# 119-s-4186: Perinatal Workforce Act

119-s-4186, Perinatal Workforce Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4186
- As of: 2026-10-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4186
- Congress: 119
- Title: Perinatal Workforce Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-25
- Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-04

## Summary

**This bill would build and diversify the perinatal workforce to deliver more respectful, culturally and linguistically congruent maternal care.** It uses guidance, studies, grant programs, and reporting to expand training and place more diverse providers where gaps and disparities are worst. - Aims to improve patient experience and reduce racial and ethnic disparities by directing HHS to issue state guidance on respectful, culturally and linguistically congruent maternity care and by requiring the NIH Director to report within two years on best practices for respectful care and disparity reduction. - Creates a Title VII grant program to start or expand accredited training for midwives who meet international standards, perinatal health workers, and physician assistants, with scholarships and priority for recruiting racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students; grants may last up to 5 years and set aside $15.0 million per year for 2027–2031. - Adds perinatal nursing workforce grants for nursing schools to fund scholarships for maternal/perinatal nurse practitioners and certified nurse‑midwives, prioritizes clinical placements in Health Professional Shortage Areas and areas with disparities, requires bias and racism training, and directs the Government Accountability Office to report on education barriers and disparities every 5 years. *Authorizes $15.0 million per year for each of the two new grant programs for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, totaling $30.0 million per year in potential appropriations if funded.*

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-03-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-03-25T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Grants to grow perinatal workforce: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would fund grants to create or expand training programs and scholarships for perinatal clinicians and workers. Grants would support nursing roles (nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and clinical nurse specialists) and other programs for physician assistants, midwive…
- Definitions for perinatal care programs: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would add clear definitions for key terms used in the Act. It would define culturally and linguistically congruent care, list who counts as a maternity care provider (including internationally defined midwives and State-accredited doulas), describe perinatal health workers (dou…
- Federal guidance on respectful maternity care: benefit, low. If enacted, the HHS Secretary would issue guidance to States within 2 years on delivering respectful, culturally and linguistically matched maternal care. The guidance would tell States how to recruit and keep diverse maternity and related providers and how to include midwives, perinatal health wor…
- GAO reports on training and access barriers: benefit, low. If enacted, the Comptroller General would report to Congress within 2 years and every 5 years after that on barriers to midwifery and other maternity-related education and workforce entry. The reports would assess barriers for low-income and minority students, obstacles to meeting international mid…
- Study on respectful maternity care practices: benefit, low. If enacted, the NIH Director would complete a study and public report within 2 years on best practices in respectful, culturally and linguistically congruent maternity care. The report would include lists of programs delivering such care, examples that reduced racial and ethnic disparities, and rec…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act

## Sources
- [119-s-4186 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4186)

## Related
- [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066)
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4186 (as of 2026-10-04).