[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5406 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5406
To provide grants for the conduct of demonstration projects designed to
provide education and training for eligible individuals to enter and
follow a career pathway in the field of pregnancy, childbirth, or
postpartum, under the Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program under
section 2008 of the Social Security Act.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 16, 2025
Ms. Moore of Wisconsin introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide grants for the conduct of demonstration projects designed to
provide education and training for eligible individuals to enter and
follow a career pathway in the field of pregnancy, childbirth, or
postpartum, under the Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program under
section 2008 of the Social Security Act.
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 ``Opportunities to Support Mothers and
Deliver Children Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS TO PROVIDE CAREER PATHWAYS IN
THE FIELD OF PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH, OR POST-PARTUM.
Section 2008 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397g) is
amended by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e) and inserting
after subsection (c) the following:
``(d) Demonstration Projects To Provide Career Pathways in the
Field of Pregnancy, Childbirth, or Postpartum.--
``(1) Grant authority.--The Secretary, in consultation with
the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education, shall
award grants in accordance with this subsection to eligible
entities to conduct demonstration projects for the purpose of
providing education and training for eligible individuals to
enter and follow a career pathway in the field of pregnancy,
childbirth, or postpartum, in a State that recognizes doulas or
midwives and that provides payment for services provided by
doulas or midwives, as the case may be, under private or public
health insurance plans.
``(2) Duration.--A demonstration project shall be conducted
under this subsection for not less than 3 years.
``(3) Application requirements.--An applicant seeking a
grant under this subsection for a demonstration project shall
submit to the Secretary an application for the grant, that
includes the following:
``(A) A description of the partnerships, strategic
staff hiring decisions, tailored program activities, or
other programmatic elements of the project that are
designed to support a strong career pathway in
pregnancy, birth, or postpartum services.
``(B) A demonstration that the State in which the
project is to be conducted recognizes and permits
doulas and midwives to practice in the State.
``(C) A demonstration that the applicant has
experience working with low-income populations, or a
description of the plan of the applicant to work with a
partner that has the experience.
``(4) Evaluations.--The Secretary shall, by grant,
contract, or interagency agreement, conduct rigorous and well-
designed evaluations of the demonstration projects for which a
grant is made under this section, which shall include
identification of successful activities for creating
opportunities for developing and sustaining, particularly with
respect to low-income individuals and other entry-level
workers, a doula, midwife, or other pregnancy or postpartum
workforce career pathway that has accessible entry points, that
meets high standards for education, training, certification,
and professional development, and that provides increased wages
and affordable benefits, including health care coverage, that
are responsive to the needs of the workforce.
``(5) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity'
means any of the following entities that demonstrates
in an application submitted under this subsection that
the entity has the capacity to fully develop and
administer the demonstration project described in the
application:
``(i) A local workforce development board
established under section 107 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act.
``(ii) A State or territory, a political
subdivision of a State or territory, or an
agency of a State, territory, or such a
political subdivision.
``(iii) An Indian tribe, a tribal
organization, or a tribal college or
university.
``(iv) An institution of higher education
(as defined in the Higher Education Act of
1965).
``(v) A hospital (as defined in section
1861(e)).
``(vi) A skilled nursing facility (as
defined in section 1819(h)(1)(A)).
``(vii) A Federally qualified health center
(as defined in section 1861(aa)(4)).
``(viii) A nonprofit organization described
in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, a labor organization, or an
entity with shared labor-management oversight,
that has a demonstrated history of providing
health profession training to eligible
individuals.
``(ix) An entity recognized by a State,
Indian tribe, or tribal organization as
qualified to train doulas or midwives, if
midwives or doulas, as the case may be, are
permitted to provide services in the State
involved.
``(x) An opioid treatment program (as
defined in section 1861(iii)(2)) and other high
quality comprehensive addiction care providers.
``(B) Eligible individual.--The term `eligible
individual' means an individual whose income does not
exceed 138 percent of the Federal poverty level.
``(C) Midwife.--The term `midwife' means a midwife
who meets, at a minimum, the international definition
of the midwife and global standards for midwifery
education as established by the International
Confederation of Midwives.
``(D) Tribally-recognized midwife.--The term
`tribally-recognized midwife' means an individual who
is recognized by an Indian tribe (as defined in section
4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act) to
practice midwifery for the tribe.
``(E) Doula.--The term `doula' means, with respect
to an application to conduct a demonstration project
under this subsection, an individual who--
``(i)(I) has completed 60 hours of training
in providing non-medical information, emotional
support, and physical support to clients during
pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum
period;
``(II) is certified by an organization,
that has been established for not less than 5
years and requires the completion of continuing
education to maintain the certification, to
provide the information and support referred to
in subclause (I); and
``(III) maintains the certification by
completing the required continuing education;
or
``(ii) has the permission of the local
government in the State in which the applicant
intends to conduct the demonstration project,
to provide the information and support referred
to in clause (i)(I).
``(6) Appropriation.--Out of any funds in the Treasury of
the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this subsection
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2026.''.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on October 1,
2025.
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