I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 117 
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 
JANUARY 3, 2019 
Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. 
CA´RDENAS, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. 
JACKSON LEE, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. KILMER, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. 
MCEACHIN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RYAN, 
Mr. SERRANO, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. 
KAPTUR, and Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce 
A BILL 
To authorize funding for the creation and implementation 
of infant mortality pilot programs in standard metropoli-
tan statistical areas with high rates of infant mortality, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:53 Jan 12, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H117.IH
H117
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nationally Enhancing 
the Wellbeing of Babies through Outreach and Research 
Now Act’’ or the ‘‘NEWBORN Act’’. 
SEC. 2. INFANT MORTALITY PILOT PROGRAMS. 
Section 330H of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 254c–8) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub-
section (f); 
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(e) INFANT MORTALITY PILOT PROGRAMS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Administrator, shall award grants to eli-
gible entities to create, implement, and oversee in-
fant mortality pilot programs. 
‘‘(2) PERIOD OF A GRANT.—The period of a 
grant under this subsection shall be up to 5 years. 
‘‘(3) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants under 
this subsection, the Secretary shall give preference 
to— 
‘‘(A) eligible entities proposing to serve 
any of the 15 counties or groups of counties 
with the highest rates of infant mortality in the 
United States in the past 3 years; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:53 Jan 12, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H117.IH
H117
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
‘‘(B) eligible entities whose proposed infant 
mortality pilot program would address— 
‘‘(i) birth defects; 
‘‘(ii) preterm birth and low birth 
weight; 
‘‘(iii) sudden infant death syndrome; 
‘‘(iv) maternal pregnancy complica-
tions; or 
‘‘(v) injuries to infants. 
‘‘(4) USE
OF
FUNDS.—Any infant mortality 
pilot program funded under this subsection may— 
‘‘(A) include the development of a plan 
that identifies the individual needs of each com-
munity to be served and strategies to address 
those needs; 
‘‘(B) provide outreach to at-risk mothers 
through programs deemed appropriate by the 
Administrator; 
‘‘(C) develop and implement standardized 
systems for improved access, utilization, and 
quality of social, educational, and clinical serv-
ices to promote healthy pregnancies, full-term 
births, and healthy infancies delivered to women 
and their infants, such as— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:53 Jan 12, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H117.IH
H117
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
‘‘(i) counseling on infant care, feed-
ing, and parenting; 
‘‘(ii) postpartum care; 
‘‘(iii) prevention of premature deliv-
ery; and 
‘‘(iv) additional counseling for at-risk 
mothers, including smoking cessation pro-
grams, drug treatment programs, alcohol 
treatment programs, nutrition and physical 
activity programs, postpartum depression 
and domestic violence programs, social and 
psychological services, dental care, and 
parenting programs; 
‘‘(D) establish a rural outreach program to 
provide care to at-risk mothers in rural areas; 
‘‘(E) establish a regional public education 
campaign, including a campaign to— 
‘‘(i) prevent preterm births; and 
‘‘(ii) educate the public about infant 
mortality; 
‘‘(F) provide for any other activities, pro-
grams, or strategies as identified by the com-
munity plan; and 
‘‘(G) coordinate efforts between— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:53 Jan 12, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H117.IH
H117
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
‘‘(i) the health department of each 
county or other eligible entity to be served 
through the infant mortality pilot program; 
and 
‘‘(ii) existing entities that work to re-
duce the rate of infant mortality within the 
area of any such county or other eligible 
entity. 
‘‘(5) LIMITATION.—Of the funds received 
through a grant under this subsection for a fiscal 
year, an eligible entity shall not use more than 10 
percent for program evaluation. 
‘‘(6) REPORTS ON PILOT PROGRAMS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 
after receiving a grant, and annually thereafter 
for the duration of the grant period, each entity 
that receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall 
submit a report to the Secretary detailing its 
infant mortality pilot program. 
‘‘(B) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—The reports 
required under subparagraph (A) shall include 
information such as the methodology of, and 
outcomes and statistics from, the grantee’s in-
fant mortality pilot program. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:53 Jan 12, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H117.IH
H117
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS
‘‘(C) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall 
use the reports required under subparagraph 
(A) to evaluate, and conduct statistical research 
on, infant mortality pilot programs funded 
through this subsection. 
‘‘(7) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this 
subsection: 
‘‘(A) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Admin-
istrator’ means the Administrator of the Health 
Resources and Services Administration. 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligi-
ble entity’ means a county, city, territorial, or 
tribal health department that has submitted a 
proposal to the Secretary that the Secretary 
deems likely to reduce infant mortality rates 
within the standard metropolitan statistical 
area involved. 
‘‘(C) TRIBAL.—The term ‘tribal’ refers to 
an Indian tribe, a Tribal organization, or an 
Urban Indian organization, as such terms are 
defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care 
Improvement Act.’’; and 
(3) by amending subsection (f), as so redesig-
nated— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:53 Jan 12, 2019
Jkt 089200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H117.IH
H117
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS