Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act
Sponsored By: Senator Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
Introduced
Summary
Improving data-driven, equity-focused maternal health tracking and response during public health emergencies. This bill funds surveillance, research, public education, and capacity building so health systems can better protect pregnant and postpartum individuals and newborns during infectious threats.
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- Pregnant and postpartum individuals and newborns get faster, clearer guidance and public education on risks during outbreaks, plus new data collection on outcomes and experiences of respectful maternity care.
- State, Tribal, territorial, and local public health agencies get capacity-building support to collect and transmit demographic maternal health data, including $100 million for the Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies program.
- Maternal Mortality Review Committees, Tribal partners, and local reviewers gain expanded partnerships and technical assistance through a $30 million ERASE MM allocation.
- Researchers and survey systems get funding to modernize data and study interventions, including $45 million to transition and expand the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and $15 million for NICHD research on groups with elevated maternal mortality.
*Authorizes about $190 million in federal funding for surveillance, research, and public education, increasing federal spending.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Funding for maternal health programs
This bill would authorize about $190 million for maternal health work at HHS and NIH. It would provide $100 million for CDC surveillance and regional centers, $30 million to expand Maternal Mortality Review support, $45 million to modernize and expand the PRAMS survey (including emergency questions and respectful care items), and $15 million for NICHD research on interventions for high-risk groups. The funds would support data collection, technical assistance, regional knowledge centers, survey improvements, and targeted research.
Guidance and education for maternity care
This bill would create a federal Task Force to write and post multilingual recommendations on respectful, responsive maternity care during public health emergencies. The Task Force would address telehealth, access to high-risk care, companion presence during labor, newborn separation and breast milk access, midwife licensure and reimbursement, expanding doula coverage under Medicaid, mental health and substance use screening, child care during appointments, and racism in care. The CDC Director would also run public health education campaigns during emergencies to give evidence-based guidance and reach underserved communities.
Public maternal health surveillance data
This bill would require HHS (through CDC and CMS) to post deidentified data about pregnant and postpartum people during public health emergencies. Data would include tests, confirmed cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and other health outcomes. The data would be broken down by race, ethnicity, language, place, and income, and updated at least monthly during an emergency and within one month after it ends. The Secretary would also issue guidance to states and labs within 30 days of an emergency declaration and consult with Tribes to reduce misclassification.
Clear definitions for maternal health
This bill would add statutory definitions for terms used in the Act. Definitions would cover culturally and linguistically congruent care, maternal mortality (including suicide and overdose), perinatal health workers like doulas, the one-year postpartum period, respectful maternity care, and severe maternal morbidity. These definitions would guide program design, data collection, and reporting.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
MA • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 5/18/2026
Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
NY • D
Sponsored 5/18/2026
Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
CT • D
Sponsored 5/18/2026
Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
MN • D
Sponsored 5/18/2026
Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 5/18/2026
Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE]
DE • D
Sponsored 5/18/2026
Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD]
MD • D
Sponsored 5/18/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov