,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #baca ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #ah1 #bjbe ,mr4 ,warnock 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,marshall1 and ,mr4 ,gallego7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services to carry out a public awareness campaign to increase awareness of the importance of father inclusion and engagement in improving overall health outcomes during pregnancy1 childbirth1 and postpartum1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,dads ,matter ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,father engagement can play an important role in improving maternal health care1 addressing maternal mortality and morbidity1 and bettering the development and long-term growth of the child4 7#b7 ,the participation of fathers during prenatal care appointments provides the mother with additional support to recognize potential pregnancy-related complications that could lead to maternal mortality and morbidity4 7#c7 ,when fathers are involved during pregnancy appointments and milestones1 mothers are #a4e times more likely to receive prenatal care in the first trimester1 which improves health outcomes for both the mother and baby4 7#d7 ,father support during pregnancy can help promote behavioral health of the mother4 7#e7 ,father engagement reduces the risks of postpartum mood and anxiety disorders and contributes to a lower likelihood of preterm birth and a healthier birthweight4 7#f7 ,including fathers in conversations about safe sleep guidelines and sharing guidance about infant crying and the risks of shaken baby syndrome can help reduce infant deaths4 7#g7 ,active support of the father during breastfeeding greatly increases the chances of successful breastfeeding1 which improves the physical and mental health of the baby and the mother4 7#h7 ,physical contact between the father and the baby just after birth and in the months following birth has been shown to improve the health and development of the baby1 improve the mental health of the father1 and foster father-child bonding in the short-term and long-term4 #c4 ,increasing awareness of the importance of father inclusion and engagement in the pregnancy1 birth1 and postpartum process 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall carry out a public awareness campaign to increase understanding of the importance of father inclusion and engagement in improving overall health outcomes during pregnancy1 childbirth1 and postpartum1 for both the mother and baby4 7b7 ,requirements ,the campaign under subsection 7a7 shall include-- 7#a7 messaging intended to provide information to the public about the importance of a father's role in pregnancy and parenting2 7#b7 resources and information to counter popular narratives that minimize the importance of engaged and involved fathers in pregnancy and parenting2 and 7#c7 resources and information that promote awareness about the impact of father inclusion on maternal and infant outcomes1 including-- 7,a7 the importance of father-to-infant skin-to-skin contact in improving the health and development of a newborn and fostering father-child bonding in the short- and long-term2 7,b7 the role of fathers in promoting the behavioral health of the mother2 7,c7 the role of fathers in increasing the number of prenatal and postpartum appointments a mother attends2 7,d7 the effects of father attendance during prenatal and postnatal appointments2 7,e7 the effects of paternal postpartum depression2 7,f7 the role of father support in improving rates of successful breastfeeding2 and 7,g7 the role of father involvement in providing the mother with additional support to recognize potential pregnancy-related complications1 which could include-- 7i7 preeclampsia2 7ii7 peripartum cardiomyopathy2 7iii7 preterm labor2 7iv7 perinatal mood and anxiety disorders2 7v7 pregnancy loss or miscarriage2 7vi7 stillbirth2 7vii7 high blood pressure2 7viii7 cervical infections2 7ix7 gestational diabetes2 7x7 placental abruption2 7xi7 ectopic pregnancy2 and 7xii7 uterine rupture4 #d4 ,guidance to ,states on encouraging father inclusion and engagement in the pregnancy1 birth1 and postpartum process 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall issue guidance to ,states that addresses how ,states can encourage and incentivize providers of maternity care1 including hospitals1 health care systems1 midwifery practices1 freestanding birth centers1 community health centers1 and other maternity care providers1 and providers of health care coverage1 including managed care entities1 to provide training and education to health care practitioners1 such as pediatricians1 obstetricians1 and gynecologists1 about the benefits of including and engaging fathers in the pregnancy1 birth1 and postpartum process4 7b7 ,requirements ,the guidance under subsection 7a7 shall-- 7#a7 include information on how health care practitioners can-- 7,a7 offer peer-to-peer1 father-to-father encouragement1 support1 and education in communities that traditionally are not inclusive of fathers2 7,b7 provide fathers with information on-- 7i7 what to expect before1 during1 and after the birth process2 7ii7 how to better-- 7,i7 understand and support their partner throughout such process2 and 7,,ii7 serve as an advocate in her care2 and 7iii7 recommendations and protocol relating to pregnancy1 postpartum1 and child care1 including-- 7,i7 maternal1 infant1 and routine childhood vaccines2 7,,ii7 maternal warning signs2 7,,iii7 the importance of fetal movement counting2 7,,iv7 maternal mental health and postpartum recovery2 7,v7 breastfeeding practices2 7,,vi7 health care appointments2 7,,vii7 safe sleep practices2 7,,viii7 skin-to-skin contact2 7,,ix7 baby care1 including safe soothing of a crying baby2 7,x7 child bonding2 and 7,,xi7 early childhood development2 and 7,c7 screen fathers for depression and provide referrals for treatment that may positively impact child development and reduce the risk of adverse childhood experiences2 7#b7 address cultural beliefs about fatherhood1 a man's role in maternal health1 and families2 and 7#c7 reaffirm a father's ability to play a positive and valuable role during pregnancy1 birth1 and early childhood development1 regardless of race or ethnicity4 #e4 ,,gao study and report ,not later than #f years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall conduct1 and submit to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of ,representatives a report describing the results of1 a study on the effectiveness of this ,act4