Momnibus Act

Purpose & Problem

Is the problem real and worth federal action?

The bill aims to reduce preventable deaths and serious health problems tied to pregnancy in the United States. It targets racial and ethnic gaps in maternal health outcomes through a wide set of federal programs.

Scope & Related Provisions

Does it stay focused, or carry unrelated add-ons?

The bill stays broadly tied to maternal and infant health, covering care, data, workforce, and funding. It also adds climate change grants, prison programs, and WIC eligibility changes, each connected to pregnancy outcomes.

Who Is Affected

Who benefits, and who bears the cost?

Pregnant and postpartum people, especially those from minority groups, gain access to new programs and services. Hospitals, states, prisons, and federal agencies take on new reporting duties and program requirements.

Cost & Funding

Is it affordable and responsibly funded?

The bill authorizes hundreds of millions of dollars across more than a dozen programs. For example, it authorizes $100 million per year for social needs grants and $73.4 million per year for the NIH IMPROVE Initiative. These are authorized amounts, not confirmed spending.

Risks & Implementation

What could go wrong in practice?

The bill requires many federal agencies to create new programs, issue guidance, and file reports within tight deadlines. Coordinating that many separate efforts across agencies and states could slow or complicate delivery of services.

TITLE I--SOCIAL DETERMINANTS FOR MOMS

This title creates a federal task force led by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to coordinate efforts across multiple agencies to reduce maternal deaths, serious complications, and health gaps among mothers. It also sets up a grant program giving up to $100 million per year from 2027 to 2031 to community organizations, Tribal groups, and public health departments. The money can be used to address housing, transportation, nutrition, workplace conditions, and other non-medical factors that affect mothers' health outcomes.

TITLE II--EXTENDING WIC FOR NEW MOMS

This title extends how long new mothers can receive WIC nutrition benefits after giving birth, from 6 months to 24 months. It also extends breastfeeding support through WIC from 1 year to 24 months. Within two years, the government must report to Congress on how these changes affect maternal and infant health, including racial and ethnic health gaps.

TITLE III--HONORING KIRA JOHNSON

This title funds grants to community-based organizations that work to improve maternal health, especially for groups with higher rates of pregnancy-related death or illness. It also requires training programs to reduce bias and discrimination in maternity care settings, and creates compliance programs so patients can report unfair treatment. The government must study these programs and report findings to Congress.

TITLE IV--MATERNAL HEALTH FOR VETERANS

This title requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit annual reports to Congress on maternal health outcomes for veteran patients, including data on those who also receive care through the Indian Health Service. It authorizes $15 million per year from 2027 through 2031 to fund VA maternity care coordination programs. The reports must include recommendations for improving outcomes, especially for groups with higher rates of maternal mortality or other complications.

TITLE V--PERINATAL WORKFORCE

This title directs the federal government to grow and diversify the workforce of doctors, nurses, midwives, and other maternity care providers. It creates grant programs to fund new training programs and scholarships, with priority given to schools that recruit students from minority and underserved communities. It also requires government studies and reports on barriers to entering maternity care careers and on best practices for respectful, culturally appropriate care.

TITLE VI--DATA TO SAVE MOMS

This title funds and expands data collection efforts related to maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. It provides grants to make maternal mortality review committees more diverse and community-engaged, requires a study on maternal health among American Indian and Alaska Native individuals, and awards grants to minority-serving institutions to research racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. It also directs federal agencies to review and improve how maternal health data is collected and measured.

TITLE VII--MOMS MATTER

This title creates two grant programs focused on maternal mental health. The first gives up to $25 million per year to community groups, health providers, and tribal organizations to expand mental health and substance use services for pregnant and postpartum people, especially those in high-risk groups. The second gives up to $15 million per year to schools and training programs to grow and diversify the workforce of mental health providers who specialize in maternal care.

TITLE VIII--JUSTICE FOR INCARCERATED MOMS

This title cuts federal law enforcement grants by 25 percent for states that do not restrict the use of physical restraints on pregnant incarcerated people. It also creates model care programs in at least six federal prisons and provides grants to states to improve health care for pregnant and postpartum people in jails and prisons, with up to $10 million per year authorized for each program from 2027 to 2031. Finally, it requires a Government Accountability Office report on maternal and infant health outcomes for incarcerated people, including racial and ethnic disparities.

TITLE IX--TECH TO SAVE MOMS

This title expands the use of telehealth and digital tools in maternity care, especially for pregnant and postpartum people in rural, underserved, or high-risk areas. It creates grant programs to train maternal health providers using video-based learning technology and to give healthcare facilities access to digital tools like early warning systems. It also directs the National Academies of Sciences to study how technology and patient monitoring devices affect racial and ethnic bias in maternal health care.

TITLE X--IMPACT TO SAVE MOMS

This title creates a five-year demonstration project, running from 2027 to 2031, that lets states test new ways of paying for maternity care under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. The project focuses on improving outcomes for groups with higher rates of maternal death and illness, and it requires states to use evidence-based quality measures and consider non-hospital birth settings. After the project ends, the Department of Health and Human Services must report to Congress on the results and whether the model should be expanded nationwide.

TITLE XI--MATERNAL HEALTH PANDEMIC RESPONSE

This title authorizes about $190 million for the CDC and other agencies to collect and study data on how public health emergencies affect pregnant and postpartum people, with a focus on racial and ethnic health gaps. It requires the federal government to make that data publicly available and updated at least monthly during emergencies. It also creates a task force to develop recommendations for safe, respectful maternity care during public health emergencies, and directs the CDC to run public education campaigns for pregnant people and their providers.

TITLE XII--PROTECTING MOMS AND BABIES AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

This title creates grant programs to help pregnant women, new mothers, and babies in areas affected by climate-related risks like extreme heat, air pollution, and severe weather. It funds community organizations and health profession schools to provide training, services, and support to protect these vulnerable individuals, with a focus on racial and ethnic health disparities. It also directs the NIH to coordinate research and requires the CDC to develop a strategy for identifying high-risk areas.

TITLE XIII--NIH IMPROVE

This title directs the National Institutes of Health to continue running the IMPROVE Initiative, a research program focused on reducing maternal deaths and serious pregnancy complications. The program targets health disparities, especially for groups with higher-than-average rates of maternal mortality, and funds community-based interventions and studies of risk factors. It authorizes $73.4 million per year from 2027 through 2032 to support grants, contracts, and research agreements.

TITLE XIV--MATERNAL VACCINATIONS

This title updates federal public health law to include pregnant and postpartum individuals as a focus of national vaccination awareness campaigns. It adds obstetric care providers alongside prenatal and pediatric providers as partners in outreach efforts. It also increases funding for these campaigns from $15 million to $17 million per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, with special attention to racial and ethnic minority groups.