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Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§709 Administration of Federal and State programs

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 7— - SOCIAL SECURITY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER V— - MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES BLOCK GRANT › § 709

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must set up a clear office with know-how about mothers and children inside the Department of Health and Human Services. That office must run the federal program in section 702(a) and handle several duties: coordinate federal maternal‑and‑child health activities (including Medicaid’s early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment, and related Agriculture, Education, immunization, and grant programs); share prevention and care updates with States; give technical help to States on planning, goals, standards, evaluation, and data collection to meet reporting in section 706(a)(2); work with the National Center for Health Statistics to collect and share health data without repeating work; help prepare Congress reports using State reports under sections 705(a) and 706; help States build care coordination services; and make a national directory of State toll‑free numbers listed in section 705(a)(5)(E). Each State’s health agency must run or supervise programs paid for with the State’s allotments under this subchapter. If, on July 1, 1967, a different State agency ran the program, the State still meets the rule if that other agency now administers services for children with special health care needs.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §709

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary shall designate an identifiable administrative unit with expertise in maternal and child health within the Department of Health and Human Services, which unit shall be responsible for—
(1)the Federal program described in section 702(a) of this title;
(2)promoting coordination at the Federal level of the activities authorized under this subchapter and under subchapter XIX of this chapter, especially early and periodic screening, diagnosis and treatment, related activities funded by the Departments of Agriculture and Education, and under health block grants and categorical health programs, such as immunizations, administered by the Secretary;
(3)disseminating information to the States in such areas as preventive health services and advances in the care and treatment of mothers and children;
(4)providing technical assistance, upon request, to the States in such areas as program planning, establishment of goals and objectives, standards of care, and evaluation and in developing consistent and accurate data collection mechanisms in order to report the information required under section 706(a)(2) of this title;
(5)in cooperation with the National Center for Health Statistics and in a manner that avoids duplication of data collection, collection, maintenance, and dissemination of information relating to the health status and health service needs of mothers and children in the United States;
(6)assisting in the preparation of reports to the Congress on the activities funded and accomplishments achieved under this subchapter from the information required to be reported by the States under section 705(a) and 706 of this title; and 11 So in original. The word “and” probably should not appear.
(7)assisting States in the development of care coordination services (as defined in section 701(b)(3) of this title); and
(8)developing and making available to the State agency (or agencies) administering the State’s program under this subchapter a national directory listing by State the toll-free numbers described in section 705(a)(5)(E) of this title.
(b)The State health agency of each State shall be responsible for the administration (or supervision of the administration) of programs carried out with allotments made to the State under this subchapter, except that, in the case of a State which on July 1, 1967, provided for administration (or supervision thereof) of the State plan under this subchapter (as in effect on such date) by a State agency other than the State health agency, that State shall be considered to comply 22 So in original. Probably should be “comply with”. the requirement of this subsection if it would otherwise comply but for the fact that such other State agency administers (or supervises the administration of) any such program providing services for children with special health care needs.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 709, act Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title V, § 509, as added Jan. 2, 1968, Pub. L. 90–248, title III, § 301, 81 Stat. 926; amended
July 10, 1972, Pub. L. 92–345, § 2(e), 86 Stat. 457; Oct. 30, 1972, Pub. L. 92–603, title II, §§ 221(c)(3), 233(e), 86 Stat. 1389, 1412;
July 1, 1973, Pub. L. 93–53, § 4(a)(7), 87 Stat. 135, related to special project grants for health of school and preschool children, prior to the general revision of this subchapter by section 2192(a) of Pub. L. 97–35. For

Effective Date

, savings, and transitional provisions, see section 2194 of Pub. L. 97–35, set out as a note under section 701 of this title. Provisions similar to those comprising former section 709, were contained in section 532 of act Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, title V, as added July 30, 1965, Pub. L. 89–97, title II, § 205(3), 79 Stat. 354 (formerly classified to section 729–1 of this title), prior to the general amendment and renumbering of title V of act Aug. 14, 1935, by Pub. L. 90–248, § 301.

Amendments

1989—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 101–239, § 6505(1), inserted before semicolon at end “and in developing consistent and accurate data collection mechanisms in order to report the information required under section 706(a)(2) of this title”. Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 101–239, § 6503(c)(4), substituted “705(a)” for “705”. Subsec. (a)(7), (8). Pub. L. 101–239, § 6505(2)–(4), added pars. (7) and (8). 1986—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99–272 substituted “children with special health care needs” for “crippled children”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1989 AmendmentAmendment by section 6503(c)(4) of Pub. L. 101–239 applicable to payments for allotments for fiscal years beginning with fiscal year 1991, and amendment by section 6505 of Pub. L. 101–239 applicable to appropriations for fiscal years beginning with fiscal year 1990, see section 6510(a), (b)(1) of Pub. L. 101–239, set out as a note under section 701 of this title. Report to Congress; Evaluation of Program Pub. L. 89–97, title II, § 206,
July 30, 1965, 79 Stat. 354, authorized Secretary to submit to President for transmission to Congress before
July 1, 1969, a full report of administration of provisions of section 729–1 of this title, which was covered by former section 701, 702(1)(B), and 709 of this title, together with an evaluation of program established thereby and his recommendations as to continuation of and modifications in that program.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 709

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73