Sponsors (9)
Official title: Address maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 18, 2026 by Kirsten Gillibrand · Last progress May 18, 2026
The bill directs targeted federal funds toward expanding maternal mental health and substance‑use services and workforce development—particularly for underserved communities and diverse hiring—but relies on modest, time‑limited funding that increases federal spending and may limit nationwide, long‑term impact while imposing administrative burdens on smaller providers.
Pregnant and postpartum individuals (especially those at high risk) will gain expanded access to integrated maternal mental health and substance use services through new grants and provider training, improving screening, referrals, and timely treatment.
People in rural and underserved communities will likely see improved access as more providers are placed in Health Professional Shortage Areas and community/maternity providers receive funds to expand services.
Students and trainees will face lower financial barriers via scholarships and capacity expansion, increasing the supply of maternal mental‑health specialists over time.
Women, new parents, and people in underserved areas may still face limited improvement because the funding levels are modest and likely insufficient to rapidly solve nationwide provider shortages.
Taxpayers will bear higher federal spending: the programs together commit $25 million/year (Sec.2) plus $15 million/year (Sec.3) from FY2027–FY2031, creating an ongoing budget obligation and opportunity costs for other priorities.
Programs funded by time‑limited grants risk service disruptions and loss of capacity if recipients cannot sustain services after grant periods end.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Creates grants to expand maternal mental health and substance use services and to train/diversify the maternal mental health workforce, prioritizing underserved areas and populations.
Creates two new federal grant programs to prevent and treat maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders and to grow a diverse maternal mental and behavioral health workforce. Grants will fund integrated maternal mental/behavioral health services, community care coordination, provider education, stigma reduction, and training/scholarships for clinicians with priority for areas with high maternal mortality, Health Professional Shortage Areas, and populations with worse perinatal outcomes.