Expanding Access to Family Planning Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 2762
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-04-09: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-05T21:58:14Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Expanding Access to Family Planning Act (H.R. 2762) aims to increase and sustain federal funding for clinics that provide family planning services under Title X of the Public Health Service Act. Title X is a federal program that supports reproductive health care, including contraception, screenings, and counseling, primarily for low-income individuals. The bill seeks to expand access to these services by boosting grants, infrastructure investments, and ensuring nondirective counseling options.
Key Provisions
- Establishment of the Title X Clinic Fund: Creates a dedicated fund administered by the Office of the Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support Title X clinics nationwide.
- Funding Allocation:
- For each fiscal year from 2026 through 2035, appropriates $512 million annually for grants and contracts to deliver family planning services.
- Additionally appropriates $50 million per year for infrastructure, such as building, renovating, and equipping Title X clinics.
- Fund Availability: All appropriated amounts remain available until fully spent, without annual expiration.
- Conditions on Funding Use:
- Prohibits recipients of funds from excluding entities from subawards (smaller grants to partners) solely for reasons unrelated to their ability to provide Title X services.
- Requires pregnancy counseling in funded clinics to be "nondirective" (neutral and unbiased). For patients with a positive pregnancy test:
- Offer information and counseling on three options: prenatal care and delivery; infant care, foster care, or adoption; and pregnancy termination.
- Provide neutral, factual information and nondirective counseling only for requested options, including referrals if asked, but skip options the patient declines.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Funding Increase: Title X has historically received around $250–300 million annually in recent years; this bill more than doubles that amount for services and adds a new $50 million annual stream for clinic infrastructure, which was not previously a dedicated federal allocation.
- Subaward Protections: Introduces explicit rules against discriminatory exclusions in subaward programs, promoting broader participation among qualified providers.
- Counseling Mandates: Reinforces and details nondirective counseling requirements under Title X, ensuring all pregnancy options are presented equally without bias, which builds on but standardizes existing guidelines that have faced legal challenges over referral restrictions.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: HHS will manage a larger, multi-year fund, potentially increasing administrative workload but enabling more efficient scaling of services. This could reduce reliance on fluctuating annual appropriations.
- On Citizens: Improves access to affordable family planning for underserved populations, particularly low-income women and teens, by expanding clinic capacity and options for reproductive health decisions. May lead to better health outcomes, such as reduced unintended pregnancies.
- On International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though enhanced U.S. family planning funding could indirectly support global health initiatives tied to Title X, like international reproductive aid programs.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Title X Clinics and Providers: Gain substantial financial support for operations and upgrades, benefiting nonprofits, community health centers, and hospitals delivering these services.
- Patients and Low-Income Communities: Primary beneficiaries, with expanded access to contraception, STI testing, cancer screenings, and unbiased pregnancy counseling.
- Subaward Entities: Smaller organizations or partners protected from exclusionary practices, encouraging diverse participation.
- HHS and Federal Budget: Responsible for oversight and distribution, with long-term commitments affecting public health spending.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Strengthens Title X's framework by codifying anti-discrimination in subawards and detailed counseling protocols, potentially reducing litigation over service restrictions (e.g., past court cases on abortion referrals). Ensures compliance with federal nondiscrimination laws.
- Constitutional: Aligns with Supreme Court precedents on reproductive privacy (e.g., right to informed decision-making in cases like Planned Parenthood v. Casey), emphasizing neutral information without coercion.
- Political: Represents a bipartisan effort to bolster public health infrastructure but may spark debate on abortion-related counseling, given the inclusion of pregnancy termination as an option. Could influence future appropriations battles over reproductive rights funding.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (14)
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28], Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1], Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26], Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2], Rep. Pappas, Chris [D-NH-1], Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4], Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7], Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9], Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Meeks, Gregory W. [D-NY-5], Rep. Trahan, Lori [D-MA-3], Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26], Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12], Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16]
Recent Actions
- 2025-04-09: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2025-04-09: Introduced in House
- 2025-04-09: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Expanding Access to Family Planning Act — issued 2025-04-09 — PDF (3 pages)