Title: EQUIP Act of 2022
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Enhancing Questions to Understand Intentions for Pregnancy Act of 2022 or the EQUIP Act of 2022
This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide eligible health organizations with demonstration program grants to implement routine screenings about people's pregnancy intentions in order to provide better contraceptive and prepregnancy care.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8834 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8834

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a demonstration 
  program to facilitate the clinical adoption of pregnancy intention 
   screening initiatives by health care and social service providers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 15, 2022

Ms. Bonamici (for herself, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Ms. Norton, Mr. 
    Larson of Connecticut, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. 
     Blumenauer, Ms. Chu, Ms. Brownley, Ms. Speier, Mrs. Torres of 
    California, Mr. Khanna, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Deutch, and Ms. Lee of 
 California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a demonstration 
  program to facilitate the clinical adoption of pregnancy intention 
   screening initiatives by health care and social service providers.

    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 ``Enhancing Questions to Understand 
Intentions for Pregnancy Act of 2022'' or the ``EQUIP Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. PREGNANCY INTENTION SCREENING INITIATIVE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section:

``SEC. 399V-7. PREGNANCY INTENTION SCREENING INITIATIVE DEMONSTRATION 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Program Establishment.--The Secretary, through the Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall establish a 
demonstration program to facilitate the clinical adoption of pregnancy 
intention screening initiatives by health care and social service 
providers.
    ``(b) Grants.--The Secretary shall carry out the demonstration 
program through awarding grants to eligible entities to implement 
pregnancy intention screening initiatives, collect data, and evaluate 
such initiatives.
    ``(c) Eligible Entities.--
            ``(1) In general.--An eligible entity under this section is 
        an entity described in paragraph (2) that provides non-
        directive, comprehensive, medically accurate information.
            ``(2) Entities described.--For purposes of paragraph (1), 
        an entity described in this paragraph--
                    ``(A) is a community-based organization, voluntary 
                health organization, public health department, 
                community health center, or other interested public or 
                private primary, behavioral, or other health care or 
                social service provider or organization; and
                    ``(B) does not include any crisis pregnancy center 
                or other anti-abortion organization that presents 
                itself as a comprehensive reproductive health care 
                provider but has the intent of discouraging pregnant 
                people from accessing abortion care.
    ``(d) Pregnancy Intention Screening Initiative.--For purposes of 
this section, the term `pregnancy intention screening initiative' means 
any initiative by an eligible entity to routinely screen people with 
respect to their pregnancy and reproductive health desires and goals to 
either prevent unintended pregnancies or improve the likelihood of 
healthy pregnancies, in order to better provide health care that meets 
the contraceptive or pre-pregnancy needs and goals of such people.
    ``(e) Evaluation.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        shall, by grant or contract, and after consultation as 
        described in paragraph (2), conduct an evaluation of the 
        demonstration program, with respect to pregnancy intention 
        screening initiatives, conducted under this section. Such an 
        evaluation shall include:
                    ``(A) Assessment of the implementation of pregnancy 
                intention screening protocols among a diverse group of 
                patients and providers, including collecting data on 
                the experiences and outcomes for diverse patient 
                populations in a variety of clinical and social service 
                settings.
                    ``(B) Analysis of outcome measures that will 
                facilitate effective and widespread adoption of such 
                protocols by health care providers for inquiring about 
                and responding to pregnancy and reproductive health 
                goals of people with both contraceptive and pre-
                pregnancy care.
                    ``(C) Consideration of health disparities among the 
                populations served.
                    ``(D) Assessment of the equitable and voluntary 
                implementation of such initiatives to Black, 
                Indigenous, and people of color, and other medically 
                underserved communities.
                    ``(E) Assessment of the training, capacity, and 
                ongoing technical assistance needed for providers to 
                effectively implement such pregnancy intention 
                screening protocols.
                    ``(F) Assessment of whether referral systems for 
                selected protocols follow evidence-based standards that 
                ensure access to comprehensive culturally competent and 
                gender affirming health services and appropriate 
                follow-up care.
                    ``(G) Measuring through rigorous methods the effect 
                of such initiatives on key health outcomes.
            ``(2) Cost study.--The Secretary, acting through the 
        Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        shall, by grant or contract, conduct a study assessing the time 
        and cost for providers to administer pregnancy intention 
        screening tools and provide related counseling in a diverse 
        array of settings.
            ``(3) Consultation with independent experts.--In conducting 
        any evaluation under paragraphs (1) and (2), the Director of 
        the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall consult 
        with physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice 
        registered nurses, registered nurses, nurse midwives, 
        behavioral health providers, other health care providers who 
        specialize in reproductive and sexual health, human services 
        providers, and other experts in public health, clinical 
        practice, program evaluation, and research.
            ``(4) Report.--Not later than one year after the last day 
        of the demonstration program under this section, the Director 
        of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall submit 
        to Congress a report on the results of the evaluation and study 
        conducted under paragraphs (1) and (2) and shall make the 
        report publicly available.
    ``(f) Funding.--
            ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this 
        section, there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2023 through 2025.
            ``(2) Limitation.--Not more than 20 percent of funds 
        appropriated to carry out this section pursuant to paragraph 
        (1) for a fiscal year may be used for purposes of the 
        evaluation under subsection (e).''.
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