Title: Data to Save Moms Act of 2020
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Data to Save Moms Act of 2020
This bill establishes the Task Force on Maternal Health Data and Quality Measures, and certain grants for maternal mortality review committees, to address maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among women in minority populations.
Among other activities, the task force must evaluate issues related to maternal health data and provide recommendations to improve maternity care.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may award grants to certain entities that coordinate maternal mortality review committees for purposes of including community representatives on such committees. Additionally, to the extent practicable, the committees must (1) consult with community-based organizations about nonclinical factors that contribute to adverse maternal health outcomes, and (2) review certain cases of severe maternal morbidity in addition to pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-related deaths.
In addition, the Indian Health Service and HHS must coordinate studies of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among women in tribal and minority populations, respectively.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6165 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6165

To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve data collection with 
 respect to maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 10, 2020

Ms. Davids of Kansas (for herself, Ms. Underwood, Ms. Adams, Mr. Clay, 
Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Norton, Ms. Sewell of Alabama, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Moore, 
 Mr. Lawson of Florida, Ms. Pressley, and Ms. Haaland) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve data collection with 
 respect to maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Data to Save Moms Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FUNDING FOR MATERNAL MORTALITY REVIEW COMMITTEES TO PROMOTE 
              REPRESENTATIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 317K(d) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 247b-12(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(9) Grants to promote representative community engagement 
        in maternal mortality review committees.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may, using funds 
                made available pursuant to subparagraph (C), provide 
                assistance to an applicable maternal mortality review 
                committee of a State, Indian tribe, tribal 
                organization, or urban Indian organization (as such 
                term is defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care 
                Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603))--
                            ``(i) to select for inclusion in the 
                        membership of such a committee community 
                        members from the State, Indian tribe, tribal 
                        organization, or urban Indian organization by--
                                    ``(I) prioritizing community 
                                members who can increase the diversity 
                                of the committee's membership with 
                                respect to race and ethnicity, 
                                location, and professional background, 
                                including members with non-clinical 
                                experiences; and
                                    ``(II) to the extent applicable, 
                                using funds reserved under subsection 
                                (f) to address barriers to maternal 
                                mortality review committee 
                                participation for community members, 
                                including required training, 
                                transportation barriers, compensation, 
                                and other supports as may be necessary;
                            ``(ii) to establish initiatives to conduct 
                        outreach and community engagement efforts 
                        within communities throughout the State or 
                        Tribe to seek input from community members on 
                        the work of such maternal mortality review 
                        committee, with a particular focus on outreach 
                        to minority women; and
                            ``(iii) to release public reports 
                        assessing--
                                    ``(I) the pregnancy-related death 
                                and pregnancy-associated death review 
                                processes of the maternal mortality 
                                review committee, with a particular 
                                focus on the maternal mortality review 
                                committee's sensitivity to the unique 
                                circumstances of minority women who 
                                have suffered pregnancy-related deaths; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) the impact of the use of 
                                funds made available pursuant to 
                                paragraph (C) on increasing the 
                                diversity of the maternal mortality 
                                review committee membership and 
                                promoting community engagement efforts 
                                throughout the State or Tribe.
                    ``(B) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall 
                provide (either directly through the Department of 
                Health and Human Services or by contract) technical 
                assistance to any maternal mortality review committee 
                receiving a grant under this paragraph on best 
                practices for increasing the diversity of the maternal 
                mortality review committee's membership and for 
                conducting effective community engagement throughout 
                the State or Tribe.
                    ``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition 
                to any funds made available under subsection (f), there 
                are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
                paragraph $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 
                through 2025.''.
    (b) Reservation of Funds.--Section 317K(f) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-12(f)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: ``Of the amount made available under the preceding sentence 
for a fiscal year, not less than $1,500,000 shall be reserved for 
grants to Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or urban Indian 
organizations (as such term is defined in section 4 of the Indian 
Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603))''.

SEC. 3. DATA COLLECTION AND REVIEW.

    (a) In General.--Section 317K(d)(3)(A)(i) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-12(d)(3)(A)(i)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subclauses (II) and (III) as 
        subclauses (V) and (VI), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subclause (I) the following:
                                    ``(II) to the extent practicable, 
                                reviewing cases of severe maternal 
                                morbidity in which the patient received 
                                a transfusion of four or more units of 
                                blood and was admitted to an intensive 
                                care unit;
                                    ``(III) to the extent practicable, 
                                consulting with local community-based 
                                organizations representing women from 
                                demographic groups disproportionately 
                                impacted by poor maternal health 
                                outcomes to ensure that, in addition to 
                                clinical factors, non-clinical factors 
                                that might have contributed to a 
                                pregnancy-related death are 
                                appropriately considered;''.
    (b) Severe Maternal Morbidity Defined.--Section 317K(e) of the 
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-12(e)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) the term `severe maternal morbidity' means one or 
        more unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that result in 
        significant short-term or long-term consequences to a woman's 
        health.''.

SEC. 4. TASK FORCE ON MATERNAL HEALTH DATA AND QUALITY MEASURES.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
establish a task force to be known as the ``Task Force on Maternal 
Health Data and Quality Measures'' (in this section referred to as the 
``Task Force'').
    (b) Duties of Task Force.--
            (1) In general.--The Task Force shall use all available 
        relevant information, including information from State-level 
        sources, to prepare and submit a report containing the 
        following:
                    (A) An evaluation of current State and Tribal 
                practices for maternal health, maternal mortality, and 
                severe maternal morbidity data collection and 
                dissemination, including consideration of--
                            (i) the timeliness of processes for 
                        amending a death certificate when new 
                        information pertaining to the death becomes 
                        available to reflect whether the death was a 
                        pregnancy-related death;
                            (ii) maternal health data collected with 
                        electronic health records, including data on 
                        race and ethnicity;
                            (iii) the barriers preventing States from 
                        correlating maternal outcome data with race and 
                        ethnicity data;
                            (iv) processes for determining the cause of 
                        a pregnancy-associated death in States that do 
                        not have a maternal mortality review committee;
                            (v) whether maternal mortality review 
                        committees include multidisciplinary and 
                        diverse membership (as described in section 
                        317K(d)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act 
                        (42 U.S.C. 247b-12(d)(1)(A));
                            (vi) whether members of maternal mortality 
                        review committees participate in trainings on 
                        bias, racism, or discrimination, and the 
                        quality of such trainings;
                            (vii) the extent to which States have 
                        implemented systematic processes of listening 
                        to the stories of pregnant and postpartum women 
                        and their family members, with a particular 
                        focus on minority women and their family 
                        members, to fully understand the causes of, and 
                        inform potential solutions to, the maternal 
                        mortality and severe maternal morbidity crisis 
                        within their respective States;
                            (viii) the consideration of social 
                        determinants of health by maternal mortality 
                        review committees when examining the causes of 
                        pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-related 
                        deaths;
                            (ix) the legal barriers preventing the 
                        collation of State maternity care data;
                            (x) the effectiveness of data collection 
                        and reporting processes in separating 
                        pregnancy-associated deaths from pregnancy-
                        related deaths; and
                            (xi) the current Federal, State, local, and 
                        Tribal funding support for the activities 
                        referred to in clauses (i) through (x).
                    (B) An assessment of whether the funding referred 
                to in subparagraph (A)(xi) is adequate for States to 
                carry out optimal data collection and dissemination 
                processes with respect to maternal health, maternal 
                mortality, and severe maternal morbidity.
                    (C) An evaluation of current quality measures for 
                maternity care, including prenatal measures, labor and 
                delivery measures, and postpartum measures up to one 
                year postpartum. Such evaluation shall be conducted in 
                consultation with the National Quality Forum and shall 
                include consideration of--
                            (i) effective quality measures for 
                        maternity care used by hospitals, health 
                        systems, birth centers, health plans, and other 
                        relevant entities;
                            (ii) the sufficiency of current outcome 
                        measures used to evaluate maternity care for 
                        testing and validating new maternal health care 
                        payment and service delivery models;
                            (iii) quality measures for the childbirth 
                        experiences of women that other countries 
                        effectively use;
                            (iv) current maternity care quality 
                        measures that may be eliminated because they 
                        are not achieving their intended effect;
                            (v) barriers preventing maternity care 
                        providers from implementing quality measures 
                        that are aligned from best practices;
                            (vi) the frequency with which maternity 
                        care quality measures are reviewed and revised;
                            (vii) the strengths and weaknesses of the 
                        Prenatal and Postpartum Care measures of the 
                        Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set 
                        measures established by the National Committee 
                        for Quality Assurance;
                            (viii) the strengths and weaknesses of 
                        maternity care quality measures under the 
                        Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social 
                        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) and the 
                        Children's Health Insurance Program under title 
                        XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.), 
                        including the extent to which States 
                        voluntarily report relevant measures;
                            (ix) the extent to which maternity care 
                        quality measures are informed by patient 
                        experiences that include subjective measures of 
                        patient-reported experience of care;
                            (x) the current processes for collecting 
                        stratified data on the race and ethnicity of 
                        pregnant and postpartum women in hospitals, 
                        health systems, and birth centers, and for 
                        incorporating such racially and ethnically 
                        stratified data in maternity care quality 
                        measures;
                            (xi) the extent to which maternity care 
                        quality measures account for the unique 
                        experiences of minority women and their 
                        families; and
                            (xii) the extent to which hospitals, health 
                        systems, and birth centers are implementing 
                        existing maternity care quality measures.
                    (D) Recommendations on authorizing additional funds 
                to improve maternal mortality review committees and 
                relevant maternal health initiatives by the agencies 
                and organizations within the Department of Health and 
                Human Services.
                    (E) Recommendations for new authorities that may be 
                granted to maternal mortality review committees to be 
                able to--
                            (i) access records from other Federal and 
                        State agencies and departments that may be 
                        necessary to identify causes of pregnancy-
                        associated deaths that are unique to women from 
                        specific populations, such as women veterans 
                        and women who are incarcerated; and
                            (ii) work with relevant experts who are not 
                        members of the maternal mortality review 
                        committee to assist in the review of pregnancy-
                        associated deaths of women from specific 
                        populations, such as women veterans and women 
                        who are incarcerated.
                    (F) Recommendations to improve current quality 
                measures for maternity care, including recommendations 
                on updating the Pregnancy & Delivery Care measures on 
                the Hospital Compare website of the Centers for 
                Medicare & Medicaid Services or any successor website, 
                with a particular focus on racial and ethnic 
                disparities in maternal health outcomes.
                    (G) Recommendations to improve the coordination by 
                the Department of Health and Human Services of the 
                efforts undertaken by the agencies and organizations 
                within the Department related to maternal health data 
                and quality measures.
            (2) Public comment.--Not later than 60 days after the date 
        on which a majority of the members of the Task Force have been 
        appointed, the Task Force shall publish in the Federal Register 
        a notice for public comment period of 90 days, beginning on the 
        date of publication, on the duties and activities of the Task 
        Force.
    (c) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The Task Force shall be composed of 18 
        members appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services. The Secretary shall give special consideration to 
        individuals who are representative of populations most affected 
        by maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity.
            (2) Member criteria.--To be eligible to be appointed as a 
        member of the Task Force, an individual shall be--
                    (A) a woman who has experienced severe maternal 
                morbidity;
                    (B) a family member of a woman who had a pregnancy-
                related death;
                    (C) an individual who provides non-clinical support 
                to women from pregnancy through the postpartum period, 
                such as a doula, community health worker, peer 
                supporter, certified lactation consultant, nutritionist 
                or dietitian, social worker, home visitor, or a patient 
                navigator;
                    (D) a leader of a community-based organization that 
                addresses adverse maternal health outcomes with a 
                specific focus on racial and ethnic disparities;
                    (E) an academic researcher in a field or policy 
                area related to the duties of the Task Force;
                    (F) a maternal health care provider;
                    (G) an elected or duly appointed leader from an 
                Indian Tribe;
                    (H) an expert in a field or policy area related to 
                the duties of the Task Force; or
                    (I) an individual who has experience with Federal 
                or State government programs related to the duties of 
                the Task Force.
            (3) Appointment timing.--Appointments to the Task Force 
        shall be made not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act.
            (4) Duration.--Each member shall be appointed for the life 
        of the Task Force.
            (5) Co-chair selection.--Not later than 30 days after the 
        date on which a majority of the members of the Task Force have 
        been appointed, the Secretary shall select 2 of the members of 
        the Task Force to serve as co-chairs of the Task Force.
            (6) Vacancies.--
                    (A) In general.--A vacancy in the Task Force--
                            (i) shall not affect the powers of the Task 
                        Force; and
                            (ii) shall be filled in the same manner as 
                        the original appointment.
                    (B) Co-chair vacancy.--In the event of a vacancy of 
                a co-chair of the Task Force, a replacement co-chair 
                shall be selected in the same manner as the original 
                selection.
            (7) Compensation.--Except as provided in paragraph (8), 
        members of the Task Force shall serve without pay.
            (8) Travel expenses.--Members of the Task Force shall be 
        allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
        subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies 
        under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
        Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business 
        in the performance of service for the Task Force.
    (d) Meetings.--
            (1) In general.--The Task Force shall meet at the call of 
        the co-chairs of the Task Force.
            (2) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Task Force 
        shall constitute a quorum.
            (3) Initial meeting.--The Task Force shall meet not later 
        than 60 days after the date on which a majority of the members 
        of the Task Force have been appointed.
    (e) Staff of Task Force.--
            (1) Additional staff.--The co-chairs of the Task Force may 
        appoint and fix the pay of additional staff to the Task Force 
        as the co-chairs consider appropriate.
            (2) Applicability of certain civil service laws.--The staff 
        of the Task Force may be appointed without regard to the 
        provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing 
        appointments in the competitive service, and may be paid 
        without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter 
        III of chapter 53 of that title relating to classification and 
        General Schedule pay rates.
            (3) Detailees.--Any Federal Government employee may be 
        detailed to the Task Force without reimbursement from the Task 
        Force, and the detailee shall retain the rights, status, and 
        privileges of his or her regular employment without 
        interruption.
    (f) Powers of Task Force.--
            (1) Testimony and evidence.--The Task Force may take such 
        testimony and receive such evidence as the Task Force considers 
        advisable to carry out this section.
            (2) Obtaining official data.--The Task Force may secure 
        directly from any Federal department or agency information 
        necessary to carry out its duties under this section. On 
        request of the co-chairs of the Task Force, the head of that 
        department or agency shall furnish such information to the Task 
        Force.
            (3) Postal services.--The Task Force may use the United 
        States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions 
        as other Federal departments and agencies.
    (g) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date on which the 
initial 18 members of the Task Force are appointed under subsection 
(c)(1), the Task Force shall submit to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce, the Committee on Education and Labor, and the Committee on 
Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Finance and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of 
the Senate, and make publicly available, a report that--
            (1) contains the information, evaluations, and 
        recommendations described in subsection (b); and
            (2) is signed by more than half of the members of the Task 
        Force.
    (h) Termination.--Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Task Force.
    (i) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Maternal health care provider.--The term ``maternal 
        health care provider'' means an individual who is an 
        obstetrician-gynecologist, family physician, midwife who meets 
        at a minimum the international definition of the midwife and 
        global standards for midwifery education as established by the 
        International Confederation of Midwives, nurse practitioner, or 
        clinical nurse specialist.
            (2) Maternal mortality.--The term ``maternal mortality'' 
        means deaths occurring during, or within 12 months after, 
        pregnancy from complications of pregnancy or childbirth.
            (3) Maternal mortality review committee.--The term 
        ``maternal mortality review committee'' means a maternal 
        mortality review committee duly authorized by a State and 
        receiving funding under section 317k(a)(2)(D) of the Public 
        Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-12(a)(2)(D)).
            (4) Pregnancy-associated death.--The term ``pregnancy-
        associated death'' means a death of a woman, by any cause, that 
        occurs during, or within 1 year following, her pregnancy, 
        regardless of the outcome, duration, or site of the pregnancy.
            (5) Pregnancy-related death.--The term ``pregnancy-related 
        death'' means a death of a woman that occurs during, or within 
        1 year following, her pregnancy, regardless of the outcome, 
        duration, or site of the pregnancy--
                    (A) from any cause related to, or aggravated by, 
                the pregnancy or its management; and
                    (B) not from accidental or incidental causes.
            (6) Severe maternal morbidity.--The term ``severe maternal 
        morbidity'' means unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery 
        resulting in significant short-term or long-term consequences 
        to the health of a woman.
    (j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section 
for fiscal years 2021 through 2024.

SEC. 5. INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE STUDY ON MATERNAL MORTALITY.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the Indian Health Service 
(referred to in this section as the ``Director'') shall, in 
coordination with entities described in subsection (b)--
            (1) not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, 
        enter into a contract with an independent research organization 
        or Tribal Epidemiology Center to conduct a comprehensive study 
        on maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in the 
        populations of American Indian and Alaska Native women; and
            (2) not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, submit to Congress a report on such study that 
        contains recommendations for policies and practices that can be 
        adopted to improve maternal health outcomes for such women.
    (b) Participating Entities.--The entities described in this 
subsection shall consist of 12 members, selected by the Director from 
among individuals nominated by Indian tribes and tribal organizations 
(as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)), and urban 
Indian organizations (as such term is defined in section 4 of the 
Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)). In selecting such 
members, the Director shall ensure that each of the 12 service areas of 
the Indian Health Service is represented.
    (c) Contents of Study.--The study conducted pursuant to subsection 
(a) shall--
            (1) examine the causes of maternal mortality and severe 
        maternal morbidity that are unique to American Indian and 
        Alaska Native women;
            (2) include a systematic process of listening to the 
        stories of American Indian and Alaska Native women to fully 
        understand the causes of, and inform potential solutions to, 
        the maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity crisis 
        within their respective communities;
            (3) distinguish between the causes of, landscape of 
        maternity care at, and recommendations to improve maternal 
        health outcomes within, the different settings in which 
        American Indian and Alaska Native women receive maternity care, 
        such as--
                    (A) facilities operated by the Indian Health 
                Service;
                    (B) an Indian health program operated by an Indian 
                tribe or tribal organization pursuant to a contract, 
                grant, cooperative agreement, or compact with the 
                Indian Health Service pursuant to the Indian Self-
                Determination Act; and
                    (C) an urban Indian health program operated by an 
                urban Indian organization pursuant to a grant or 
                contract with the Indian Health Service pursuant to 
                title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act;
            (4) review processes for coordinating programs of the 
        Indian Health Service with social services provided through 
        other programs administered by the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services (other than the Medicare program under title 
        XVIII of the Social Security Act, the Medicaid program under 
        title XIX of such Act, and the Children's Health Insurance 
        Program under title XXI of such Act), including coordination 
        with the efforts of the Task Force established under section 3;
            (5) review current data collection and quality measurement 
        processes and practices;
            (6) consider social determinants of health, including 
        poverty, lack of health insurance, unemployment, sexual 
        violence, and environmental conditions in Tribal areas;
            (7) consider the role that historical mistreatment of 
        American Indian and Alaska Native women has played in causing 
        currently high rates of maternal mortality and severe maternal 
        morbidity;
            (8) consider how current funding of the Indian Health 
        Service affects the ability of the Service to deliver quality 
        maternity care;
            (9) consider the extent to which the delivery of maternity 
        care services is culturally appropriate for American Indian and 
        Alaska Native women;
            (10) make recommendations to reduce misclassification of 
        American Indian and Alaska Native women, including 
        consideration of best practices in training for maternal 
        mortality review committee members to be able to correctly 
        classify American Indian and Alaska Native women; and
            (11) make recommendations informed by the stories shared by 
        American Indian and Alaska Native women in paragraph (2) to 
        improve maternal health outcomes for such women.
    (d) Report.--The agreement entered into under subsection (a) with 
an independent research organization or Tribal Epidemiology Center 
shall require that the organization or center transmit to Congress a 
report on the results of the study conducted pursuant to that agreement 
not later than 36 months after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2021 through 2023.

SEC. 6. GRANTS TO MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS TO STUDY MATERNAL 
              MORTALITY, SEVERE MATERNAL MORBIDITY, AND OTHER ADVERSE 
              MATERNAL HEALTH OUTCOMES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
establish a program under which the Secretary shall award grants to 
research centers and other entities at minority-serving institutions to 
study specific aspects of the maternal health crisis among minority 
women. Such research may--
            (1) include the development and implementation of 
        systematic processes of listening to the stories of minority 
        women to fully understand the causes of, and inform potential 
        solutions to, the maternal mortality and severe maternal 
        morbidity crisis within their respective communities; and
            (2) assess the potential causes of low rates of maternal 
        mortality among Hispanic women, including potential racial 
        misclassification and other data collection and reporting 
        issues that might be misrepresenting maternal mortality rates 
        among Hispanic women in the United States.
    (b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection (a), an entity described in such subsection shall submit to 
the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
    (c) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may use not more than 10 
percent of the funds made available under subsection (f)--
            (1) to conduct outreach to Minority-Serving Institutions to 
        raise awareness of the availability of grants under this 
        subsection (a);
            (2) to provide technical assistance in the application 
        process for such a grant; and
            (3) to promote capacity building as needed to enable 
        entities described in such subsection to submit such an 
        application.
    (d) Reporting Requirement.--Each entity awarded a grant under this 
section shall periodically submit to the Secretary a report on the 
status of activities conducted using the grant.
    (e) Evaluation.--Beginning one year after the date on which the 
first grant is awarded under this section, the Secretary shall submit 
to Congress an annual report summarizing the findings of research 
conducted using funds made available under this section.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2021 through 2025.
    (g) Minority-Serving Institutions Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``minority-serving institution'' has the meaning given the term in 
section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1067q(a)).
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