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HR8807119th CongressWALLET

Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act

Sponsored By: Representative Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14]

Introduced

Summary

Better maternal health surveillance and emergency response would expand data collection, research, and clear public guidance to protect pregnant and postpartum people and newborns during infectious disease emergencies.

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  • Pregnant and postpartum families: Would get timely, evidence-based public education and disaggregated tracking of maternal and infant outcomes to guide care, with data updated at least monthly during emergencies.
  • Public health partners: State, Tribal, territorial, and local health programs would receive partnerships, technical assistance, and new surveillance tools, including $100 million for CDC's SEMT program and $45 million to modernize PRAMS.
  • Maternity care providers and patients: A federal Task Force would develop and post multilingual recommendations for safe, respectful, and equitable maternity care in emergencies, covering telehealth, birth companionship, breastfeeding, midwife licensure and reimbursement, doula support, perinatal mental health, and racism in care.

*Would authorize $190 million in federal funding, increasing federal spending.*

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

New $190 million for maternal health

If enacted, the bill would authorize $190 million total to strengthen maternal and infant health during public health emergencies. It would give $100 million to CDC's SEMT program, $45 million to the PRAMS pregnancy survey, $30 million to the ERASE MM maternal mortality reviews, and $15 million to NICHD research. The funds would expand surveillance, data collection, regional centers, surveys, and targeted research to help reduce maternal deaths and poor outcomes.

Key definitions for maternal health

If enacted, the bill would set definitions used in the Act. It would define maternal mortality as a death during pregnancy or within one year after pregnancy and explicitly include suicide and overdose when related to pregnancy. It would define the postpartum period as one year after pregnancy and list roles like doulas as perinatal health workers. It would also define respectful maternity care and severe maternal morbidity.

Maternal health education campaigns

If enacted, the bill would direct the CDC Director to run public health education campaigns during declared public health emergencies. Campaigns would give accurate, evidence-based information to pregnant and postpartum people, their employers, and health care providers. Campaigns would especially target underserved and high-risk communities.

Public data on pregnant people

If enacted, the bill would require CDC and the CMS Administrator to post deidentified surveillance data about pregnant and postpartum people on the CDC website during public health emergencies. Data would include testing, cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and maternal and infant outcomes and be broken down by race, ethnicity, language, geography, and socioeconomic status. Data must be updated at least monthly during an emergency and guidance to states and labs must be issued within 30 days, with Tribal consultation.

Task Force on respectful maternity care

If enacted, the bill would require HHS to convene a Task Force to write and publish federal recommendations for respectful, equitable maternity care during public health emergencies. The Task Force would address telehealth, licensure and reimbursement, birth companions, newborn separation, breastfeeding support, doulas, perinatal mental health, substance use, racism and bias, care for undocumented people, and more. Members would include HHS agencies, state and Tribal officials, community groups, providers, patients who gave birth during emergencies, and independent experts.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Underwood, Lauren [D-IL-14]

IL • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]

    MI • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]

    DC • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]

    WI • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4]

    GA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]

    MA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Ivey, Glenn [D-MD-4]

    MD • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Menefee, Christian D. [D-TX-18]

    TX • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]

    MO • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]

    MA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1]

    WA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9]

    TN • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1]

    NM • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6]

    MI • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5]

    PA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2]

    AL • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4]

    NV • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33]

    TX • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]

    OH • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]

    WA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7]

    AL • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24]

    FL • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Conaway, Herbert C. [D-NJ-3]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3]

    VA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5]

    CT • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]

    IL • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Craig, Angie [D-MN-2]

    MN • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. McGarvey, Morgan [D-KY-3]

    KY • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7]

    AZ • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]

    IN • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Takano, Mark [D-CA-39]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. McBath, Lucy [D-GA-6]

    GA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Johnson, Julie [D-TX-32]

    TX • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9]

    FL • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12]

    NC • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Pou, Nellie [D-NJ-9]

    NJ • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4]

    NC • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Sykes, Emilia Strong [D-OH-13]

    OH • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Dean, Madeleine [D-PA-4]

    PA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6]

    OR • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8]

    WA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Strickland, Marilyn [D-WA-10]

    WA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4]

    MN • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Scholten, Hillary J. [D-MI-3]

    MI • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8]

    MA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5]

    GA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20]

    NY • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Torres, Norma J. [D-CA-35]

    CA • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Mfume, Kweisi [D-MD-7]

    MD • D

    Sponsored 5/14/2026

  • Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2]

    LA • D

    Sponsored 8/24/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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