[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2040 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2040
To authorize funding for the creation and implementation of infant
mortality pilot programs in standard metropolitan statistical areas
with high rates of infant mortality, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 11, 2025
Mr. Cohen (for himself, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Budzinski, Mrs. Cherfilus-
McCormick, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Kaptur, Ms.
Norton, Mr. Rutherford, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, and Ms. Omar) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize funding for the creation 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, acting through the
Administrator, shall award grants to eligible entities to
create, implement, and oversee infant mortality pilot programs.
``(2) Period of a grant.--The period of a grant under this
subsection shall be up to 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 national infant
mortality data, as determined by the Secretary; and
``(B) eligible entities whose proposed infant
mortality pilot program 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.--Any infant mortality pilot program
funded 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) educate the public about infant
mortality;
``(F) provide for any other activities, programs,
or strategies as identified by the plan; 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 entity that receives
a grant under paragraph (1) shall submit a report to
the Secretary detailing its infant mortality pilot
program.
``(B) Contents of report.--The reports required
under subparagraph (A) shall include information such
as the methodology of, and outcomes and statistics
from, the grantee's infant mortality pilot program.
``(C) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall use the
reports required under subparagraph (A) to evaluate,
and conduct statistical research on, infant mortality
pilot programs funded through this subsection.
``(7) Definitions.--For the purposes of this subsection:
``(A) Administrator.--The term `Administrator'
means the Administrator of the Health Resources and
Services Administration.
``(B) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity'
means--
``(i) a county, city, territorial, or
Tribal health department; or
``(ii) in the case of a State with a
centralized health department, the State health
department.
``(C) Tribal.--The term `Tribal' refers to 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.'';
(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 2025
through 2029 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 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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