,i #aadth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fejc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #h1 #bjaf,mr4 ,fortenberry introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to facilitate services and support to prevent the abandonment of women and children by alleviating the physical1 financial1 social1 emotional1 and other difficulties that may be encountered during pregnancy and childrearing4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents 7a7 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,care for ,life ,act4 7b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents for this ,act is as follows3 ,sec4 #a4 ,short title2 table of contents4 ,sec4 #b4 ,purpose2 findings4 ,title ,i--,pregnancy and ,parenting ,support ,services ,sec4 #aja4 ,pregnancy and parenting support services4,sec4 #ajb4 ,incentives for ,workplace ,solutions ,awareness ,campaign4 ,title ,,ii--,department of ,education ,sec4 #bja4 ,sense of ,congress4,sec4 #bjb4 ,fund for the improvement of postsecondary educational establishments4 #b4 ,purpose2 findings 7a7 ,purpose ,this ,act seeks to achieve a consistent standard of informing newly pregnant women of all services and support that are available to them and to ensure that such women are not abandoned4 ,women at the point of learning about an unplanned pregnancy often ask themselves what society will to do support them4 ,a myriad of services and support is available1 but often pregnant women1 and even providers1 are unaware of such services and support4 ,the purpose of this ,act is to ensure that newly pregnant women are aware of all the services and support that are available to them and this ,act furthers the authority to make specialized grants in this regard4 7b7 ,findings ,the ,congress finds as follows3 7#a7 ,many women do not know where to turn for available assistance during pregnancy1 childbirth1 and child-rearing1 particularly when facing financial1 social1 emotional1 and other life challenges4 7#b7 ,women who are pregnant and in fear of being abandoned during pregnancy should have access to available local1 ,state1 and ,federal governmental1 as well as civil society1 pregnancy and parenting resources4 7#c7 ,in a study of how women in the ,united ,states face challenging circumstances during pregnancy that affect a woman's willingness to carry a child to term1 research shows that of women who do not carry their child to term-- 7,a7 #dd percent are college-aged2 7,b7 #fa percent have at least one child2 7,c7 #fi percent are facing economic challenges2 7,d7 #ge percent feel they cannot afford a child2 and 7,e7 #ge percent say that having a baby would interfere with work1 school1 or the ability to care for other dependents4 7#d7 ,when a woman discovers she is pregnant while facing physical1 financial1 social1 emotional1 and other life challenges1 the people around her can help to mitigate anxiety in the face of uncertainty by providing practical support with day-to-day needs associated with pregnancy1 birth1 and motherhood1 particularly in the context of her concerns about-- 7,a7 family1 paternity1 and community support during pregnancy and following the birth of a child or children2 7,b7 securing opportunities that a woman may require1 including the completion of education that leads to employment2 and 7,c7 workplaces that accommodate pregnant and parenting women4 7#e7 ,often pregnant women are unaware of the support that may be available to them from private and public sources at the local1 ,state1 and national levels4 ,i ,pregnancy and ,parenting ,support ,services #aja4 ,pregnancy and parenting support services 7a7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of the ,congress that women who are pregnant and fear being abandoned under difficult life circumstances1 and recipients of care funded through title ,x of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj et seq471 title ,,xx of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acig et seq471 and other ,federal1 ,state1 and local health care programs1 should be aware of the services available1 during and after pregnancy1 that will support them while carrying their children to live birth as well as supporting women who are raising their children following birth or giving their children up for adoption4 7b7 ,support services ,part ,d of title ,,iii of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bed;b et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating section #ccj;,f as section #ccj;,f-#a2 and 7#b7 by inserting after section #ccj;,e the following3 #ccj;,f4 ,pregnancy and parenting support services 7a7 ,database 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall develop and maintain a comprehensive1 publicly accessible1 and user friendly database1 to be known as the ,pregnant and ,parenting ,women's ,care ,information ,service1 to serve as a consolidated source of information on public and private service providers that address the concerns of pregnant women through the provision of pregnancy and parenting support services4 7#b7 ,information to be included ,the database developed under paragraph 7#a7 shall include a list1 by ,state and locality1 of qualified providers including1 for each listed provider-- 7,a7 ,web sites and other relevant sources of information about such provider2 7,b7 as applicable and available-- 7i7 contact information for such provider2 and 7ii7 the number of years such provider has provided pregnancy and parenting support services2 and 7,c7 information on the services offered by such provider targeted towards pregnant and parenting women1 including the rating and reviews collected under subsection 7b77#c74 7b7 ,input2 information ,in developing and maintaining the database under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 seek the input of-- 7,a7 qualified providers2 and 7,b7 relevant ,state officials2 7#b7 identify the complete list of ,federal programs that provide pregnancy and parenting support services2 and 7#c7 create a process to collect from women ratings and reviews of qualified providers listed in the database based on the interactions of such women with such providers4 7c7 ,best practices 7#a7 ,annual review ,the ,secretary shall conduct an annual review of best practices in pregnancy and parenting support services nationwide4 7#b7 ,input ,in conducting each annual review under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 gather input from qualified providers listed in the database developed under subsection 7a7 and experts described in subsection 7b77#a71 including experts and providers representing-- 7i7 ,state and local governments2 7ii7 the private sector2 and 7iii7 prenatal and parenting care centers2 and 7,b7 in gathering such input1 encourage such providers and experts-- 7i7 to share information on best practices described in paragraph 7#a72 and 7ii7 to identify difficulties facing pregnant and parenting women and to develop best practices to address such difficulties4 7d7 ,toll-,free number ,the ,secretary shall enter into a contract1 through the use of competitive procedures1 with an entity to establish and operate a toll-free number to provide women with referrals for obtaining pregnancy and parenting support services1 including services to support mental and emotional health4 7e7 ,healthy birth and healthy life grants 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may award competitive grants to providers listed in the database developed under subsection 7a7 to develop best practices for communities to identify optimal ways to provide pregnancy and parenting support services4 7#b7 ,supplement not supplant ,the ,secretary may award a grant to a provider under this subsection only if the provider agrees that the grant will be used to supplement1 and not supplant1 pregnancy and parenting support services4 7f7 ,prenatal care grants to academic medical centers ,the ,secretary may award competitive grants to academic medical centers for the exclusive purpose of having individuals affiliated with such academic medical center with expertise in pregnancy and parenting and accompanying social services1 including patient advocates1 accomplish the following activities3 7#a7 ,deliver specialized training in pregnancy and parenting support services4 7#b7 ,develop and implement programs to train individuals to deliver such specialized training4 7#c7 ,seek input from women who have experienced pregnancy to develop best practices for providers serving such women and advice for other women experiencing pregnancy4 7g7 ,no duplication of effort ,the ,secretary shall ensure that the programs and activities authorized or required by this section are not duplicated by other programs and activities of the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services4 7h7 ,prohibition against funding discriminatory entities 7#a7 ,rule ,no ,federal funds may be made available to a ,federal agency or program1 or to a ,state or local government1 if such agency1 program1 or government subjects any institutional or individual health care entity to discrimination on the basis that the health care entity does not provide1 pay for1 provide coverage of1 or refer for abortions4 7#b7 ,definition ,in this subsection1 the term health care entity includes an individual physician or other health care professional1 a hospital1 a provider-sponsored organization1 a health maintenance organization1 a health insurance plan1 or any other kind of health care facility1 organization1 or plan4 7i7 ,annual report ,the ,secretary shall submit an annual report to the ,congress on the activities carried out under this section1 the funds expended on such activities1 and the results achieved through such activities4 7j7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,pregnancy and parenting support services ,the term pregnancy and parenting support services means services offered during and after pregnancy to pregnant women and new parents in order to help such women and such parents alleviate the physical1 financial1 social1 emotional1 and other difficulties that may be encountered during and after pregnancy1 consisting of the following3 7,a7 ,material and financial assistance1 including maternity and baby clothing1 diapers1 baby food 7including formula71 baby furniture1 and car seats4 7,b7 ,information for parents with newborn children1 including adopted children1 addressing resources regarding pregnancy and childbirth1 infant feeding1 time management1 parenting special needs children1 and nutrition during and after pregnancy4 7,c7 ,referrals for adoption1 job training and placement1 housing1 personal safety1 food stamps1 and other governmental assistance4 7,d7 ,crisis hotlines1 including for violence prevention1 suicide prevention1 and survivors of sexual assault who are pregnant due to such assault4 7,e7 ,pro bono obstetric and prenatal care services for women in the carrying of their children to live birth1 including services during pregnancy and following childbirth1 and neonatal care services1 including referrals for such services4 7,f7 ,pro bono legal services to assist women who are pregnant and parents with newborn children1 including adopted children4 7,g7 ,child care services4 7,h7 ,pursuing collection of child support and alimony4 7,i7 ,services to assist parents to care for1 and prepare to care for1 a child with ,down syndrome or another prenatally diagnosed condition1 and to facilitate the adoption of such children as appropriate4 7,j7 ,life-skills mentoring1 including to enhance the following competencies3 7i7 ,strengthening marriage4 7ii7 ,communication and conflict management for building healthy marriages and families4 7iii7 ,decisionmaking and relationship-building skills prior to marriage4 7iv7 ,high-risk behavior awareness4 7,k7 ,services for postpartum depression treatment4 7#b7 ,qualified provider ,the term qualified provider means a service provider1 including a pregnancy support center1 that has been engaged in providing any pregnancy and parenting supporting services for at least three years4 4 #ajb4 ,incentives for ,workplace ,solutions ,awareness ,campaign ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall recognize and publicize the practices of employers who successfully meet the needs of their pregnant or parenting employees1 such as through the following policies3 7#a7 ,family-friendly policies1 including-- 7,a7 providing child care facilities2 7,b7 providing family cafeterias and separate cafeterias for those who prefer not to eat with families2 7,c7 family leave policies for small employers not covered by the ,family and ,medical ,leave ,act2 7,d7 paid family leave policies for employers covered by such ,act2 7,e7 providing rooms for mothers to breastfeed in comfort1 with refrigerators for the storage of breast milk2 and 7,f7 allowing telecommuting and flexible work schedules1 including meeting times conducive to parenting if such meeting times do not harm traditional full-time employees4 7#b7 ,establishment of a committees to discuss matters related to employer support for employees who are pregnant or parenting4 7#c7 ,policies that support pregnant women4 ,,ii ,department of ,education #bja4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 women who are pregnant1 including parenting students who fear being abandoned1 should be aware of and have access to available educational resources to support them during pregnancy1 birth1 and with child-rearing2 and 7#b7 to address this concern1 the ,secretary of ,education should-- 7,a7 administer a competitive1 accountable grant program to provide funds to institutions of higher education for the aggregation and development of pregnancy and child care best practices and programs that support pregnant women and mothers with children who are engaged in childcare while completing postsecondary education2 and 7,b7 on an annual basis1 report to the appropriate congressional committees on the progress of the ,secretary in implementing the grant program and the outcomes related to the best practices and programs carried out under the grant program1 including the geographic distribution of such best practices and educational programs4 #bjb4 ,fund for the improvement of postsecondary educational establishments ,section #gda7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #aach7;a77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking and at the end of paragraph 7#ab72 7#b7 by striking the period at the end of paragraph 7#ac7 and inserting 2 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#ad7 developing an online information toolkit about agencies that are working within institutions of higher education to provide services related to pregnancy and child care1 the exclusive purpose of which shall be to provide information on such services to help pregnant and parenting students-- 7,a7 locate and utilize child care services1 family housing1 health insurance 7for themselves and their family71 flexible academic scheduling 7such as telecommuting programs71 parenting classes and programs1 and postpartum counseling and support groups2 7,b7 identify scholarships1 financial and in-kind resources1 grants1 and loans for which such students may be eligible2 7,c7 meet the material needs of mothers and their children1 including such items as maternity and baby clothing1 diapers1 baby food1 baby furniture1 and car seats2 7,d7 access breast pumps at locations designated for breast feeding within the educational setting to support breast feeding and pumping2 and 7,e7 access nutrition programs for pregnant women and mothers1 including the programs under section #ag of the ,child ,nutrition ,act of #aiff 7commonly known as ,,wic7 and section #d of the ,food and ,nutrition ,act of #bjjh 7commonly known as ,,snap74 4