Sponsors (46)
Official title: To address maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 14, 2026 by Yvette Diane Clarke · Last progress May 14, 2026
The bill expands access to and quality of maternal mental health and substance‑use care—especially in underserved communities—by funding services, workforce training, and reporting, but it increases federal spending, may be too small or time‑limited to fully meet national demand, and creates administrative and competitive pressures that could limit geographic reach and sustainability.
Pregnant and postpartum people in high‑risk and underserved groups will have greater access to integrated maternal mental health and substance‑use services through new grant programs and expansion of trained providers.
People in Health Professional Shortage Areas and communities with maternal health disparities will likely see more providers practicing locally because of funding priorities and reporting on practice intentions.
Community-based organizations and clinics in underserved locations will receive prioritized grant funding and partnership support, improving local availability of maternal mental health and substance‑use services.
Taxpayers will face increased federal spending (roughly $25 million per year for the service grants plus an additional $15 million per year authorized for workforce efforts), raising the budgetary cost of the program.
Grant-funded services are time-limited and may end when grant periods expire, risking sudden loss of services for pregnant and postpartum people if sustained funding is not secured.
The authorized workforce funds may be insufficient to meaningfully scale the provider supply nationwide, limiting the program's ability to meet demand across all affected communities.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates HHS grant programs to expand maternal mental/behavioral health services and to fund workforce training and scholarships, authorizing $15M/year FY2027–FY2031 for training grants.
Creates two HHS grant programs to improve maternal mental and behavioral health care and to grow a diverse maternal mental health workforce. One program funds community-based services and integrated care targeting pregnant and postpartum individuals—particularly demographic groups and areas with elevated maternal mortality or adverse outcomes; the other funds education, training, and scholarships to expand provider capacity and diversity, with $15 million authorized per year for FY2027–FY2031. Requires prioritized funding for providers partnering with community organizations, operating in high-need areas or Health Professional Shortage Areas, annual reporting by grant recipients on services and outcomes, and a required HHS report to Congress on workforce program effectiveness within four years. Grants may support integrated maternity behavioral health services, addiction referrals, provider training, stigma-reduction, new/expanded educational programs, and scholarships for workforce development.