‘‘(B) assist States with the development 
and implementation of postpartum safety and 
monitoring practices and maternal mortality 
and morbidity prevention, based on the best 
practices developed under paragraph (2); and 
‘‘(C) 
improve 
State-specific 
maternal 
health outcomes and reduce variation in re-
sponse to maternity and postpartum care, in 
order to eliminate preventable maternal mor-
tality and severe maternal morbidity. 
‘‘(2) BEST PRACTICES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of the Modernizing 
Obstetric Medicine Standards Act of 2021, the 
Secretary, acting through the Administrator of 
the Health Resources and Services Administra-
tion, shall work with the contracting entity 
under paragraph (1)(A) to— 
‘‘(i) create and assist State-based col-
laborative teams in the implementation of 
standardized best practices, to be known as 
‘maternal safety bundles’, for the purpose 
of maternal mortality and morbidity pre-
vention; and 
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‘‘(ii) collect and analyze data related 
to process structure and patient outcomes 
to drive continuous quality improvement in 
the implementation of the maternal safety 
bundles by such State-based teams. 
‘‘(B) MATERNAL SAFETY BUNDLES.—The 
best practices issued under subparagraph (A) 
may address the following topics: 
‘‘(i) Obstetric hemorrhage. 
‘‘(ii) Maternal mental, behavioral, and 
emotional health. 
‘‘(iii) Maternal venous and thrombo-
embolism. 
‘‘(iv) Severe hypertension in preg-
nancy, including preeclampsia. 
‘‘(v) Obstetric care for women with 
substance abuse disorder. 
‘‘(vi) Postpartum care basics for ma-
ternal safety. 
‘‘(vii) Reduction of racial and ethnic 
disparities in maternity care. 
‘‘(viii) Safe reduction of primary ce-
sarean birth. 
‘‘(ix) Severe maternal morbidity re-
view. 
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‘‘(x) Support after a severe maternal 
morbidity event. 
‘‘(xi) Ways to empower and listen to 
women before, during, and after childbirth 
to ensure better communication between 
patients and health care providers. 
‘‘(xii) Other leading causes of mater-
nal mortality and morbidity, including in-
fection or sepsis and cardiomyopathy. 
‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
To carry out this subsection, in addition to amounts 
appropriated under subsection (g), there are author-
ized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2026.’’. 
(b) MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY PRE-
VENTION GRANTS.—Section 317K of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–12), as amended by sub-
section (a), is further amended by inserting after sub-
section (d) the following: 
‘‘(e) MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY PRE-
VENTION GRANT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Associate Administrator of the Maternal 
and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources 
and Services Administration, shall award grants to 
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States or hospitals to assist in the development and 
implementation of the maternal safety bundles de-
scribed in subsection (d)(2). 
‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State or hospital re-
ceiving a grant under this subsection may use 
such funds— 
‘‘(i) to purchase equipment and sup-
plies to effectively implement and execute 
the maternal safety bundles described in 
subsection (d)(2); and 
‘‘(ii) to develop training on, and eval-
uation of the effectiveness of, such mater-
nal safety bundles. 
‘‘(B) PRIORITY USE OF FUNDS FOR STATE 
GRANTEES.—A State receiving a grant under 
this subsection shall allocate such funds giving 
priority to the hospitals in such State that serve 
high volumes of low-income, at-risk, or rural 
populations. 
‘‘(3) PRIORITIZATION
OF
GRANT
APPLICA-
TIONS.—In awarding grants under this subsection, 
the Secretary shall prioritize applications from 
States, or hospitals within States, that— 
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‘‘(A) have a functioning maternal mortality 
review committee in accordance with best prac-
tices promulgated by the Building U.S. Capac-
ity to Review and Prevent Maternal Deaths Ini-
tiative of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, the CDC Foundation, and the Asso-
ciation of Maternal and Child Health Programs; 
or 
‘‘(B) serve high volumes of low-income, at- 
risk, or rural populations. 
‘‘(4) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 
after receipt of a grant under this subsection, 
each recipient of such a grant shall submit a re-
port to the Secretary describing— 
‘‘(i) implementation of the maternal 
safety bundles with use of the grant funds; 
‘‘(ii) any incidents of pregnancy-re-
lated 
deaths 
or 
pregnancy-associated 
deaths, and any pregnancy-related com-
plications or pregnancy-associated com-
plications occurring in the 1-year period 
prior to implementation of such proce-
dures; and 
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‘‘(iii) any incidents of pregnancy-re-
lated 
deaths 
or 
pregnancy-associated 
deaths, and any pregnancy-related com-
plications or pregnancy-associated com-
plications occurring after implementation 
of such procedures. 
‘‘(B) PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY; REPORT
TO 
CONGRESS.—Within 1 year of receiving the re-
ports under subparagraph (A), the Secretary 
shall— 
‘‘(i) make the reports submitted under 
subparagraph (A) publicly available; and 
‘‘(ii) submit a report to Congress that 
describes the grants awarded under this 
subsection, the effectiveness of the grant 
program under this subsection, the activi-
ties for which grant funds were used, and 
any recommendations to further prevent 
maternal mortality and morbidity. 
‘‘(C) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—To carry out this subsection, in addi-
tion to amounts appropriated under subsection 
(g), there are authorized to be appropriated 
$40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 
through 2026.’’. 
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‘‘(C) is not from an accidental or inci-
dental cause. 
‘‘(4) The term ‘severe maternal morbidity’ 
means the unexpected outcomes of labor and deliv-
ery that result in significant short- or long-term con-
sequences to a woman’s health.’’. 
SEC. 3. REPORTING ON PREGNANCY-RELATED AND PREG-
NANCY-ASSOCIATED DEATHS AND COMPLICA-
TIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services shall encourage each State to voluntarily 
submit to the Secretary each year a report containing the 
findings of a State maternal mortality review committee 
with respect to each maternal death in the State that the 
committee reviewed during the year. 
(b) MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH.—The Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall— 
(1) update the Pregnancy Mortality Surveil-
lance System or develop a separate system so that 
such system is capable of including data obtained 
from State maternal mortality review committees; 
and 
(2) provide technical assistance to States in re-
viewing cases of pregnancy-related complications and 
pregnancy-associated complications. 
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(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘preg-
nancy-associated complication’’ and ‘‘pregnancy-related 
complication’’ have the meanings given such terms in sec-
tion 317K of the Public Health Service Act, as amended 
by section 2. 
Æ 
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