H.R. 8080

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8080 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8080

To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve maternal health data 
collection processes and quality measures, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 25, 2026

Ms. Davids of Kansas (for herself, Mrs. McIver, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Norton, 
Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. 
Pressley, Mr. Ivey, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. 
Menefee, Mr. Bell, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. DelBene, 
Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Stansbury, Mrs. Dingell, Ms. Jacobs, Mr. 
Figures, Mr. Horsford, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Veasey, Mrs. Beatty, 
Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Jackson 
of Illinois, Mr. Conaway, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Craig, 
Mr. McGarvey, Mrs. Grijalva, Mr. Carson, Mr. Takano, Mrs. McBath, Mr. 
Latimer, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Soto, Ms. Underwood, and Ms. Moore 
of Wisconsin) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve maternal health data 
collection processes and quality measures, 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 ``Data to Save Moms Act''.

SEC. 2. FUNDING FOR MATERNAL MORTALITY REVIEW COMMITTEES TO PROMOTE 
REPRESENTATIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

(a) In General.--Section 317K(d) of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 247b-12(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(9) Grants to promote representative community engagement 
in maternal mortality review committees.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary may, using funds 
made available pursuant to subparagraph (C), provide 
assistance to an applicable maternal mortality review 
committee of a State, Indian Tribe, Tribal 
organization, or Urban Indian organization (as such 
terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Health 
Care Improvement Act)--
``(i) to select for inclusion in the 
membership of such a committee community 
members from the State, Indian Tribe, Tribal 
organization, or Urban Indian organization by--
``(I) prioritizing community 
members who can increase the diversity 
of the committee's membership with 
respect to race and ethnicity, 
location, personal or family 
experiences of maternal mortality or 
severe maternal morbidity, and 
professional background, including 
members with nonclinical experiences; 
and
``(II) to the extent applicable, 
using funds reserved under subsection 
(f), to address barriers to maternal 
mortality review committee 
participation for community members, 
including required training, 
transportation barriers, compensation, 
and other supports as may be necessary;
``(ii) to establish initiatives to conduct 
outreach and community engagement efforts 
within communities throughout the State or 
Tribe to seek input from community members on 
the work of such maternal mortality review 
committee, with a particular focus on outreach 
to women from racial and ethnic minority groups 
(as such term is defined in section 
1707(g)(1)); and
``(iii) to release public reports 
assessing--
``(I) the pregnancy-related death 
and pregnancy-associated death review 
processes of the maternal mortality 
review committee, with a particular 
focus on the maternal mortality review 
committee's sensitivity to the unique 
circumstances of pregnant and 
postpartum individuals from racial and 
ethnic minority groups (as such term is 
defined in section 1707(g)(1)) who have 
suffered pregnancy-related deaths; and
``(II) the impact of the use of 
funds made available pursuant to 
subparagraph (C) on increasing the 
diversity of the maternal mortality 
review committee membership and 
promoting community engagement efforts 
throughout the State or Tribe.
``(B) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall 
provide (either directly through the Department of 
Health and Human Services or by contract) technical 
assistance to any maternal mortality review committee 
receiving a grant under this paragraph on best 
practices for increasing the diversity of the maternal 
mortality review committee's membership and for 
conducting effective community engagement throughout 
the State or Tribe.
``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition 
to any funds made available under subsection (f), there 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
paragraph $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 
through 2031.''.
(b) Reservation of Funds.--Section 317K(f) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-12(f)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: ``Of the amount made available under the preceding sentence 
for a fiscal year, not less than $1,500,000 shall be reserved for 
grants to Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, or Urban Indian 
organizations (as those terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian 
Health Care Improvement Act)''.

SEC. 3. DATA COLLECTION AND REVIEW.

Section 317K(d)(3)(A)(i) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 247b-12(d)(3)(A)(i)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subclauses (II) and (III) as 
subclauses (V) and (VI), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subclause (I) the following:
``(II) to the extent practicable, 
reviewing cases of severe maternal 
morbidity, according to the most up-to-
date indicators;
``(III) to the extent practicable, 
reviewing deaths during pregnancy or up 
to 1 year after the end of a pregnancy 
from suicide, overdose, or other death 
from a mental health condition or 
substance use disorder attributed to or 
aggravated by pregnancy or childbirth 
complications;
``(IV) to the extent practicable, 
consulting with local community-based 
organizations representing pregnant and 
postpartum individuals from demographic 
groups with elevated rates of maternal 
mortality, severe maternal morbidity, 
maternal health disparities, or other 
adverse perinatal or childbirth 
outcomes to ensure that, in addition to 
clinical factors, nonclinical factors 
that might have contributed to a 
pregnancy-related death are 
appropriately considered;''.

SEC. 4. REVIEW OF MATERNAL HEALTH DATA COLLECTION PROCESSES AND QUALITY 
MEASURES.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 
through the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
Services and the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and 
Quality, shall consult with relevant stakeholders--
(1) to review existing maternal health data collection 
processes and quality measures; and
(2) to make recommendations to improve such processes and 
measures, including topics described under subsection (c).
(b) Collaboration.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary 
shall consult with a diverse group of maternal health stakeholders, 
which may include--
(1) pregnant and postpartum individuals and their family 
members, and nonprofit organizations representing such 
individuals, with a particular focus on patients from racial 
and ethnic minority groups;
(2) community-based organizations that provide support for 
pregnant and postpartum individuals, with a particular focus on 
patients from demographic groups with elevated rates of 
maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, maternal health 
disparities, or other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes;
(3) membership organizations for maternity care providers;
(4) organizations representing perinatal health workers;
(5) organizations that focus on maternal mental or 
behavioral health;
(6) organizations that focus on intimate partner violence;
(7) institutions of higher education, with a particular 
focus on minority-serving institutions;
(8) licensed and accredited hospitals, birth centers, 
midwifery practices, or other facilities that provide maternal 
health care services;
(9) relevant State and local public agencies, including 
State maternal mortality review committees; and
(10) the National Quality Forum, or such other standard-
setting organizations specified by the Secretary.
(c) Topics.--The review of maternal health data collection 
processes and recommendations to improve such processes and measures 
required under subsection (a) shall assess all available relevant 
information, including information from State-level sources, and shall 
consider at least the following:
(1) Current State and Tribal practices for maternal health, 
maternal mortality, and severe maternal morbidity data 
collection and dissemination, including consideration of--
(A) the timeliness of processes for amending a 
death certificate when new information pertaining to 
the death becomes available to reflect whether the 
death was a pregnancy-related death;
(B) relevant data collected with electronic health 
records, including data on race, ethnicity, primary 
language, socioeconomic status, geography, insurance 
type, and other relevant demographic information;
(C) maternal health data collected and publicly 
reported by hospitals, health systems, midwifery 
practices, and birth centers;
(D) the barriers preventing States from correlating 
maternal outcome data with data on race, ethnicity, and 
other demographic characteristics;
(E) processes for determining the cause of a 
pregnancy-associated death in States that do not have a 
maternal mortality review committee;
(F) whether maternal mortality review committees 
include multidisciplinary and diverse membership (as 
described in section 317K(d)(1)(A) of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-12(d)(1)(A)));
(G) whether members of maternal mortality review 
committees participate in trainings on bias, racism, or 
discrimination, and the quality of such trainings;
(H) the extent to which States have implemented 
systematic processes of listening to the stories of 
pregnant and postpartum individuals and their family 
members, with a particular focus on pregnant and 
postpartum individuals from demographic groups with 
elevated rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal 
morbidity, maternal health disparities, or other 
adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes, and their 
family members, to fully understand the causes of, and 
inform potential solutions to, the maternal mortality 
and severe maternal morbidity crisis within their 
respective States;
(I) the extent to which maternal mortality review 
committees are considering social determinants of 
maternal health when examining the causes of pregnancy-
associated and pregnancy-related deaths;
(J) the extent to which maternal mortality review 
committees are making actionable recommendations based 
on their reviews of adverse maternal health outcomes 
and the extent to which such recommendations are being 
implemented by appropriate stakeholders;
(K) the legal and administrative barriers 
preventing the collection, collation, and dissemination 
of State maternity care data;
(L) the effectiveness of data collection and 
reporting processes in separating pregnancy-associated 
deaths from pregnancy-related deaths; and
(M) the current Federal, State, local, and Tribal 
funding support for the activities referred to in 
subparagraphs (A) through (L).
(2) Whether the funding support referred to in paragraph 
(1)(M) is adequate for States to carry out optimal data 
collection and dissemination processes with respect to maternal 
health, maternal mortality, and severe maternal morbidity.
(3) Current quality measures for maternity care, including 
prenatal measures, labor and delivery measures, and postpartum 
measures, including topics such as--
(A) effective quality measures for maternity care 
used by hospitals, health systems, midwifery practices, 
birth centers, health plans, and other relevant 
entities;
(B) the sufficiency of current outcome measures 
used to evaluate maternity care for driving improved 
care, experiences, and outcomes in maternity care 
payment and delivery system models;
(C) maternal health quality measures that other 
countries effectively use;
(D) validated measures that have been used for 
research purposes that could be tested, refined, and 
submitted for national endorsement;
(E) barriers preventing maternity care providers 
and insurers from implementing quality measures that 
are aligned with best practices;
(F) the frequency with which maternity care quality 
measures are reviewed and revised;
(G) the strengths and weaknesses of the Prenatal 
and Postpartum Care measures of the Health Plan 
Employer Data and Information Set measures established 
by the National Committee for Quality Assurance;
(H) the strengths and weaknesses of maternity care 
quality measures under the Medicaid program under title 
XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.) 
and the Children's Health Insurance Program under title 
XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.), including the 
extent to which States voluntarily report relevant 
measures;
(I) the extent to which maternity care quality 
measures are informed by patient experiences that 
include measures of patient-reported experience of 
care;
(J) the current processes for collecting and making 
publicly available, to the extent practicable, 
stratified data on race, ethnicity, and other 
demographic characteristics of pregnant and postpartum 
individuals in hospitals, health systems, midwifery 
practices, and birth centers, and for incorporating 
such demographically stratified data in maternity care 
quality measures;
(K) the extent to which maternity care quality 
measures account for the unique experiences of pregnant 
and postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic 
minority groups; and
(L) the extent to which hospitals, health systems, 
midwifery practices, and birth centers are implementing 
existing maternity care quality measures.
(4) Recommendations on authorizing additional funds and 
providing additional technical assistance to improve maternal 
mortality review committees and State and Tribal maternal 
health data collection and reporting processes.
(5) Recommendations for new authorities that may be granted 
to maternal mortality review committees to be able to--
(A) access records from other Federal and State 
agencies and departments that may be necessary to 
identify causes of pregnancy-associated and pregnancy-
related deaths that are unique to pregnant and 
postpartum individuals from specific populations, such 
as veterans and individuals who are incarcerated; and
(B) work with relevant experts who are not members 
of the maternal mortality review committee to assist in 
the review of pregnancy-associated deaths of pregnant 
and postpartum individuals from specific populations, 
such as veterans and individuals who are incarcerated.
(6) Recommendations to improve and standardize current 
quality measures for maternity care, with a particular focus on 
maternal health disparities.
(7) Recommendations to improve the coordination by the 
Department of Health and Human Services of the efforts 
undertaken by the agencies and organizations within the 
Department related to maternal health data and quality 
measures.
(d) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall submit to the Congress and make publicly available 
a report on the results of the review of maternal health data 
collection processes and quality measures and recommendations to 
improve such processes and measures required under subsection (a).
(e) Definition.--In this section, the term ``maternal mortality 
review committee'' means a maternal mortality review committee duly 
authorized by a State and receiving funding under section 317K(a)(2)(D) 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-12(a)(2)(D)).
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section 
for fiscal years 2027 through 2030.

SEC. 5. STUDY ON MATERNAL HEALTH AMONG AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA 
NATIVE INDIVIDUALS.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
(referred to in this section as the ``Secretary'') shall, in 
coordination with entities described in subsection (b)--
(1) not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, 
enter into a contract with an independent research organization 
or Tribal Epidemiology Center to conduct a comprehensive study 
on maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and other 
adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes in the populations of 
American Indian and Alaska Native individuals; and
(2) not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, submit to Congress a report on such study that 
contains recommendations for policies and practices that can be 
adopted to improve maternal health outcomes for American Indian 
and Alaska Native individuals.
(b) Participating Entities.--The entities described in this 
subsection shall consist of 12 members, selected by the Secretary from 
among individuals nominated by Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations 
(as such terms are defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)), and Urban 
Indian organizations (as such term is defined in section 4 of the 
Indian Health Care Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)). In selecting such 
members, the Secretary shall ensure that each of the 12 service areas 
of the Indian Health Service is represented.
(c) Contents of Study.--The study conducted pursuant to subsection 
(a) shall--
(1) examine the causes of maternal mortality and severe 
maternal morbidity that are unique to American Indian and 
Alaska Native individuals;
(2) include a systematic process of listening to the 
stories of American Indian and Alaska Native individuals to 
fully understand the causes of, and inform potential solutions 
to, the maternal health crisis within their respective 
communities;
(3) distinguish between the causes of, landscape of 
maternity care at, and recommendations to improve maternal 
health outcomes within, the different settings in which 
American Indian and Alaska Native individuals receive maternity 
care, such as--
(A) facilities operated by the Indian Health 
Service;
(B) an Indian health program operated by an Indian 
Tribe or Tribal organization pursuant to a contract, 
grant, cooperative agreement, or compact with the 
Indian Health Service pursuant to the Indian Self-
Determination Act;
(C) an urban Indian health program operated by an 
Urban Indian organization pursuant to a grant or 
contract with the Indian Health Service pursuant to 
title V of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act; and
(D) facilities outside of the Indian Health Service 
in which American Indian and Alaska Native individuals 
receive maternity care services;
(4) review processes for coordinating programs of the 
Indian Health Service with social services provided through 
other programs administered by the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (other than the Medicare Program under title 
XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), the 
Medicaid Program under title XIX of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et 
seq.), and the Children's Health Insurance Program under title 
XXI of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1397 et seq.));
(5) review current data collection and quality measurement 
processes and practices;
(6) assess causes and frequency of maternal mental health 
conditions and substance use disorders;
(7) consider social determinants of health, including 
poverty, lack of health insurance, unemployment, sexual and 
domestic violence, and environmental conditions in Tribal 
areas;
(8) consider the role that historical mistreatment of 
American Indian and Alaska Native women has played in causing 
currently elevated rates of maternal mortality, severe maternal 
morbidity, and other adverse perinatal or childbirth outcomes;
(9) consider how current funding of the Indian Health 
Service affects the ability of the Service to deliver quality 
maternity care;
(10) consider the extent to which the delivery of maternity 
care services is culturally appropriate for American Indian and 
Alaska Native individuals;
(11) make recommendations to reduce misclassification of 
American Indian and Alaska Native individuals, including 
consideration of best practices in training for maternal 
mortality review committee members to be able to correctly 
classify American Indian and Alaska Native individuals; and
(12) make recommendations informed by the stories shared by 
American Indian and Alaska Native individuals referred to in 
paragraph (2) to improve maternal health outcomes for such 
individuals.
(d) Report.--The agreement entered into under subsection (a) with 
an independent research organization or Tribal Epidemiology Center 
shall require that the organization or Center transmit to Congress a 
report on the results of the study conducted pursuant to that agreement 
not later than 36 months after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2027 through 2029.

SEC. 6. GRANTS TO MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS TO STUDY MATERNAL 
MORTALITY, SEVERE MATERNAL MORBIDITY, AND OTHER ADVERSE 
MATERNAL HEALTH OUTCOMES.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
establish a program under which the Secretary shall award grants to 
research centers, health professions schools and programs, and other 
entities at minority-serving institutions to study specific aspects of 
the maternal health crisis among pregnant and postpartum individuals 
from racial and ethnic minority groups. Such research may--
(1) include the development and implementation of 
systematic processes of listening to the stories of pregnant 
and postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic minority 
groups, and perinatal health workers supporting such 
individuals, to fully understand the causes of, and inform 
potential solutions to, the maternal mortality and severe 
maternal morbidity crisis within their respective communities;
(2) assess the potential causes of relatively low rates of 
maternal mortality among Hispanic individuals, including 
potential racial misclassification and other data collection 
and reporting issues that might be misrepresenting maternal 
mortality rates among Hispanic individuals in the United 
States;
(3) assess differences in rates of adverse maternal health 
outcomes among subgroups identifying as Hispanic, including 
disparities in access to early prenatal care; and
(4) include lactation education to promote racial and 
ethnic diversity within the workforce of health care 
professionals with breastfeeding and lactation expertise.
(b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
subsection (a), an entity described in such subsection shall submit to 
the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(c) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may use not more than 10 
percent of the funds made available under subsection (g)--
(1) to conduct outreach to minority-serving institutions to 
raise awareness of the availability of grants under subsection 
(a);
(2) to provide technical assistance in the application 
process for such a grant; and
(3) to promote capacity building as needed to enable 
entities described in such subsection to submit such an 
application.
(d) Reporting Requirement.--Each entity awarded a grant under this 
section shall periodically submit to the Secretary a report on the 
status of activities conducted using the grant.
(e) Evaluation.--Beginning 1 year after the date on which the first 
grant is awarded under this section, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress an annual report summarizing the findings of research 
conducted using funds made available under this section.
(f) Minority-Serving Institutions Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``minority-serving institution'' has the meaning given the term in 
section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1067q(a)).
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2027 through 2031.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Maternity care provider.--The term ``maternity care 
provider'' means a health care provider who--
(A) is a physician, a physician assistant, a 
midwife who meets, at a minimum, the international 
definition of a midwife and global standards for 
midwifery education as established by the International 
Confederation of Midwives, an advanced practice 
registered nurse, a doula accredited by a State to 
receive reimbursement for doula services under a State 
plan (or a waiver of such plan) under title XIX of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.), or a 
lactation consultant certified by the International 
Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners; and
(B) has a focus on maternal or perinatal health.
(2) Perinatal health worker.--The term ``perinatal health 
worker'' means a nonclinical health worker focused on maternal 
or perinatal health, such as a doula, community health worker, 
peer supporter, lactation educator or counselor, nutritionist 
or dietitian, childbirth educator, social worker, home visitor, 
patient navigator or coordinator, or language interpreter.
(3) Postpartum.--The term ``postpartum'' refers to the 1-
year period beginning on the last day of the pregnancy of an 
individual.
(4) Pregnancy-associated death.--The term ``pregnancy-
associated death'' means a death of a pregnant or postpartum 
individual, by any cause, that occurs during, or within 1 year 
following, the individual's pregnancy, regardless of the 
outcome, duration, or site of the pregnancy.
(5) Pregnancy-related death.--The term ``pregnancy-related 
death'' means a death of a pregnant or postpartum individual 
that occurs during, or within 1 year following, the 
individual's pregnancy, from a pregnancy complication, a chain 
of events initiated by pregnancy, or the aggravation of an 
unrelated condition by the physiologic effects of pregnancy.
(6) Racial and ethnic minority group.--The term ``racial 
and ethnic minority group'' has the meaning given such term in 
section 1707(g)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
300u-6(g)(1)).
(7) Severe maternal morbidity.--The term ``severe maternal 
morbidity'' means a health condition, including mental health 
conditions and substance use disorders, attributed to or 
aggravated by pregnancy or childbirth that results in 
significant short-term or long-term consequences to the health 
of the individual who was pregnant.
(8) Social determinants of maternal health.--The term 
``social determinants of maternal health'' means nonclinical 
factors that impact maternal health outcomes.
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