Title: Community Mentors for Moms Act
Policy area: Families

Summary:
Community Mentors for Moms Act
This bill requires the Health Resources & Services Administration to make grants for demonstration projects that provide community-based maternal mentoring, which may include dedicated individual mentors and networks of peer and community support groups.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8669 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8669

   To amend title V of the Social Security Act to establish a grant 
        program for community-based maternal mentoring programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 5, 2022

 Mrs. Miller of West Virginia 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 establish a grant 
        program for community-based maternal mentoring 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 ``Community Mentors for Moms Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED MATERNAL MENTORING PROGRAMS.

    Title V of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 701 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 514. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY-BASED MATERNAL MENTORING PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) In General.--In addition to any other payments made under 
this title to a State, the Secretary shall make grants to eligible 
entities to conduct demonstration projects for, and enable such 
entities to deliver services under, community-based mentoring programs 
that satisfy the requirements of subsection (c) to eligible mothers in 
order to promote improvements in maternal and child well-being, 
financial stewardship, child development, parenting, and access to 
social services and other community resources.
    ``(b) Application.--The Secretary may not award funds made 
available under this subsection on a noncompetitive basis, and may not 
provide any such funds to an entity for the purpose of carrying out a 
community-based mentoring program unless the entity has submitted an 
application to the Secretary that includes--
            ``(1) a description of how the programs or activities 
        proposed in the application will improve maternal mental and 
        physical health outcomes in a service area identified by the 
        entity, substantially increase the number of eligible mothers 
        in a service area with access to a community-based mentoring 
        relationship, utilize community volunteer mentors, and 
        supplement, including by avoiding duplication with, existing 
        social services and community resources;
            ``(2) a description of how the program will partner with 
        other community institutions, including private institutions, 
        in identifying eligible mothers in need of a mentor and, as 
        applicable, creating support communities among eligible 
        mothers;
            ``(3) a description of the populations to be served by the 
        entity, including specific information on how the entity will 
        serve eligible mothers who belong to high-risk populations as 
        identified in subsection (d);
            ``(4) a description of the maternal and child health 
        indicators, financial well-being, and other needs of 
        populations to be served by the entity as described in 
        paragraph (3), including, to the extent practicable, the 
        prevalence of mentoring opportunities for such populations;
            ``(5) the quantifiable benchmarks that will be used to 
        measure program success;
            ``(6) a commitment by the entity to consult with experts 
        with a demonstrated history of mentoring and case management 
        success in achieving the outcomes described in subsection 
        (c)(2)(A) in developing the programs and activities; and
            ``(7) such other application information as the Secretary 
        may deem necessary, with the goal of minimizing the application 
        burden on small nongovernmental organizations that would 
        otherwise qualify for the grant.
    ``(c) Requirements.--
            ``(1) Core components.--A community maternal mentoring 
        program conducted with a grant made under this section shall 
        include the following core components:
                    ``(A) Provision of community-based mentoring 
                relationships for eligible mothers, which may include 
                dedicated individual mentors and networks of peer and 
                community support groups.
                    ``(B) An individualized needs assessment for each 
                eligible mother participating in the program, to be 
                administered at the outset of the program.
                    ``(C) Recruitment and utilization of community-
                based, volunteer mentors.
                    ``(D) Provision of training to participating 
                mentors to equip them with mentoring best practices and 
                knowledge of public and private resources available to 
                eligible mothers (including public social services).
            ``(2) Measurable improvements in benchmark areas.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The eligible entity shall 
                establish, subject to the approval of the Secretary, 
                quantifiable, measurable 3- and 5-year benchmarks 
                demonstrating the program results in improvements for 
                eligible mothers participating in the program in the 
                following areas:
                            ``(i) The number of eligible mothers in the 
                        eligible entity's service area with access to a 
                        community-based mentoring relationship.
                            ``(ii) Improved maternal and child health, 
                        including mental and behavioral health.
                            ``(iii) Improved financial literacy.
                            ``(iv) Improved family economic self-
                        sufficiency.
                            ``(v) Improved coordination and referrals 
                        for other community resources and supports, 
                        including public and private resources.
                    ``(B) Demonstration of improvement.--
                            ``(i) Report to the secretary.--Not later 
                        than 30 days after the end of the third year in 
                        which the eligible entity conducts the program, 
                        the entity shall submit to the Secretary a 
                        report describing the program's results in the 
                        areas specified in subparagraph (A).
                            ``(ii) Improvement plan.--If the report 
                        submitted to the Secretary fails to demonstrate 
                        improvements in at least 3 of the areas 
                        outlined in subparagraph (A), the eligible 
                        entity shall develop and implement a plan to 
                        improve outcomes in each of the areas specified 
                        in subparagraph (A), subject to approval by the 
                        Secretary.
                            ``(iii) No improvement or failure to submit 
                        report.--If, 1 year after an eligible entity 
                        submits an improvement plan under clause (ii), 
                        the Secretary determines that the entity has 
                        failed to demonstrate any improvement in the 
                        areas specified in subparagraph (A), or if the 
                        Secretary determines that an eligible entity 
                        has failed to submit the report required under 
                        clause (i), and has not agreed to a reasonable 
                        timeline to submit such report under such 
                        conditions as may be determined by the 
                        Secretary, the Secretary shall terminate the 
                        entity's grant and may reallocate any unpaid 
                        grant funds toward future grants provided under 
                        this section.
            ``(3) Improvements in participant outcomes.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The program is designed, with 
                respect to an eligible mother participating in the 
                program, to result in the participant outcomes 
                described in subparagraph (B) that are relevant to the 
                mother (as determined pursuant to an individualized 
                needs assessment administered to the mother).
                    ``(B) Participant outcomes.--The participant 
                outcomes described in this subparagraph are the 
                following:
                            ``(i) Improvements in prenatal and maternal 
                        health, including mental and behavioral health 
                        and improved pregnancy outcomes.
                            ``(ii) Improvements in child health and 
                        development, including the prevention of child 
                        injuries and maltreatment.
                            ``(iii) Higher levels of engagement between 
                        mothers, children, and their health providers.
                            ``(iv) Reductions in mother's stress and 
                        anxiety.
                            ``(v) Improvements in parenting skills.
                            ``(vi) Improvement in financial literacy 
                        skills.
                            ``(vii) Improvements in child's school 
                        readiness and academic achievement.
                            ``(viii) Improvements in family economic 
                        self-sufficiency.
                            ``(ix) Improvements in the coordination of 
                        referrals for, and the provision of, other 
                        community resources, including private and 
                        public resources, and supports for eligible 
                        families.
    ``(d) Prioritization.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under 
this section shall identify and prioritize high-risk populations in 
provision of services, including--
            ``(1) low-income eligible mothers;
            ``(2) eligible mothers who are pregnant women who have not 
        attained the age of 21;
            ``(3) eligible mothers from populations with a high risk of 
        maternal morbidity;
            ``(4) eligible mothers with a history of substance abuse or 
        victims of domestic abuse;
            ``(5) eligible mothers with children with developmental 
        disabilities; and
            ``(6) eligible mothers residing in a qualified opportunity 
        zone, as designated under section 1400Z-1 of the Internal 
        Revenue Code of 1986.
    ``(e) Maintenance of Effort.--Funds provided to an eligible entity 
under a grant awarded under subsection (a) shall supplement, and not 
supplant, funds from other sources for maternal mentorship or case 
management services.
    ``(f)(1) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall engage in ongoing 
research and evaluation activities in order to increase knowledge about 
the implementation and effectiveness of community maternal mentoring 
programs. The Secretary may carry out such activities directly, or 
through grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts, and shall submit 
a report to Congress not less than annually on the research and 
evaluation steps being taken to measure the impact and effectiveness of 
programs funded under this subchapter, as well as any interim outcomes 
that may be available.
    ``(2) Report Requirement.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit a report to 
Congress on the effectiveness of programs funded with grants under 
subsection (a) in producing the outcomes described in subsection 
(c)(3)(B), which shall include recommendations for improving program 
design and implementation.
    ``(g) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary shall provide an 
eligible entity required to develop and implement an improvement plan 
under clause (c)(2)(B) with technical assistance to develop and 
implement the plan. The Secretary may provide the technical assistance 
directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.
    ``(h) No Funds to Prohibited Entities.--No prohibited entity shall 
be eligible to receive a grant under subsection (a), or any other funds 
made available by this section.
    ``(i) Protections for Participating Religious Organizations.--A 
religious organization shall be eligible to apply for and receive 
funding for a program under this section on the same basis as a 
nonreligious organization, and a religious organization's exemptions, 
in title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (including exemption from 
prohibitions in employment discrimination in section 702(a) of that Act 
(42 U.S.C. 2000e-1(a))), title VIII of the Civil rights Act of 1968, 
title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1987, the Americans with 
Disabilities Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the Religious 
Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, or any other provision in 
law providing an exemption for a religious organization, shall not be 
waived by its participation in, or receipt of funds from, a grant 
provided by this section.
    ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--For purposes of carrying 
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2025.
            ``(1) Reservations.--Of the amounts appropriated under this 
        subsection for a fiscal year (or portion of a fiscal year), the 
        Secretary shall reserve 3 percent for purposes of carrying out 
        subsections (f) and (g).
            ``(2) Availability.--Funds made available to an eligible 
        entity under this section for a fiscal year (or portion of a 
        fiscal year) shall remain available for expenditure by the 
        eligible entity through the end of the third succeeding fiscal 
        year after award.
    ``(k) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a 
        local government, Indian Tribe (or a consortium of Indian 
        Tribes), Tribal Organization, Urban Indian Organization, or 
        nonprofit organization, including religious organizations, with 
        a demonstrated history of serving eligible mothers.
            ``(2) Eligible mother.--The term `eligible mother' means--
                    ``(A) a woman who is pregnant; or
                    ``(B) a woman who has primary caregiving 
                responsibilities for a child under the age of 6.
            ``(3) Prohibited entity.--The term `prohibited entity' 
        means an entity, including its affiliates, subsidiaries, 
        successors, and clinics that, as of the date of enactment of 
        this section, performs, induces, refers for, or counsels in 
        favor of abortions, or provides financial support to any other 
        organization that conducts such activities.
            ``(4) Community-based mentoring relationship.--The term 
        `community-based mentoring relationship' means a dedicated 
        mentor and, as applicable, group of mentors or a peer support 
        group, that meet regularly with an eligible mother and help 
        that mother address barriers to care, mental, behavioral, and 
        physical well-being, and economic mobility by providing support 
        services and linkages to community resources. A community-based 
        mentoring relationship should, to the extent practicable, have 
        an understanding of the barriers and lived experience of that 
        community, which may include shared lived experience.''.
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