,,ii #aahth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cihc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #bj1 #bjbd,ms4 ,hirono 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,ms4 ,butler1 ,mr4 ,welch1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,mr4 ,padilla1 ,ms4 ,warren1 and ,mr4 ,whitehouse7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,health ,service ,act to authorize a grant program to increase capacity for providing abortion services and other sexual and reproductive health care1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,abortion ,care ,capacity ,enhancement and ,support ,services ,act of #bjbd or the ,,access ,act of #bjbd4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,on ,june #bd1 #bjbb1 in ,dobbs v4 ,jackson ,women's ,health ,organization1 the ,supreme ,court overturned ,roe v4 ,wade1 which had guaranteed the constitutional right to abortion4 ,following the decision1 ,states were able to increase restrictions or ban access to abortion1 which has exacerbated the abortion access crisis4 ,under this legal framework1 abortion access varies widely by ,state4 7#b7 ,compared to ,april #bjbb1 the number of abortions per month by ,june #bjbc1 had dropped to zero in at least #ab ,states with abortion bans in place1 while other ,states saw increases of over #b1jjj abortions4 7#c7 ,states that do not have an abortion ban or restrictions have experienced increased numbers of out-of-,state patients seeking abortion services4 ,patients traveling for abortion services doubled in recent years with #a in #e patients crossing ,state lines to obtain an abortion in #bjbc1 compared to #a in #aj in #bjbj4 7#d7 ,abortion providers in ,states where abortion is legal have experienced an increase in the number of patients from out of ,state4 ,this influx in patients has increased the demand for abortion services and strained the reproductive health care systems in many ,states4 7#e7 ,the influx of out-of-,state patients has also increased the backlogs in services and wait times for appointments in multiple ,states following increases in abortion bans and restrictions4 ,to date1 many facilities across the country still have reported wait times of a week or longer for abortion services4 7#f7 ,the challenges to access abortion disproportionately impact individuals of color1 low-income individuals1 ,,lgbtq individuals1 youth1 and others who face existing barriers to access health care in their communities4 7#g7 ,over #ae1jjj1jjj reproductive-age women of color live in ,states that have banned or are likely to ban abortion following the ,dobbs decision4 ,additionally1 women of color1 low-income women1 young women1 and women living in rural communities have been disproportionately impacted by travel for abortion services4 7#h7 ,to address the challenges in accessing abortion services1 proper investments need to be made to improve capacity to accommodate for both patients in ,state and those coming from out of ,state to receive comprehensive and high-quality abortion services and other sexual and reproductive health services4 #c4 ,grants to increase capacity to provide abortion services and other sexual and reproductive health care ,subpart ,v of part ,d of title ,,iii of the ,public ,health ,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bef et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #cdj;,a-#a4 ,grants to increase capacity to provide abortion services and other sexual and reproductive health care 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall carry out a grant program consisting of awarding grants to eligible entities to increase their capacity to provide abortion services and other sexual and reproductive health care to individuals seeking to access abortion within or outside of their ,states of residence4 7b7 ,eligible entities ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 an entity shall-- 7#a7 be a hospital1 clinic1 or other health care facility1 university1 nonprofit organization1 community-based organization1 local governmental entity1 or ,tribal government that1 through programs1 services1 or activities that are unbiased and medically and factually accurate1 provides or refers for abortion services2 and 7#b7 be in a ,state1 the ,district of ,columbia1 or a commonwealth1 territory1 or possession of the ,united ,states where abortion services are permissible outside of exceptions for the life and health of the pregnant person4 7c7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall give priority to eligible entities in ,states that1 as determined by the ,secretary1 have experienced the highest increases of out-of-,state patients seeking abortion services and other sexual and reproductive health care4 7d7 ,authorized activities ,a grant under this section may be used for any of the following supplies1 equipment1 or services related to providing an abortion or other sexual and reproductive health care3 7#a7 ,expanding the grantee's facilities1 such as by creating more examination rooms1 operation rooms1 recovery areas1 and other additional locations for care4 7#b7 ,purchasing medical supplies or equipment to provide reproductive health care services4 7#c7 ,administering telehealth services1 which may include audio1 video1 and text messaging services4 7#d7 ,contracting or hiring clinical and nonclinical support staff1 which may include intake coordinators1 health educators1 doulas1 midwives1 counselors1 ultrasound technicians1 and other relevant health care personnel4 7#e7 ,training programs to increase clinical and nonclinical support staff1 which may include intake coordinators1 health educators1 doulas1 midwives1 counselors1 ultrasound technicians1 and other relevant health care personnel4 7#f7 ,creating and disseminating medically accurate1 culturally and linguistically appropriate1 accessible educational materials and resources for patients4 7#g7 ,interpretation and translation services4 7#h7 ,referrals and counseling4 7#i7 ,recovery care4 7e7 ,application ,to seek a grant under this section1 an eligible entity shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require1 including a plan for increasing capacity as described in subsection 7a74 7f7 ,prohibition against exclusion of qualified eligible entities ,no ,federal agency1 grantee1 subrecipient1 or other entity shall1 in the course of administering or carrying out any program or activity under this section1 act in a manner which has the effect of excluding1 limiting1 or restricting the participation of any entity that would otherwise be eligible to apply for funds1 on the basis of any factor unrelated to the entity's qualifications to effectively carry out the program or activity4 7g7 ,definition ,in this section1 the term abortion services means a medical or surgical abortion and any medical or non-medical supplies1 equipment1 or services related to and provided in conjunction with an abortion4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations ,to carry out this section1 there is authorized to be appropriated #bjj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbd through #bjbh4 4