Sponsors (2)
The bill strengthens transparency and creates data and federal oversight tools to improve care for pregnant and postpartum people in custody, but imposes administrative costs and funding-penalty risks that could strain smaller jurisdictions and raise privacy concerns.
Pregnant and postpartum people in custody will have their health outcomes tracked through required reporting, revealing gaps in prenatal and postpartum care.
Public reports and a required DOJ study will identify links between facility practices (e.g., restraints, restrictive housing) and adverse maternal/infant outcomes, creating evidence to guide reforms and improve care.
Tying federal funding to compliance encourages more consistent data collection across states, improving oversight and cross-jurisdiction comparisons of care in correctional settings.
States that fail to comply risk losing up to 10% of Edward Byrne JAG funding, which could reduce resources for local law enforcement and community programs.
Smaller or resource-constrained jurisdictions may struggle to meet the 120-day deadline and face funding penalties, worsening disparities for rural and under-resourced communities.
States will incur administrative costs to collect, anonymize, and report detailed quarterly data, diverting staff time and funds from other services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Conditions certain JAG grant funds on quarterly, anonymized reporting of pregnancies and births in custody and requires DOJ study and publication of findings.
Official title: Encourage States to report to the Attorney General certain information regarding inmates who give birth in the custody of law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 24, 2025 by Thomas Jonathan Ossoff · Last progress February 24, 2025
Requires states that receive certain Edward Byrne JAG grant funds to submit quarterly, anonymized, aggregate reports to the Attorney General about people who were pregnant or gave birth while in state or local custody. Reports must include demographics, timing, medical care received (pregnancy tests, prenatal/postpartum visits), pregnancy outcomes, use of restraints, restrictive housing, and facility locations; personally identifiable information is excluded. States have 120 days after enactment (plus one possible 120-day extension for good-faith efforts) to begin reporting or face up to a 10% reduction in specified JAG allocations; withheld funds are reallocated to compliant states. The Attorney General must publish the data, study links between adverse pregnancy outcomes and facility management practices, and deliver findings to Congress within two years.