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To authorize funding for the creation and implementation of infant mortality pilot programs in standard metropolitan statistical areas with high rates of infant mortality, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill authorizes a federal grant program to create and implement infant mortality pilot programs in areas with high rates of infant mortality, with preference given to the 50 U.S. counties with the highest infant mortality rates. Eligible entities, including county and tribal health departments, can use grant funds for up to five years to develop community needs plans, conduct outreach to at-risk mothers, coordinate social and clinical services, and implement public education campaigns addressing preterm birth, birth defects, sudden infant death, and maternal complications. The bill authorizes $10 million per year for fiscal years 2025 through 2029. Grantees must submit annual reports detailing their programs' methodologies, outcomes, and statistics, with no more than 10 percent of grant funds used for program evaluation.
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Sponsor (1)
Actions (2)
- Mar 12, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. · senate
- Mar 12, 2025 Introduced in Senate
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 12, 2025
Mr. Van Hollen introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To authorize funding for the creation and implementation of infant mortality pilot programs in standard metropolitan statistical areas with high rates of infant mortality, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Nationally Enhancing the Well-being of Babies through Outreach and Research Now Act” or the “NEWBORN Act”.
SEC. 2. INFANT MORTALITY PILOT PROGRAMS.
Section 330H of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c-8) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections
(f) and (g), respectively;
(2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
“(e) Infant Mortality Pilot Programs.—
“(1) In general.—The Secretary, acting through the Administrator, shall award grants to eligible entities to create, implement, and oversee infant mortality pilot programs.
“(2) Period of a grant.—The period of a grant under this subsection shall be up to 5 years.
“(3) Preference.—In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give preference to—
“(A) eligible entities proposing to serve any of the 50 counties or groups of counties with the highest rates of infant mortality in the United States based on the most recent 3 years of available national infant mortality data, as determined by the Secretary; and
“(B) eligible entities whose proposed infant mortality pilot program would address—
“(i) birth defects;
“(ii) preterm birth and low birth weight;
“(iii) sudden infant death;
“(iv) maternal pregnancy complications; or
“(v) injuries to infants.
“(4) Use of funds.—Any infant mortality pilot program funded under this subsection may—
“(A) include the development of a plan that identifies the individual needs of each community to be served and strategies to address those needs;
“(B) provide outreach to at-risk mothers through programs deemed appropriate by the Administrator;
“(C) develop and implement standardized systems for improved access, utilization, and quality of social, educational, and clinical services to promote healthy pregnancies, full-term births, and healthy infancies delivered to women and their infants, such as—
“(i) counseling on infant care, feeding, and parenting;
“(ii) postpartum care;
“(iii) prevention of premature delivery; and
“(iv) additional counseling for at-risk mothers, including smoking cessation programs, drug treatment programs, alcohol treatment programs, nutrition and physical activity programs, postpartum depression and domestic violence programs, social and psychological services, dental care, and parenting programs;
“(D) establish a rural outreach program to provide care to at-risk mothers in rural areas;
“(E) establish a regional public education campaign, including a campaign to—
“(i) prevent preterm births; and
“(ii) educate the public about infant mortality;
“(F) provide for any other activities, programs, or strategies as identified by the plan; and
“(G) coordinate efforts between—
“(i) the health department of each county or other eligible entity to be served through the infant mortality pilot program; and
“(ii) existing entities that work to reduce the rate of infant mortality within the area of any such county or other eligible entity.
“(5) Limitation.—Of the funds received through a grant under this subsection for a fiscal year, an eligible entity shall not use more than 10 percent for program evaluation.
“(6) Reports on pilot programs.—
“(A) In general.—Not later than 1 year after receiving a grant, and annually thereafter for the duration of the grant period, each entity that receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall submit a report to the Secretary detailing its infant mortality pilot program.
“(B) Contents of report.—The reports required under subparagraph (A) shall include information such as the methodology of, and outcomes and statistics from, the grantee’s infant mortality pilot program.
“(C) Evaluation.—The Secretary shall use the reports required under subparagraph (A) to evaluate, and conduct statistical research on, infant mortality pilot programs funded through this subsection.
“(7) Definitions.—For the purposes of this subsection:
“(A) Administrator.—The term ‘Administrator’ means the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration.
“(B) Eligible entity.—The term ‘eligible entity’ means—
“(i) a county, city, territorial, or Tribal health department; or
“(ii) in the case of a State with a centralized health department, the State health department.
“(C) Tribal health department.—The term ‘Tribal health department’ means the health department of an Indian tribe, a tribal organization, or an urban Indian organization, as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.”;
(3) in subsection (f), as so redesignated—
(A) in paragraph (1)—
(i) in the heading, by striking “Authorization of appropriations” and inserting “Healthy start initiative”; and
(ii) by inserting “(other than subsection
(e))” after “carrying out this section”;
(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph
(3);
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
“(2) Infant mortality pilot programs.—To carry out subsection (e), there is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.”; and
(D) in paragraph (3)(A), as so redesignated, by striking “the program under this section” and inserting “the program under subsection (a)”; and
(4) in paragraphs (2) and (3)(B) of subsection (g), as so redesignated, by striking “subsection (e)(2)(B)” and inserting “subsection (f)(3)(B)”. <all>
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