119-s992

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 992 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 992

 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.

_______________________________________________________________________

 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) ''.
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