductive health care services. 

15 ‘‘(5) CONSIDERATION FOR AWARDS.—In award16 ing grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements 

17 under this subsection, the Secretary shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) consider current enrollment trends 

19 and the needs of certain populations, including 

20 individuals with disabilities; and 

21 ‘‘(B) align and coordinate with other train22 ing programs administered by the Health Re23 sources and Services Administration. 

24 ‘‘(6) EFFECT ON OTHER PROGRAMS.—Assist25 ance or stipends provided to an individual under this 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 4901 IH

1 subsection shall not be considered when applying 

2 asset or resource limitation provisions related to the 

3 eligibility of such individual for any benefit, assist4 ance, or service provided under any Federal or State 

5 program. 

6 ‘‘(7) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

7 the end of the award period, the Secretary shall sub8 mit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

9 and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on 

10 Energy and Commerce of the House of Representa11 tives, a report concerning the activities carried out 

12 under this subsection to increase the representation 

13 of individuals with disabilities in the reproductive 

14 health profession and related training programs. 

15 ‘‘(8) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

17 this subsection, $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

18 2024 through 2028. Funds provided to carry out 

19 this subsection shall supplement not supplant funds 

20 otherwise made available to carry out title VIII.’’. 

21 SEC. 6. PROGRAM FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EDU22 CATION. 

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

24 Human Services (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Sec25 retary’’), acting through the Administrator of the Health 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 4901 IH

1 Resources and Services Administration and in consulta2 tion with the Administrator of the Administration for 

3 Community Living, shall award grants, contracts, or coop4 erative agreements to eligible entities to provide funding 

5 for education programs focused on sexual and reproduc6 tive health needs for individuals with disabilities. 

7 (b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive an 

9 award under this section an entity shall be a public 

10 or private nonprofit entity with a demonstrated ex11 pertise in serving individuals with disabilities, which 

12 may include— 

13 (A) a multidisciplinary health care provider 

14 who provides reproductive health care services, 

15 such as a Federally qualified health center and 

16 title X clinics; 

17 (B) institutions of higher education, as de18 fined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

19 Act of 1965, with expertise in reproductive 

20 health care; 

21 (C) an entity primarily led by individuals 

22 with disabilities; 

23 (D) an entity with expertise in reproduc24 tive rights and justice; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 4901 IH

1 (E) an Indian Tribe, Tribal organization, 

2 or urban Indian organization; and 

3 (F) a consortium of entities described in 

4 any of subparagraphs (A) through (E). 

5 (2) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a 

6 grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this 

7 section, an eligible entity or consortium of entities 

8 shall submit to the Secretary an application at such 

9 time, in such manner, and containing such informa10 tion as the Secretary may require, that includes a 

11 description of the eligible entity’s or entities’ exper12 tise in providing education programs including evi13 dence that such entity has— 

14 (A) knowledge of best practices in pro15 viding reproductive health care, including pre16 ventive health care services, to individuals with 

17 disabilities; 

18 (B) experience working with individuals 

19 with disabilities and their families; and 

20 (C) demonstrated expertise of developing 

21 materials in culturally and linguistically acces22 sible formats including plain language. 

23 (3) SUBAWARDS.—An eligible entity or eligible 

24 consortium receiving an award under this section 

25 may, for contracting purposes, make subawards to 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
23 

•HR 4901 IH

1 individuals or entities with expertise in reproductive 

2 health care and serving individuals with disabilities. 

3 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—An entity or entities’ shall use 

4 amounts received under subsection (a) to— 

5 (1) carry out evidence-based or evidence-in6 formed sexual and reproductive health education 

7 programs for individuals with disabilities, including 

8 youth, in culturally and linguistically accessible for9 mats; 

10 (2) develop sexual and reproductive health edu11 cation programs in culturally and linguistically ac12 cessible formats to be used in carrying out para13 graph (1); 

14 (3) provide education to individuals with dis15 abilities, including youth, concerning abortion care 

16 options and their sexual, reproductive, and perinatal 

17 health care needs; 

18 (4) provide education to individuals with dis19 abilities, including youth, concerning their rights 

20 under relevant Federal and State law; 

21 (5) provide access to disability affirmative and 

22 supportive clinical resources that are accessible to 

23 individuals with disabilities; 

24 (6) build the entity’s or entities’ capacity and 

25 enhance their leadership of the entity or entities 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
24 

•HR 4901 IH

1 within the community to promote community en2 gagement in, and advancement of, evidence-based or 

3 evidence-informed sexual and reproductive health 

4 care education in easily accessible formats; and 

5 (7) support dissemination of newly developed 

6 sexual and reproductive health care education pro7 grams as described in paragraph (2) throughout the 

8 State, territorial, and Tribal communities. 

9 (d) EVALUATION AND REPORT.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—An entity that receives an 

11 award under this section shall, at the end of the 

12 award period, carry out an evaluation of success of 

13 the entity in achieving the goals of the program for 

14 which the award was made. 

15 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

16 the end of the award period, an entity that receives 

17 an award under this section shall submit to the Sec18 retary a report on the results of the evaluation con19 ducted under paragraph (1). 

20 (3) SECRETARY.—The Secretary shall annually 

21 compile the reports submitted under paragraph (2) 

22 and submit such compilation to the Committee on 

23 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Sen24 ate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of 

25 the House of Representatives. Such compilations 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
25 

•HR 4901 IH

1 shall be posted on the internet website of the De2 partment of Health and Human Services in an ac3 cessible format. 

4 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) DISABILITY.—The terms ‘‘disability’’ and 

6 ‘‘disabilities’’ have the meaning given such terms for 

7 purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 

8 1990. 

9 (2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The terms ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

10 and ‘‘Tribal organization’’ have the meaning given 

11 such terms in section 4 of the Indian Self-Deter12 mination and Education Assistance Act. 

13 (3) URBAN INDIAN ORGANIZATION.—The term 

14 ‘‘urban Indian organization’’ has the meaning given 

15 such term in section 4 of the Indian Health Care 

16 Improvement Act. 

17 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

18 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

19 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 

20 SEC. 7. NATIONAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Health and 

22 Human Services, acting through the Administration for 

23 Community Living, shall directly, or through a grant, con24 tract, or cooperative agreement, establish a National Tech25 nical Assistance Center to— 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
26 

•HR 4901 IH

1 (1) provide recommendations and best practices 

2 to States, Territories, Indian Tribes, Tribal organi3 zations, and urban Indian organizations concerning 

4 improving coordination of services including mental 

5 health and substance use disorder services, social 

6 services, health care, and transportation to increase 

7 access to quality, integrated systems of accessible, 

8 comprehensive disability clinical care, and services 

9 for individuals with disabilities; 

10 (2) provide technical assistance to health care 

11 providers on culturally and linguistically accessible 

12 and appropriate sexual and reproductive health care, 

13 including before, during, and after pregnancy and 

14 perinatal care and family planning services; 

15 (3) develop resources and provide technical as16 sistance to assist covered entities in complying with 

17 applicable Federal laws and regulations; and 

18 (4) develop resources for individuals with dis19 abilities facing barriers to accessible care, including 

20 related to accessible medical diagnostic equipment 

21 and the Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative. 

22 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) DISABILITY.—The terms ‘‘disability’’ and 

24 ‘‘disabilities’’ have the meaning given such terms for 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
27 

•HR 4901 IH

1 purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 

2 1990. 

3 (2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The terms ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

4 and ‘‘Tribal organization’’ have the meaning given 

5 such terms in section 4 of the Indian Self-Deter6 mination and Education Assistance Act. 

7 (3) URBAN INDIAN ORGANIZATION.—The term 

8 ‘‘urban Indian organization’’ has the meaning given 

9 such term in section 4 of the Indian Health Care 

10 Improvement Act. 

11 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

12 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

13 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 

14 SEC. 8. RESEARCH STUDY. 

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

16 Human Services, in consultation with the Administrator 

17 of the Administration for Community Living, shall carry 

18 out a study to— 

19 (1) identify the types of programs and services 

20 that have demonstrated effectiveness in providing re21 productive health care services for individuals with 

22 disabilities; 

23 (2) analyze the effectiveness of Federal, State, 

24 Tribal, and local partnerships to coordinate efforts 

25 to ensure an integrated system of accessible, comVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:07 Aug 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4901.IH H4901

kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
28 

•HR 4901 IH

1 prehensive reproductive health care for individuals 

2 with disabilities; and 

3 (3) identify necessary memoranda of under4 standing or interagency agreements that are needed 

5 to foster data and public health research focusing on 

6 reproductive health care barriers for individuals with 

7 disabilities. 

8 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 

9 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 

10 Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Health, 

11 Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 

12 Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee 

13 on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives, 

14 a report on the results of the study conducted under sub15 section (a). 

16 (c) DEFINITION.—In this section the terms ‘‘dis17 ability’’ and ‘‘disabilities’’ have the meanings given such 

18 terms for purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act 

19 of 1990. 

20 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

21 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

22 $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2024. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS