[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2978 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2978
To authorize funding for the establishment and implementation of infant
mortality pilot programs in standard metropolitan statistical areas
with high rates of infant mortality, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 28 (legislative day, September 22), 2023
Mr. Van Hollen introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize funding for the establishment and implementation of infant
mortality pilot programs in standard metropolitan statistical areas
with high rates of infant mortality, 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 ``Nationally Enhancing the Well-being
of Babies through Outreach and Research Now Act'' or the ``NEWBORN
Act''.
SEC. 2. INFANT MORTALITY PILOT PROGRAMS.
Section 330H of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c-8) is
amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections
(f) and (g), respectively;
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
``(e) Infant Mortality Pilot Programs.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants to
eligible entities to establish, implement, and oversee infant
mortality pilot programs.
``(2) Period of a grant.--The period of a grant under this
subsection shall be not more than 5 years.
``(3) Preference.--In awarding grants under this
subsection, the Secretary shall give preference to--
``(A) eligible entities proposing to serve any of
the 50 counties or groups of counties with the highest
rates of infant mortality in the United States, based
on the most recent 3 years of available data, as
determined by the Secretary; and
``(B) eligible entities the proposed infant
mortality pilot program of which would address--
``(i) birth defects;
``(ii) preterm birth and low birth weight;
``(iii) sudden infant death;
``(iv) maternal pregnancy complications; or
``(v) injuries to infants.
``(4) Use of funds.--An infant mortality pilot program
carried out using a grant under this subsection may--
``(A) include the development of a plan that
identifies the individual needs of each community to be
served and strategies to address those needs;
``(B) provide outreach to at-risk mothers through
programs deemed appropriate by the Administrator;
``(C) develop and implement standardized systems
for improved access, utilization, and quality of
social, educational, and clinical services to promote
healthy pregnancies, full-term births, and healthy
infancies delivered to women and their infants, such
as--
``(i) counseling on infant care, feeding,
and parenting;
``(ii) postpartum care;
``(iii) prevention of premature delivery;
and
``(iv) additional counseling for at-risk
mothers, including smoking cessation programs,
drug treatment programs, alcohol treatment
programs, nutrition and physical activity
programs, postpartum depression and domestic
violence programs, social and psychological
services, dental care, and parenting programs;
``(D) establish a rural outreach program to provide
care to at-risk mothers in rural areas;
``(E) establish a regional public education
campaign, including a campaign to--
``(i) prevent preterm births; and
``(ii) provide education to the public
about infant mortality;
``(F) provide for any other activities, programs,
or strategies, as identified by the plan under
subparagraph (A); and
``(G) coordinate efforts between--
``(i) the health department of each county
or other eligible entity to be served through
the infant mortality pilot program; and
``(ii) existing entities that work to
reduce the rate of infant mortality within the
area of any such county or other eligible
entity.
``(5) Limitation.--Of the funds received through a grant
under this subsection for a fiscal year, an eligible entity
shall not use more than 10 percent for program evaluation.
``(6) Reports on pilot programs.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after
receiving a grant, and annually thereafter for the
duration of the grant period, each eligible entity that
receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall submit a
report to the Secretary that details the infant
mortality pilot program carried out using the grant.
``(B) Contents of report.--The reports required
under subparagraph (A) shall include information such
as the methodology of, and outcomes and statistics
from, the infant mortality pilot program carried out
using the grant.
``(C) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall use the
reports required under subparagraph (A) to evaluate,
and conduct statistical research on, infant mortality
pilot programs carried out using grants under this
subsection.
``(7) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity'
means--
``(i) a county, city, or territorial health
department;
``(ii) the health department of an Indian
tribe, a tribal organization, or an Urban
Indian organization, as such terms are defined
in section 4 of the Indian Health Care
Improvement Act; or
``(iii) in the case of a State with a
centralized health department, the State health
department.
``(B) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the
Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the
Health Resources and Services Administration.'';
(3) in subsection (f), as so redesignated--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in the heading, by striking
``Authorization of appropriations'' and
inserting ``Healthy start initiative''; and
(ii) by inserting ``(other than subsection
(e))'' after ``carrying out this section'';
(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph
(3);
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
``(2) Infant mortality pilot programs.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023
through 2027 to carry out subsection (e).''; and
(D) in paragraph (3)(A), as so redesignated, by
striking ``the program under this section'' and
inserting ``the program under subsection (a)''; and
(4) in each of paragraphs (2) and (3)(B) of subsection (g),
as so redesignated, by striking ``subsection (e)(2)(B)'' and
inserting ``subsection (f)(3)(B)''.
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