Opportunities to Support Mothers and Deliver Children Act
Bill: H.R.2701 | Sponsor: Rep. Moore, Gwen (D-WI)
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
Opportunities to Support Mothers and Deliver Children Act
This bill provides funding for, and requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award, grants for demonstration projects to train low-income individuals to work in the field of pregnancy or childbirth. Grantees must be located in a state that recognizes doulas or midwives as health care providers and that allows payment for their services in the Medicaid program.

To provide grants for the conduct of demonstration projects designed to 
 provide education and training for eligible individuals to enter and 
follow a career pathway in the field of pregnancy or childbirth, under 
 the health profession opportunity grant program under section 2008 of 
                        the Social Security Act.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Opportunities to Support Mothers and 
Deliver Children Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS TO PROVIDE CAREER PATHWAYS IN 
              THE FIELD OF PREGNANCY OR CHILDBIRTH.

    Section 2008 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397g) is 
amended by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e) and inserting 
after subsection (c) the following:
    ``(d) Demonstration Projects To Provide Career Pathways in the 
Field of Pregnancy or Childbirth.--
            ``(1) Grant authority.--The Secretary, in consultation with 
        the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education, shall 
        award grants in accordance with this subsection to eligible 
        entities to conduct demonstration projects for the purpose of 
        providing education and training for eligible individuals to 
        enter and follow a career pathway in the field of pregnancy or 
        childbirth, in a State that recognizes doulas or midwives as 
        health care providers and that provides payment for services 
        provided by doulas or midwives, as the case may be, under the 
        State plan approved under title XIX.
            ``(2) Duration.--A demonstration project shall be conducted 
        under this subsection for not less than 3 years.
            ``(3) Application requirements.--An applicant seeking a 
        grant under this subsection for a demonstration project shall 
        submit to the Secretary an application for the grant, that 
        includes the following:
                    ``(A) A description of the partnerships, strategic 
                staff hiring decisions, tailored program activities, or 
                other programmatic elements of the project that are 
                designed to support a strong career pathway in 
                pregnancy, birth, or post-partum services.
                    ``(B) A demonstration that the State in which the 
                project is to be conducted recognizes and permits 
                doulas and midwives to practice in the State.
                    ``(C) A demonstration that the applicant has 
                experience working with low-income populations, or a 
                description of the plan of the applicant to work with a 
                partner that has the experience.
            ``(4) Evaluations.--The Secretary shall, by grant, 
        contract, or interagency agreement, conduct rigorous and well-
        designed evaluations of the demonstration projects for which a 
        grant is made under this section, which shall include 
        identification of successful activities for creating 
        opportunities for developing and sustaining, particularly with 
        respect to low-income individuals and other entry-level 
        workers, a doula-to-midwife workforce career pathway that has 
        accessible entry points, that meets high standards for 
        education, training, certification, and professional 
        development, and that provides increased wages and affordable 
        benefits, including health care coverage, that are responsive 
        to the needs of the workforce.
            ``(5) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
                means any of the following entities that demonstrates 
                in an application submitted under this subsection that 
                the entity has the capacity to fully develop and 
                administer the demonstration project described in the 
                application:
                            ``(i) A local workforce development board 
                        established under section 107 of the Workforce 
                        Innovation and Opportunity Act.
                            ``(ii) A State or territory, a political 
                        subdivision of a State or territory, or an 
                        agency of a State, territory, or such a 
                        political subdivision.
                            ``(iii) An Indian tribe, a tribal 
                        organization, or a tribal college or 
                        university.
                            ``(iv) An institution of higher education 
                        (as defined in the Higher Education Act of 
                        1965).
                            ``(v) A hospital (as defined in section 
                        1861(e)).
                            ``(vi) A skilled nursing facility (as 
                        defined in section 1819(h)(1)(A)).
                            ``(vii) A Federally qualified health center 
                        (as defined in section 1861(aa)(4)).
                            ``(viii) A nonprofit organization described 
                        in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 
                        Code of 1986, a labor organization, or an 
                        entity with shared labor-management oversight, 
                        that has a demonstrated history of providing 
                        health profession training to eligible 
                        individuals.
                            ``(ix) An entity recognized by a State, 
                        Indian tribe, or tribal organization as 
                        qualified to train doulas or midwives, if 
                        midwives or doulas, as the case may be, are 
                        permitted to practice medicine in the State 
                        involved.
                            ``(x) An opioid treatment program (as 
                        defined in section 1861(iii)(2)).
                    ``(B) Eligible individual.--The term `eligible 
                individual' means an individual whose income does not 
                exceed 138 percent of the Federal poverty level.
                    ``(C) Midwife.--The term `midwife' means a 
                certified midwife, certified professional midwife, 
                licensed midwife, and tribally-recognized midwife.
                    ``(D) Certified midwife.--The term `certified 
                midwife' means an individual who is certified by the 
                American Midwifery Certification Board to practice 
                midwifery.
                    ``(E) Certified professional midwife.--The term 
                `certified professional midwife' means an individual 
                who--
                            ``(i) is certified by the North American 
                        Registry of Midwives to practice midwifery for 
                        normal, low-risk pregnancies and childbirths; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) has completed--
                                    ``(I) a midwifery education program 
                                accredited by the Midwifery Education 
                                and Accreditation Council or any other 
                                entity recognized by the Department of 
                                Education; or
                                    ``(II) the requirements to obtain a 
                                Midwifery Bridge Certificate from the 
                                North American Registry of Midwives, 
                                and maintains the certification by 
                                completing any required continuing 
                                education for the certification.
                    ``(F) Licensed midwife.--The term `licensed 
                midwife' means, with respect to a State, an individual 
                who is licensed under State law to practice midwifery.
                    ``(G) Tribally-recognized midwife.--The term 
                `tribally-recognized midwife' means an individual who 
                is recognized by an Indian tribe (as defined in section 
                4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act) to 
                practice midwifery for the tribe.
            ``(6) Appropriation.--Out of any funds in the Treasury of 
        the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are 
        appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this subsection 
        $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2022.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 
2021.
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