I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1065
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a program
to provide pregnant women with certificates to cover expenses incurred
in receiving services at maternity and housing services facilities and
to direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide
assistance to nonprofit entities for the rehabilitation of existing structures
for use as facilities to provide housing and services to pregnant women.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 27, 1995
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Commerce and, in addition, to the Committee on
Banking and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
establish a program to provide pregnant women with
certificates to cover expenses incurred in receiving serv-
ices at maternity and housing services facilities and to
direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
to provide assistance to nonprofit entities for the reha-
bilitation of existing structures for use as facilities to
provide housing and services to pregnant women.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
HR 1065 IH
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Health Care and Hous-
ing for Women and Children Act of 1995’’.
TITLE I—MATERNAL HEALTH CERTIFICATES
PROGRAM
SEC. 101. MATERNAL HEALTH CERTIFICATES FOR ELIGI-
BLE PREGNANT WOMEN.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF MATERNAL HEALTH CER-
TIFICATES FOR ELIGIBLE PREGNANT WOMEN.—Not later
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall estab-
lish a program to provide maternal health certificates for
eligible pregnant women to use to cover expenses incurred
in receiving services at a maternity and housing services
facility.
(b) ELIGIBILITY OF INDIVIDUALS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—A pregnant woman is eligi-
ble to receive a maternal health certificate under the
program established under subsection (a) if the
woman—
(A) has an annual individual income (de-
termined without taking into account the in-
come of any parent or guardian of the individ-
ual) not greater than 175 percent of the income
official poverty line (as defined by the Office of
Management and Budget, and revised annually
HR 1065 IH
in accordance with section 673(2) of the Omni-
bus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981) applica-
ble to such individual; and
(B) provides the Secretary with such other
information and assurances as the Secretary
may require.
(2) INCOME OF ESTRANGED SPOUSE NOT IN-
CLUDED.—In determining the income of an individ-
ual for purposes of paragraph (1)(A), there shall not
be included the income of a spouse if the spouse has
been living apart from the woman for not less than
6 months.
(3) PARTICIPATION IN AFDC PROGRAM NOT RE-
QUIRED.—An individual otherwise eligible to receive
a maternal health certificate under the program es-
tablished under subsection (a) shall not be found in-
eligible to receive such a certificate solely on the
grounds that the individual does not receive aid
under the State plan for aid to families with depend-
ent children under part A of title IV of the Social
Security Act.
(c) LIMITATIONS
ON AMOUNT
OF EXPENSES IN-
CURRED.—A certificate received under the program estab-
lished under subsection (a) may be used to cover an
amount of expenses incurred by an individual at a mater-
HR 1065 IH
nity housing and services facility that does not exceed an
amount equal to—
(1) $100; multiplied by
(2) the number of days during which such serv-
ices are provided to the individual at such facility.
(d) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section:
(1) MATERNITY AND HOUSING SERVICES FA-
CILITY.—The term ‘‘maternity and housing services
facility’’ means a nonprofit facility licensed or other-
wise approved by the State in which the facility is
located to serve as a residence for not fewer than 4
pregnant women during pregnancy and for a limited
period after the date on which the child carried dur-
ing the pregnancy is born, as the Secretary may de-
termine, that provides such pregnant women with
appropriate supportive services, which may include
the following supportive services:
(A) Room and board.
(B) Medical care (provided either at the
facility or off-site) for the woman and her child,
including prenatal, delivery, and post-delivery
care.
(C) Instruction and counseling regarding
future health care for the woman and her child.
HR 1065 IH
(D) Nutrition services and nutrition coun-
seling.
(E) Counseling and education concerning
all aspects of prenatal care, childbirth, and
motherhood.
(F) General family counseling, including
child and family development counseling.
(G) Adoption counseling.
(H) Vocational and educational counseling
and services.
(I) Basic transportation services to enable
the woman to obtain services from the facility.
(2) PREGNANT WOMAN.—The term ‘‘pregnant
woman’’ means a woman determined to have one or
more fetuses in utero.
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
(e) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated for maternal health cer-
tificates under this section—
(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 1996;
(2) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 1997; and
(3) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 1998.
HR 1065 IH
(b) MAXIMUM NUMBER OF GRANTS.—The Secretary
may not make grants under this title to more than 100
eligible nonprofit entities in any fiscal year.
(c) USE OF GRANTS FOR REHABILITATION ACTIVI-
TIES.—Any eligible nonprofit entity that receives a grant
under this title shall use the grant amounts for the acqui-
sition or rehabilitation (or both) of existing structures for
use as a maternity housing and services facility, which
may include planning and development costs, professional
fees, and administrative costs related to such acquisition
or rehabilitation.
SEC. 204. REPORTS.
The Secretary shall require each eligible nonprofit en-
tity that receives a grant under this title to submit to the
Secretary a report, at such times and including such infor-
mation as the Secretary shall determine, describing the
activities carried out by the eligible nonprofit entity with
the grant amounts.
SEC. 205. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this title:
(1) ELIGIBLE NONPROFIT ENTITIES.—The term
‘‘eligible nonprofit entity’’ means any organization
that—
(A) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that is exempt
HR 1065 IH
from taxation under subtitle A of such Code;
and
(B) has submitted an application under
section 702(b) for a grant under this title.
(2) MATERNITY HOUSING AND SERVICES FA-
CILITY.—The term ‘‘maternity housing and services
facility’’ means a facility licensed or otherwise ap-
proved by the State in which the facility is located
to serve as a residence for not fewer than 4 preg-
nant women during pregnancy and for a limited pe-
riod after the date on which the child carried during
the pregnancy is born, as the Secretary may deter-
mine, that provides such pregnant women with ap-
propriate supportive services, which may include the
following services:
(A) Room and board.
(B) Medical care for the woman and her
child, including prenatal, delivery, and post-de-
livery care.
(C) Instruction and counseling regarding
future health care for the woman and her child.
(D) Nutrition services and nutrition coun-
seling.
HR 1065 IH
(E) Counseling and education concerning
all aspects of prenatal care, childbirth, and
motherhood.
(F) General family counseling, including
child and family development counseling.
(G) Adoption counseling.
(H) Vocational and educational counseling
and services.
(I) Basic transportation services to enable
the woman to obtain services from the facility.
(J) Any other appropriate supportive serv-
ices.
(3) PREGNANT WOMAN.—The term ‘‘pregnant
woman’’ means a woman determined to have one or
more fetuses in utero.
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
SEC. 206. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this title $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1996, $40,000,000
for fiscal year 1997, and $60,000,000 for fiscal year 1998.
Æ