I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5789 

To authorize funding for the creation and implementation of infant mortality 

pilot programs in standard metropolitan statistical areas with high rates 

of infant mortality, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 

Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. 

BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. GRIJALVA, and Mr. KILMER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To authorize funding for the creation and implementation 

of infant mortality pilot programs in standard metropolitan statistical areas with high rates of infant mortality, 

and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Nationally Enhancing 

5 the Well-being of Babies through Outreach and Research 

6 Now Act’’ or the ‘‘NEWBORN Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INFANT MORTALITY PILOT PROGRAMS. 

2 Section 330H of the Public Health Service Act (42 

3 U.S.C. 254c–8) is amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as 

5 subsections (f) and (g), respectively; 

6 (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(e) INFANT MORTALITY PILOT PROGRAMS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

10 through the Administrator, shall award grants to eli11 gible entities to create, implement, and oversee in12 fant mortality pilot programs. 

13 ‘‘(2) PERIOD OF A GRANT.—The period of a 

14 grant under this subsection shall be up to 5 years. 

15 ‘‘(3) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants under 

16 this subsection, the Secretary shall give preference 

17 to— 

18 ‘‘(A) eligible entities proposing to serve 

19 any of the 50 counties or groups of counties 

20 with the highest rates of infant mortality in the 

21 United States based on the most recent 3 years 

22 of available national infant mortality data, as 

23 determined by the Secretary; and 

24 ‘‘(B) eligible entities whose proposed infant 

25 mortality pilot program would address— 

26 ‘‘(i) birth defects; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) preterm birth and low birth 

2 weight; 

3 ‘‘(iii) sudden infant death; 

4 ‘‘(iv) maternal pregnancy complica5 tions; or 

6 ‘‘(v) injuries to infants. 

7 ‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.—Any infant mortality 

8 pilot program funded under this subsection may— 

9 ‘‘(A) include the development of a plan 

10 that identifies the individual needs of each com11 munity to be served and strategies to address 

12 those needs; 

13 ‘‘(B) provide outreach to at-risk mothers 

14 through programs deemed appropriate by the 

15 Administrator; 

16 ‘‘(C) develop and implement standardized 

17 systems for improved access, utilization, and 

18 quality of social, educational, and clinical serv19 ices to promote healthy pregnancies, full-term 

20 births, and healthy infancies delivered to women 

21 and their infants, such as— 

22 ‘‘(i) counseling on infant care, feed23 ing, and parenting; 

24 ‘‘(ii) postpartum care; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) prevention of premature deliv2 ery; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) additional counseling for at-risk 

4 mothers, including smoking cessation pro5 grams, drug treatment programs, alcohol 

6 treatment programs, nutrition and physical 

7 activity programs, postpartum depression 

8 and domestic violence programs, social and 

9 psychological services, dental care, and 

10 parenting programs; 

11 ‘‘(D) establish a rural outreach program to 

12 provide care to at-risk mothers in rural areas; 

13 ‘‘(E) establish a regional public education 

14 campaign, including a campaign to— 

15 ‘‘(i) prevent preterm births; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) educate the public about infant 

17 mortality; 

18 ‘‘(F) provide for any other activities, pro19 grams, or strategies as identified by the plan; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(G) coordinate efforts between— 

22 ‘‘(i) the health department of each 

23 county or other eligible entity to be served 

24 through the infant mortality pilot program; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) existing entities that work to re2 duce the rate of infant mortality within the 

3 area of any such county or other eligible 

4 entity. 

5 ‘‘(5) LIMITATION.—Of the funds received 

6 through a grant under this subsection for a fiscal 

7 year, an eligible entity shall not use more than 10 

8 percent for program evaluation. 

9 ‘‘(6) REPORTS ON PILOT PROGRAMS.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

11 after receiving a grant, and annually thereafter 

12 for the duration of the grant period, each entity 

13 that receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall 

14 submit a report to the Secretary detailing its 

15 infant mortality pilot program. 

16 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—The reports 

17 required under subparagraph (A) shall include 

18 information such as the methodology of, and 

19 outcomes and statistics from, the grantee’s in20 fant mortality pilot program. 

21 ‘‘(C) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall 

22 use the reports required under subparagraph 

23 (A) to evaluate, and conduct statistical research 

24 on, infant mortality pilot programs funded 

25 through this subsection. 


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1 ‘‘(7) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this 

2 subsection: 

3 ‘‘(A) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Admin4 istrator’ means the Administrator of the Health 

5 Resources and Services Administration. 

6 ‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi7 ble entity’ means— 

8 ‘‘(i) a county, city, territorial, or Trib9 al health department; or 

10 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a State with a cen11 tralized health department, the State 

12 health department. 

13 ‘‘(C) TRIBAL.—The term ‘Tribal’ refers to 

14 an Indian tribe, a Tribal organization, or an 

15 Urban Indian organization, as such terms are 

16 defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care 

17 Improvement Act.’’; 

18 (3) in subsection (f), as so redesignated— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

20 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘AU21 THORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘HEALTHY START INITIATIVE’’; 

23 and 


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1 (ii) by inserting ‘‘(other than sub2 section (e))’’ after ‘‘carrying out this sec3 tion’’; 

4 (B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

5 paragraph (3); 

6 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(2) INFANT MORTALITY PILOT PROGRAMS.— 

9 There is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 

10 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry 

11 out subsection (e).’’; and 

12 (D) in paragraph (3)(A), as so redesig13 nated, by striking ‘‘the program under this sec14 tion’’ and inserting ‘‘the program under sub15 section (a)’’; and 

16 (4) in paragraphs (2) and (3)(B) of subsection 

17 (g), as redesignated, by striking ‘‘subsection 

18 (e)(2)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (f)(3)(B)’’. 

Æ 


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