Title: Healthy Start Reauthorization Act of 2019
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Heathy Start Reauthorization Act of 2019  This bill modifies and reauthorizes through FY2024 the Healthy Start program, which provides grants that support interventions to improve women’s health before, during, and after pregnancy. Further, the bill requires the Health Resources and Services Administration to consider communities with high rates of infant mortality when awarding grants and requires the Government Accountability Office to evaluate the program’s health outcomes.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2619 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2619

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Healthy Start 
                                program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 17, 2019

    Mr. Brown (for himself, Mr. Burr, Ms. Stabenow, and Ms. Ernst) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Healthy Start 
                                program.

    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 ``Heathy Start Reauthorization Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF HEALTHY START PROGRAM.

    Section 330H of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c-8) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``, during fiscal 
                year 2001 and subsequent years,''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``or increasing 
                above the national average'' after ``areas with high'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``consumers of 
                project services, public health departments, hospitals, 
                health centers under section 330'' and inserting 
                ``participants and former participants of project 
                services, public health departments, hospitals, health 
                centers under section 330, State substance abuse 
                agencies''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``such 
                        as low birthweight'' and inserting ``including 
                        poor birth outcomes (such as low birthweight 
                        and preterm birth) and social determinants of 
                        health'';
                            (ii) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 
                        subparagraph (C);
                            (iii) by inserting after subparagraph (A), 
                        the following:
                    ``(B) Communities with--
                            ``(i) high rates of infant mortality or 
                        poor perinatal outcomes; or
                            ``(ii) high rates of infant mortality or 
                        poor perinatal outcomes in specific 
                        subpopulations within the community.''; and
                            (iv) in subparagraph (C) (as so 
                        redesignated)--
                                    (I) by redesignating clauses (i) 
                                and (ii) as clauses (ii) and (iii), 
                                respectively;
                                    (II) by inserting before clause 
                                (ii) (as so redesignated) the 
                                following:
                            ``(i) collaboration with the local 
                        community in the development of the project;'';
                                    (III) in clause (ii) (as so 
                                redesignated), by striking ``and'' at 
                                the end;
                                    (IV) in clause (iii) (as so 
                                redesignated), by striking the period 
                                and inserting ``; and''; and
                                    (V) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
                            ``(iv) the use and collection of data 
                        demonstrating the effectiveness of such program 
                        in decreasing infant mortality rates and 
                        improving perinatal outcomes, as applicable, or 
                        the process by which new applicants plan to 
                        collect this data.'';
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking ``Recipients of grants'' and 
                inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--Recipients of grants''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Other programs.--The Secretary shall ensure 
        coordination of the program carried out pursuant to this 
        section with other programs and activities related to the 
        reduction of the rate of infant mortality and improved 
        perinatal and infant health outcomes supported by the 
        Department.'';
            (4) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``appropriated--
                '' and all that follows through the end and inserting 
                ``appropriated $122,500,000 for each of fiscal years 
                2020 through 2024.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by adding at the end the 
                following: ``Evaluations may also include, to the 
                extent practicable, information related to--
                            ``(i) progress toward achieving any grant 
                        metrics or outcomes related to reducing infant 
                        mortality rates, improving perinatal outcomes, 
                        or reducing the disparity in health status;
                            ``(ii) recommendations on potential 
                        improvements that may assist with addressing 
                        gaps, as applicable and appropriate; and
                            ``(iii) the extent to which the grantee 
                        coordinated with the community in which the 
                        grantee is located in the development of the 
                        project and delivery of services, including 
                        with respect to technical assistance and 
                        mentorship programs.''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) GAO Report.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
        the enactment of this subsection, the Comptroller General of 
        the United States shall conduct an independent evaluation, and 
        submit to the appropriate Committees of Congress a report, 
        concerning the Healthy Start program under this section.
            ``(2) Evaluation.--In conducting the evaluation under 
        paragraph (1), the Comptroller General shall consider, as 
        applicable and appropriate, information from the evaluations 
        under subsection (e)(2)(B).
            ``(3) Report.--The report described in paragraph (1) shall 
        review, assess, and provide recommendations, as appropriate, on 
        the following:
                    ``(A) The allocation of Healthy Start program 
                grants by the Health Resources and Services 
                Administration, including considerations made by such 
                Administration regarding disparities in infant 
                mortality or perinatal outcomes among urban and rural 
                areas in making such awards.
                    ``(B) Trends in the progress made toward meeting 
                the evaluation criteria pursuant to subsection 
                (e)(2)(B), including programs which decrease infant 
                mortality rates and improve perinatal outcomes, 
                programs that have not decreased infant mortality rates 
                or improved perinatal outcomes, and programs that have 
                made an impact on disparities in infant mortality or 
                perinatal outcomes.
                    ``(C) The ability of grantees to improve health 
                outcomes for project participants, promote the 
                awareness of the Healthy Start program services, 
                incorporate and promote family participation, 
                facilitate coordination with the community in which the 
                grantee is located, and increase grantee accountability 
                through quality improvement, performance monitoring, 
                evaluation, and the effect such metrics may have toward 
                decreasing the rate of infant mortality and improve 
                perinatal outcomes.
                    ``(D) The extent to which such Federal programs are 
                coordinated across agencies and the identification of 
                opportunities for improved coordination in such Federal 
                programs and activities.''.
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