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 Pro-
grams. 
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 ‘‘Baby Box and Mater-
nal Assistance Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF BABY BOX PROGRAMS. 
Section 501 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
701) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(2), insert ‘‘and including 
by providing such grants to States for the establish-
ment of Baby Box Programs described in subsection 
(d)’’ after ‘‘services development’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(d)(1) For purposes of subsection (a)(2), a Baby 
Box Program described in this subsection is a program 
under which a State— 
‘‘(A) provides to eligible individuals and to a 
partner chosen by such an individual, at no cost to 
such individuals and such partners— 
‘‘(i) training with respect to prenatal, new-
born, and postpartum care (as defined by the 
State), including evidence-based training with 
respect to safe sleeping practices for newborns 
and smoking cessation practices for parents; 
‘‘(ii) baby boxes to such individuals who 
have completed an amount of such training de-
termined appropriate by the State; and 
‘‘(iii) doula services or midwife services, 
furnished by doulas or midwives who meet such 
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standards as specified by the State, for such in-
dividuals who have so completed such training; 
‘‘(B) makes available, using funds other than 
funds made available through grants awarded under 
subsection (a)(2), training and boxes described in 
clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, of subparagraph (A) 
to all individuals residing in such State at an afford-
able cost determined appropriate by such State; and 
‘‘(C) provides funding for the recruitment and 
training of doulas or midwives from diverse back-
grounds. 
‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘baby box’ means a package that 
contains such items with respect to newborn and 
postpartum care as the State determines appro-
priate. 
‘‘(B) The term ‘eligible individual’ means— 
‘‘(i) a low-income (as defined in subsection 
(b)(2)) woman; or 
‘‘(ii) a woman eligible to enroll under the 
State plan (or waiver of such plan) under title 
XIX of the State in which such woman resides. 
‘‘(C) The term— 
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‘‘(i) ‘doula’ means an individual trained to 
provide pre and postpartum care with respect to 
pregnant women; and 
‘‘(ii) ‘doula services’ means such care fur-
nished by such an individual.’’. 
Æ 
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