Title: Baby Box and Maternal Assistance Act of 2019
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Baby Box and Maternal Assistance Act of 2019  This bill provides grants to states for the provision of training, services, and items that support prenatal, newborn, and postpartum care.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4201 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 
                               Programs.

    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 ``Baby Box and Maternal Assistance Act 
of 2019''.

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 establishment of Baby 
        Box Programs described in subsection (d)'' after ``services 
        development''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(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, newborn, 
                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 determined 
                appropriate by the State; and
                    ``(iii) doula services or midwife services, 
                furnished by doulas or midwives who meet such standards 
                as specified by the State, for such individuals 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 affordable cost determined appropriate by 
        such State; and
            ``(C) provides funding for the recruitment and training of 
        doulas or midwives from diverse backgrounds.
    ``(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 appropriate.
            ``(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--
                    ``(i) `doula' means an individual trained to 
                provide pre and postpartum care with respect to 
                pregnant women; and
                    ``(ii) `doula services' means such care furnished 
                by such an individual.''.
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