,,ii #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #dh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,january #bd 7legislative day1 ,january #c71 #bjbc ,mr4 ,rubio introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,finance ,a ,,bill ,to amend title ,v of the ,social ,security ,act to establish a grant program for community-based maternal mentoring programs4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,community ,mentors for ,moms ,act4 #b4 ,grants for community-based maternal mentoring programs ,title ,v of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #ead4 ,grants for community-based maternal mentoring programs 7a7 ,in general ,in addition to any other payments made under this title to a ,state1 the ,secretary shall make grants to eligible entities to conduct demonstration projects for1 and enable such entities to deliver services under1 community-based mentoring programs that satisfy the requirements of subsection 7c7 to eligible mothers in order to promote improvements in maternal and child well-being1 financial stewardship1 child development1 parenting1 and access to social services and other community resources4 7b7 ,application ,the ,secretary may not award funds made available under this subsection on a noncompetitive basis1 and may not provide any such funds to an entity for the purpose of carrying out a community-based mentoring program unless the entity has submitted an application to the ,secretary that includes-- 7#a7 a description of how the programs or activities proposed in the application will improve maternal mental and physical health outcomes in a service area identified by the entity1 substantially increase the number of eligible mothers in a service area with access to a community-based mentoring relationship1 utilize community volunteer mentors1 and supplement1 including by avoiding duplication with1 existing social services and community resources2 7#b7 a description of how the program will partner with other community institutions1 including private institutions1 in identifying eligible mothers in need of a mentor and1 as applicable1 creating support communities among eligible mothers2 7#c7 a description of the populations to be served by the entity1 including specific information on how the entity will serve eligible mothers who belong to high-risk populations as identified in subsection 7d72 7#d7 a description of the maternal and child health indicators1 financial well-being1 and other needs of populations to be served by the entity as described in paragraph 7#c71 including1 to the extent practicable1 the prevalence of mentoring opportunities for such populations2 7#e7 the quantifiable benchmarks that will be used to measure program success2 7#f7 a commitment by the entity to consult with experts with a demonstrated history of mentoring and case management success in achieving the outcomes described in subsection 7c77#b77;,a7 in developing the programs and activities2 7#g7 a commitment by the entity to ensure mentors to not refer or counsel in favor of abortions2 and 7#h7 such other application information as the ,secretary may deem necessary1 with the goal of minimizing the application burden on small nongovernmental organizations that would otherwise qualify for the grant4 7c7 ,requirements 7#a7 ,core components ,a community maternal mentoring program conducted with a grant made under this section shall include the following core components3 7,a7 ,provision of community-based mentoring relationships for eligible mothers1 which may include dedicated individual mentors and networks of peer and community support groups4 7,b7 ,an individualized needs assessment for each eligible mother participating in the program1 to be administered at the outset of the program4 7,c7 ,recruitment and utilization of community-based1 volunteer mentors4 7,d7 ,provision of training to participating mentors to equip them with mentoring best practices and knowledge of public and private resources available to eligible mothers 7including public social services74 7#b7 ,measurable improvements in benchmark areas 7,a7 ,in general ,the eligible entity shall establish1 subject to the approval of the ,secretary1 quantifiable1 measurable #c- and #e-year benchmarks demonstrating the program results in improvements for eligible mothers participating in the program in the following areas3 7i7 ,the number of eligible mothers in the eligible entity's service area with access to a community-based mentoring relationship4 7ii7 ,improved maternal and child health1 including mental and behavioral health4 7iii7 ,improved financial literacy4 7iv7 ,improved family economic self-sufficiency4 7v7 ,improved coordination and referrals for other community resources and supports1 including public and private resources4 7,b7 ,demonstration of improvement 7i7 ,report to the ,secretary ,not later than #cj days after the end of the third year in which the eligible entity conducts the program1 the entity shall submit to the ,secretary a report describing the program's results in the areas specified in subparagraph 7,a74 7ii7 ,improvement plan ,if the report submitted to the ,secretary fails to demonstrate improvements in at least #c of the areas outlined in subparagraph 7,a71 the eligible entity shall develop and implement a plan to improve outcomes in each of the areas specified in subparagraph 7,a71 subject to approval by the ,secretary4 7iii7 ,no improvement or failure to submit report ,if1 #a year after an eligible entity submits an improvement plan under clause 7ii71 the ,secretary determines that the entity has failed to demonstrate any improvement in the areas specified in subparagraph 7,a71 or if the ,secretary determines that an eligible entity has failed to submit the report required under clause 7i71 and has not agreed to a reasonable timeline to submit such report under such conditions as may be determined by the ,secretary1 the ,secretary shall terminate the entity's grant and may reallocate any unpaid grant funds toward future grants provided under this section4 7#c7 ,improvements in participant outcomes 7,a7 ,in general ,the program is designed1 with respect to an eligible mother participating in the program1 to result in the participant outcomes described in subparagraph 7,b7 that are relevant to the mother 7as determined pursuant to an individualized needs assessment administered to the mother74 7,b7 ,participant outcomes ,the participant outcomes described in this subparagraph are the following3 7i7 ,improvements in prenatal and maternal health1 including mental and behavioral health and improved pregnancy outcomes4 7ii7 ,improvements in child health and development1 including the prevention of child injuries and maltreatment4 7iii7 ,higher levels of engagement between mothers1 children1 and their health providers4 7iv7 ,reductions in mothers' stress and anxiety4 7v7 ,improvements in parenting skills4 7vi7 ,improvement in financial literacy skills4 7vii7 ,improvements in child's school readiness and academic achievement4 7viii7 ,improvements in family economic self-sufficiency4 7ix7 ,improvements in the coordination of referrals for1 and the provision of1 other community resources1 including private and public resources1 and supports for eligible families4 7d7 ,prioritization ,an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall identify and prioritize high-risk populations in provision of services1 including-- 7#a7 low-income eligible mothers2 7#b7 eligible mothers who are pregnant women who have not attained the age of #ba2 7#c7 eligible mothers from populations with a high risk of maternal morbidity2 7#d7 eligible mothers with a history of substance abuse or victims of domestic abuse2 7#e7 eligible mothers with children with developmental disabilities2 and 7#f7 eligible mothers residing in a qualified opportunity zone1 as designated under section #adjj,z-#a of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf4 7e7 ,maintenance of effort ,funds provided to an eligible entity under a grant awarded under subsection 7a7 shall supplement1 and not supplant1 funds from other sources for maternal mentorship or case management services4 7f7 ,evaluation 7#a7 ,ongoing research and evaluation ,the ,secretary shall engage in ongoing research and evaluation activities in order to increase knowledge about the implementation and effectiveness of community maternal mentoring programs4 ,the ,secretary may carry out such activities directly1 or through grants1 cooperative agreements1 or contracts1 and shall submit a report to ,congress not less than annually on the research and evaluation steps being taken to measure the impact and effectiveness of programs funded under this section1 as well as any interim outcomes that may be available4 7#b7 ,report requirement ,not later than #c years after the date of enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall submit a report to ,congress on the effectiveness of programs funded with grants under subsection 7a7 in producing the outcomes described in subsection 7c77#c77;,b71 and shall include in such report recommendations for improving program design and implementation4 7g7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary shall provide an eligible entity required to develop and implement an improvement plan under subsection 7c77#b77;,b7 with technical assistance to develop and implement the plan4 ,the ,secretary may provide the technical assistance directly or through grants1 contracts1 or cooperative agreements4 7h7 ,no funds to prohibited entities ,no prohibited entity shall be eligible to receive a grant under subsection 7a71 or any other funds made available by this section4 7i7 ,protections for participating religious organizations ,a religious organization shall be eligible to apply for and receive funding for a program under this section on the same basis as a non-religious organization1 and a religious organization's exemptions1 in title ,,vii of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifd 7including exemption from prohibitions in employment discrimination in section #gjb7;a7 of that ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #bjjj;e-#a7;a7771 title ,,viii of the ,civil ,rights ,act of #aifh1 title ,,ix of the ,educational ,amendments of #aihg1 the ,americans with ,disabilities ,act1 the ,religious ,freedom ,restoration ,act1 the ,religious ,land ,use and ,institutionalized ,persons ,act1 or any other provision in law providing an exemption for a religious organization1 shall not be waived by its participation in1 or receipt of funds from1 a grant provided by this section4 7j7 ,authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,in general ,for purposes of carrying out this section1 there are authorized to be appropriated #ajj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbd through #bjbf4 7#b7 ,reservations ,of the amounts appropriated under this subsection for a fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall reserve #c percent for purposes of carrying out subsections 7f7 and 7g74 7#c7 ,availability ,funds made available to an eligible entity under this section shall remain available for expenditure by the eligible entity through the end of the third fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the funds are awarded to the entity4 7k7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,community-based mentoring relationship ,the term community-based mentoring relationship means a relationship with a dedicated mentor and1 as applicable1 group of mentors or peer support group1 who meet regularly with an eligible mother and help that mother address barriers to care1 mental1 behavioral1 and physical well-being1 and economic mobility by providing support services and linkages to community resources4 ,a community-based mentoring relationship should1 to the extent practicable1 have an understanding of the barriers and lived experience of that community1 which may include shared lived experience4 7#b7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means a local government1 ,indian ,tribe 7or a consortium of ,indian ,tribes71 ,tribal ,organization1 ,urban ,indian ,organization1 or nonprofit organization1 including religious organizations1 with a demonstrated history of serving eligible mothers4 7#c7 ,eligible mother ,the term eligible mother means-- 7,a7 a woman who is pregnant2 or 7,b7 a woman who has primary caregiving responsibilities for a child under the age of #f4 7#d7 ,prohibited entity ,the term prohibited entity means an entity1 including its affiliates1 subsidiaries1 successors1 and clinics that1 as of the date of enactment of this section1 performs1 induces1 refers for1 or counsels in favor of abortions1 or provides financial support to any other organization that conducts such activities4 4