# 119-hr-6303: CARE for Moms Act

119-hr-6303, CARE for Moms Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2] (D-IL); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6303
- As of: 2026-10-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6303
- Congress: 119
- Title: CARE for Moms Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-11-25
- Sponsor: Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2] (D-IL)
- Cosponsors: 12
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-17

## Summary

**Expanding postpartum care and improving maternal outcomes** is the bill's central aim, paired with major tobacco tax reforms to create parity and new per‑use levies and fund programs. - Pregnant and postpartum people and families gain guaranteed 12‑month continuous Medicaid and CHIP postpartum coverage, required Medicaid oral health benefits, and public information on those benefits; the bill also creates a 305‑day postpartum FMAP window with 100% federal matching for the first 20 quarters, then 90% thereafter. - States, rural providers, and the maternal health workforce get new funding and programs, including State-Based Perinatal Quality Collaborative grants (up to $250,000 per grant, and $35 million per year for FY2026–2030), a $50 million total doula workforce program, regional centers at $5 million per year, $10 million per year for rural mobile units, a five‑year maintenance‑of‑effort on pregnancy eligibility, and a 90‑day notice requirement before hospital obstetric unit closures. - Consumers and tobacco producers face much higher excise taxes and new rules. The bill roughly doubles cigarette excise rates (small cigarettes from $50.33 to $100.66, large cigarettes from $105.69 to $211.38), raises taxes on cigars, smokeless and pipe tobacco, establishes per‑use taxes for other tobacco products, and creates a floor stocks tax and inflation indexing.

## Cosponsors (12)

- Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] (D-FL), 2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL), 2026-02-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2026-02-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-02-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-02-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (D-NY), 2026-03-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Matsui, Doris O. [D-CA-7] (D-CA), 2026-06-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Longer Medicaid and dental coverage after birth: benefit, high. If enacted, Medicaid and CHIP would have to give 12 months of continuous full benefits after a pregnancy ends. Medicaid would also have to cover dental care during pregnancy and for one year after, including preventive, diagnostic, periodontal, and restorative services. CHIP dental packages for tar…
- Grants to strengthen maternal care and training: benefit, medium. If enacted, the government would fund several programs to improve maternal care. It would provide $35 million each year for 2026–2030 to build state perinatal quality collaboratives, with grants up to $250,000 per year. It would fund $10 million each year for 2026–2030 for rural mobile obstetric un…
- WIC help for two years postpartum: benefit, low. If enacted, states could certify postpartum women for WIC for up to two years, instead of one. This would cut paperwork and help low‑income postpartum families keep nutrition support longer. States would choose whether to use the two‑year certification.
- Advance notice before maternity unit closures: benefit, low. If enacted, hospitals would have to notify HHS at least 90 days before closing any obstetric unit. The notice would include a community impact analysis and steps to connect patients to other providers. This rule would start 180 days after enactment.
- Higher federal taxes on tobacco: cost, medium. If enacted, federal excise taxes on many tobacco products would go up. Examples include $211.38 per 1,000 large cigarettes and $100.66 per 1,000 small cigars or single‑use smokeless units. Rates would adjust each year for inflation after 2025. Some items would face a floor‑stocks tax on inventory,…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-6303 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6303)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6303 (as of 2026-10-17).