Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act
- Bill Number
- S. 4550
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-18: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-23T19:05:40Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of S. 4550: Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act
Purpose of the Legislation
This bill authorizes appropriations and establishes requirements to support data collection, surveillance, research, public communication, and federal recommendations on maternal health outcomes during public health emergencies, with emphasis on infectious diseases affecting pregnant and postpartum individuals and their newborns.
Key Provisions Outlined
- Funding Authorizations: Provides $100,000,000 for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies program to expand guidance, data partnerships, and regional centers of excellence; $30,000,000 for the Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality program to support state and tribal review committees; $45,000,000 for the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System to add emergency-related questions, respectful care inquiries, and electronic expansions targeting underrepresented groups; and $15,000,000 for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to research interventions focused on high-risk demographic groups.
- Data Collection and Disclosure: Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make publicly available data on diagnostic testing, cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum individuals during emergencies, including updates at least monthly during and after such emergencies.
- Disaggregation and Privacy Protections: Mandates data breakdown by race, ethnicity, gender, language, geography, and socioeconomic status, while ensuring de-identification, compliance with privacy regulations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, and consultation with Indian Tribes to reduce misclassification of American Indians and Alaska Natives.
- Public Health Communication: Directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to run education campaigns providing evidence-based information on risks to pregnant and postpartum individuals, with focus on underserved communities.
- Task Force Establishment: Creates a federal task force, convened by the Secretary in consultation with relevant agencies, to develop and update recommendations in multiple languages on respectful maternity care, telehealth access, midwifery scope of practice, doula coverage, mental health screening, bias reduction, and other topics during emergencies, including identification of barriers and policies to continue or discontinue post-emergency.
Significant Changes to Existing Law Introduced
This legislation introduces new, specific funding authorizations for existing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health programs targeted at public health emergencies. It adds requirements for public data availability and monthly updates during emergencies, guidance to laboratories and health departments on demographic data collection, and the creation of a new multi-stakeholder task force for maternity care recommendations, building on but expanding beyond prior surveillance systems like the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and Maternal Mortality Review Committees.
Potential Impacts on Government Agencies, Citizens, or International Relations
- Government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Health Resources and Services Administration would receive additional resources and responsibilities for expanded surveillance, data transparency, and coordination.
- Citizens, particularly pregnant and postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups or underserved communities, could benefit from improved access to tailored guidance, data-informed care, and recommendations addressing disparities in maternal mortality and morbidity.
- No direct impacts on international relations are specified in the legislation.
Main Stakeholders Affected by This Legislation
- Federal agencies including the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Indian Health Service.
- State, tribal, territorial, and local public health departments.
- Health care providers, maternity care professionals, perinatal health workers, and certified midwives.
- Pregnant and postpartum individuals, including those from historically marginalized populations, patients who experienced prior emergencies, and community-based organizations focused on maternal health inequities.
- Employers and health insurers indirectly through potential care and reimbursement recommendations.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
The bill references compliance with existing privacy laws under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and the Public Health Service Act for data handling and emergency declarations. It emphasizes tribal consultation to address health outcome misclassification and promotes disaggregated data collection to highlight racial and ethnic disparities, which may influence future policy on equitable maternal care without altering core constitutional authorities.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (7)
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ], Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY], Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT], Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN], Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA], Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE], Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-18: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 2026-05-18: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act — issued 2026-05-18 — PDF (18 pages)