I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 477 
To amend title V of the Social Security Act to establish a grant program 
for community-based maternal mentoring programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 24, 2023 
Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia 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 establish 
a grant program for community-based maternal men-
toring programs. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Community Mentors 
for Moms Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED MATERNAL MEN-
TORING PROGRAMS. 
Title V of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 701 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 514. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED MATERNAL 
MENTORING PROGRAMS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any other pay-
ments made under this title to a State, the Secretary shall 
make grants to eligible entities to conduct demonstration 
projects for, and enable such entities to deliver services 
under, community-based mentoring programs that satisfy 
the requirements of subsection (c) to eligible mothers in 
order to promote improvements in maternal and child well- 
being, financial stewardship, child development, parenting, 
and access to social services and other community re-
sources. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—The Secretary may not award 
funds made available under this subsection on a non-
competitive basis, and may not provide any such funds to 
an entity for the purpose of carrying out a community- 
based mentoring program unless the entity has submitted 
an application to the Secretary that includes— 
‘‘(1) a description of how the programs or ac-
tivities proposed in the application will improve ma-
ternal mental and physical health outcomes in a 
service area identified by the entity, substantially in-
crease the number of eligible mothers in a service 
area with access to a community-based mentoring 
relationship, utilize community volunteer mentors, 
and supplement, including by avoiding duplication 
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with, existing social services and community re-
sources; 
‘‘(2) a description of how the program will part-
ner with other community institutions, including pri-
vate institutions, in identifying eligible mothers in 
need of a mentor and, as applicable, creating sup-
port communities among eligible mothers; 
‘‘(3) a description of the populations to be 
served by the entity, including specific information 
on how the entity will serve eligible mothers who be-
long to high-risk populations as identified in sub-
section (d); 
‘‘(4) a description of the maternal and child 
health indicators, financial well-being, and other 
needs of populations to be served by the entity as 
described in paragraph (3), including, to the extent 
practicable, the prevalence of mentoring opportuni-
ties for such populations; 
‘‘(5) the quantifiable benchmarks that will be 
used to measure program success; 
‘‘(6) a commitment by the entity to consult 
with experts with a demonstrated history of men-
toring and case management success in achieving 
the outcomes described in subsection (c)(2)(A) in de-
veloping the programs and activities; and 
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‘‘(7) such other application information as the 
Secretary may deem necessary, with the goal of 
minimizing the application burden on small non-
governmental organizations that would otherwise 
qualify for the grant. 
‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) CORE COMPONENTS.—A community ma-
ternal mentoring program conducted with a grant 
made under this section shall include the following 
core components: 
‘‘(A) Provision of community-based men-
toring relationships for eligible mothers, which 
may include dedicated individual mentors and 
networks of peer and community support 
groups. 
‘‘(B) An individualized needs assessment 
for each eligible mother participating in the 
program, to be administered at the outset of 
the program. 
‘‘(C) Recruitment and utilization of com-
munity-based, volunteer mentors. 
‘‘(D) Provision of training to participating 
mentors to equip them with mentoring best 
practices and knowledge of public and private 
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has failed to submit the report required 
under clause (i), and has not agreed to a 
reasonable timeline to submit such report 
under such conditions as may be deter-
mined by the Secretary, the Secretary shall 
terminate the entity’s grant and may re-
allocate any unpaid grant funds toward fu-
ture grants provided under this section. 
‘‘(3) IMPROVEMENTS
IN
PARTICIPANT
OUT-
COMES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The program is de-
signed, with respect to an eligible mother par-
ticipating in the program, to result in the par-
ticipant outcomes described in subparagraph 
(B) that are relevant to the mother (as deter-
mined pursuant to an individualized needs as-
sessment administered to the mother). 
‘‘(B) PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES.—The par-
ticipant outcomes described in this subpara-
graph are the following: 
‘‘(i) Improvements in prenatal and 
maternal health, including mental and be-
havioral health and improved pregnancy 
outcomes. 
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‘‘(ii) Improvements in child health 
and development, including the prevention 
of child injuries and maltreatment. 
‘‘(iii) Higher levels of engagement be-
tween mothers, children, and their health 
providers. 
‘‘(iv) Reductions in mother’s stress 
and anxiety. 
‘‘(v) Improvements in parenting skills. 
‘‘(vi) Improvement in financial literacy 
skills. 
‘‘(vii) Improvements in child’s school 
readiness and academic achievement. 
‘‘(viii) Improvements in family eco-
nomic self-sufficiency. 
‘‘(ix) Improvements in the coordina-
tion of referrals for, and the provision of, 
other community resources, including pri-
vate and public resources, and supports for 
eligible families. 
‘‘(d) PRIORITIZATION.—An eligible entity receiving a 
grant under this section shall identify and prioritize high- 
risk populations in provision of services, including— 
‘‘(1) low-income eligible mothers; 
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‘‘(2) eligible mothers who are pregnant women 
who have not attained the age of 21; 
‘‘(3) eligible mothers from populations with a 
high risk of maternal morbidity; 
‘‘(4) eligible mothers with a history of sub-
stance abuse or victims of domestic abuse; 
‘‘(5) eligible mothers with children with develop-
mental disabilities; and 
‘‘(6) eligible mothers residing in a qualified op-
portunity zone, as designated under section 1400Z– 
1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 
‘‘(e) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—Funds provided to 
an eligible entity under a grant awarded under subsection 
(a) shall supplement, and not supplant, funds from other 
sources for maternal mentorship or case management 
services. 
‘‘(f)(1) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall engage in 
ongoing research and evaluation activities in order to in-
crease knowledge about the implementation and effective-
ness of community maternal mentoring programs. The 
Secretary may carry out such activities directly, or 
through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts, and 
shall submit a report to Congress not less than annually 
on the research and evaluation steps being taken to meas-
ure the impact and effectiveness of programs funded 
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under this subchapter, as well as any interim outcomes 
that may be available. 
‘‘(2) REPORT REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 3 
years after the date of enactment of this section, the Sec-
retary shall submit a report to Congress on the effective-
ness of programs funded with grants under subsection (a) 
in producing the outcomes described in subsection 
(c)(3)(B), which shall include recommendations for im-
proving program design and implementation. 
‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 
provide an eligible entity required to develop and imple-
ment an improvement plan under clause (c)(2)(B) with 
technical assistance to develop and implement the plan. 
The Secretary may provide the technical assistance di-
rectly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agree-
ments. 
‘‘(h) NO FUNDS
TO PROHIBITED ENTITIES.—No 
prohibited entity shall be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection (a), or any other funds made available by this 
section. 
‘‘(i) PROTECTIONS FOR PARTICIPATING RELIGIOUS 
ORGANIZATIONS.—A religious organization shall be eligi-
ble to apply for and receive funding for a program under 
this section on the same basis as a nonreligious organiza-
tion, and a religious organization’s exemptions, in title VII 
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of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (including exemption from 
prohibitions in employment discrimination in section 
702(a) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 2000e–1(a))), title VIII of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1968, title IX of the Educational 
Amendments of 1987, the Americans with Disabilities Act, 
the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Religious 
Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or any other 
provision in law providing an exemption for a religious or-
ganization, shall not be waived by its participation in, or 
receipt of funds from, a grant provided by this section. 
‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—For 
purposes of carrying out this section, there are authorized 
to be appropriated $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2024 through 2026. 
‘‘(1) RESERVATIONS.—Of the amounts appro-
priated under this subsection for a fiscal year (or 
portion of a fiscal year), the Secretary shall reserve 
3 percent for purposes of carrying out subsections 
(f) and (g). 
‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY.—Funds made available to 
an eligible entity under this section for a fiscal year 
(or portion of a fiscal year) shall remain available 
for expenditure by the eligible entity through the end 
of the third succeeding fiscal year after award. 
‘‘(k) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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