# 119-hr-9817: Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act

119-hr-9817, Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-26).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9817
- As of: 2026-08-26
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9817
- Congress: 119
- Title: Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-21
- Sponsor: Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 43
- Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-26

## Summary

**Centers maternal health for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated individuals.** This bill would create federal model programs in prisons, fund five-year state and local grants to expand maternal and postpartum care, and reduce Byrne grant funds for states that lack laws limiting restraints on pregnant people. - Would establish model maternal-health programs in at least six Bureau of Prisons facilities with services like perinatal health workers, trauma-informed care, postpartum bonding supports, nutrition and safety counseling, and reentry assistance. Programs must start within 18 months and run for five years. - Would award five-year Justice for Incarcerated Moms grants to states and local jails to build similar services and address social drivers of health. States that do not have laws restricting restraints on pregnant people would lose 25 percent of their Byrne grant allocation, which would be reallocated to compliant states. - Would increase oversight and data collection. The Government Accountability Office must report within two years on pregnancy outcomes and racial disparities among incarcerated people. Grant and BOP programs must report progress at three and six years and hire independent oversight. *Would authorize $10.0 million per year for the BOP model program and $10.0 million per year for state and local grants for fiscal years 2027–2031, totaling $100.0 million in authorizations.*

## Cosponsors (43)

- Rep. Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14] (D-IL), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ivey, Glenn [D-MD-4] (D-MD), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Menefee, Christian D. [D-TX-18] (D-TX), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1] (D-MO), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8] (D-CA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51] (D-CA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2] (D-AL), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4] (D-NV), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] (D-TX), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3] (D-OH), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] (D-WA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7] (D-AL), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] (D-FL), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Conaway, Herbert C. [D-NJ-3] (D-NJ), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3] (D-VA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5] (D-CT), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2] (D-MN), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McGarvey, Morgan [D-KY-3] (D-KY), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7] (D-AZ), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6] (D-GA), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16] (D-NY), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Julie [D-TX-32] (D-TX), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pou, Nellie [D-NJ-9] (D-NJ), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12] (D-NC), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Federal prison maternal health pilots: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Attorney General would set up maternal health programs in at least six federal prisons. Planning must start within 1 year and facilities must begin operations within 18 months. Each program would run for five years. The bill would authorize $10 million per year for 2027–2031. Facili…
- State and local prison maternal grants: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Attorney General would run a five-year grant program for states to start or expand maternal health programs in state prisons and local jails. Grants must be awarded within 1 year. Funds could pay for perinatal workers, counseling, staff training, bonding supports, and reentry help i…
- Standard maternal health definitions: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would set standard definitions used across the Act. Postpartum would mean the one-year period after pregnancy. Maternal death would include deaths from suicide, overdose, or mental health and substance use disorders when related to pregnancy. The bill would list who counts as m…
- Penalty for states without anti-shackling laws: cost, low. If enacted, starting six months after enactment and each year after, a State that gets a Byrne JAG grant and does not have statewide laws limiting restraints on pregnant prisoners like federal law would have its grant cut by 25 percent. Money withheld would be reallocated to states that meet the re…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-9817 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9817)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [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)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9817 (as of 2026-08-26).