Opportunities to Support Mothers and Deliver Children Act
This bill provides funding for, and requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award, grants for demonstration projects to train low-income individuals to work in the field of pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum care. Grantees must be located in a state that recognizes doulas or midwives as health care providers and that allows payment for their services under public or private insurance plans.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4930 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4930
To provide grants for the conduct of demonstration projects designed to
provide education and training for eligible individuals to enter and
follow a career pathway in the field of pregnancy, childbirth, or post-
partum, under the health profession opportunity grant program under
section 2008 of the Social Security Act.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 26, 2023
Ms. Moore of Wisconsin introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide grants for the conduct of demonstration projects designed to
provide education and training for eligible individuals to enter and
follow a career pathway in the field of pregnancy, childbirth, or post-
partum, under the health profession opportunity grant program under
section 2008 of the Social Security Act.
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 ``Opportunities to Support Mothers and
Deliver Children Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS TO PROVIDE CAREER PATHWAYS IN
THE FIELD OF PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH, OR POST-PARTUM.
Section 2008 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397g) is
amended by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e) and inserting
after subsection (c) the following:
``(d) Demonstration Projects To Provide Career Pathways in the
Field of Pregnancy, Childbirth, or Post-Partum.--
``(1) Grant authority.--The Secretary, in consultation with
the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education, shall
award grants in accordance with this subsection to eligible
entities to conduct demonstration projects for the purpose of
providing education and training for eligible individuals to
enter and follow a career pathway in the field of pregnancy,
childbirth, or post partum, in a State that recognizes doulas
or midwives and that provides payment for services provided by
doulas or midwives, as the case may be, under private or public
health insurance plans.
``(2) Duration.--A demonstration project shall be conducted
under this subsection for not less than 3 years.
``(3) Application requirements.--An applicant seeking a
grant under this subsection for a demonstration project shall
submit to the Secretary an application for the grant, that
includes the following:
``(A) A description of the partnerships, strategic
staff hiring decisions, tailored program activities, or
other programmatic elements of the project that are
designed to support a strong career pathway in
pregnancy, birth, or post-partum services.
``(B) A demonstration that the State in which the
project is to be conducted recognizes and permits
doulas and midwives to practice in the State.
``(C) A demonstration that the applicant has
experience working with low-income populations, or a
description of the plan of the applicant to work with a
partner that has the experience.
``(4) Evaluations.--The Secretary shall, by grant,
contract, or interagency agreement, conduct rigorous and well-
designed evaluations of the demonstration projects for which a
grant is made under this section, which shall include
identification of successful activities for creating
opportunities for developing and sustaining, particularly with
respect to low-income individuals and other entry-level
workers, a doula-to-midwife workforce career pathway that has
accessible entry points, that meets high standards for
education, training, certification, and professional
development, and that provides increased wages and affordable
benefits, including health care coverage, that are responsive
to the needs of the workforce.
``(5) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity'
means any of the following entities that demonstrates
in an application submitted under this subsection that
the entity has the capacity to fully develop and
administer the demonstration project described in the
application:
``(i) A local workforce development board
established under section 107 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act.
``(ii) A State or territory, a political
subdivision of a State or territory, or an
agency of a State, territory, or such a
political subdivision.
``(iii) An Indian tribe, a tribal
organization, or a tribal college or
university.
``(iv) An institution of higher education
(as defined in the Higher Education Act of
1965).
``(v) A hospital (as defined in section
1861(e)).
``(vi) A skilled nursing facility (as
defined in section 1819(h)(1)(A)).
``(vii) A Federally qualified health center
(as defined in section 1861(aa)(4)).
``(viii) A nonprofit organization described
in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, a labor organization, or an
entity with shared labor-management oversight,
that has a demonstrated history of providing
health profession training to eligible
individuals.
``(ix) An entity recognized by a State,
Indian tribe, or tribal organization as
qualified to train doulas or midwives, if
midwives or doulas, as the case may be, are
permitted to practice medicine in the State
involved.
``(x) An opioid treatment program (as
defined in section 1861(iii)(2)) and other high
quality comprehensive addiction care providers.
``(B) Eligible individual.--The term `eligible
individual' means an individual whose income does not
exceed 138 percent of the Federal poverty level.
``(C) Midwife.--The term `midwife' means a midwife
who meets, at a minimum, the international definition
of the midwife and global standards for midwifery
education as established by the International
Confederation of Midwives.
``(D) Tribally-recognized midwife.--The term
`tribally-recognized midwife' means an individual who
is recognized by an Indian tribe (as defined in section
4 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act) to
practice midwifery for the tribe.
``(6) Appropriation.--Out of any funds in the Treasury of
the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this subsection
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2024.''.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on October 1,
2023.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare.
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