Sponsor
Ayanna Pressley
Representative · D-MA
Representative · D-MA
Official title: To amend the Public Health Service Act to improve reproductive health care of individuals with disabilities.
Introduced May 14, 2026 by Ayanna Pressley · Last progress May 14, 2026
The bill directs new federal funding and programs to expand disability‑inclusive sexual and reproductive health training, materials, research, and technical assistance—improving access and workforce capacity for people with disabilities—while creating new taxpayer costs, administrative burdens, and the risk of uneven or delayed implementation.
People with disabilities and underserved communities will get more clinicians and trained staff in disability‑inclusive sexual and reproductive health through expanded workforce pipelines, training, stipends, mentorship, and curriculum improvements.
Congress authorizes dedicated federal funding to create and sustain training, centers, technical assistance, research, and program grants to expand accessible SRH services and workforce capacity.
People with disabilities will have better access to culturally and linguistically accessible education, materials, and information (including legal rights and care options), improving informed decision‑making and care navigation.
Taxpayers will fund new discretionary authorizations across multiple programs (totaling multiple millions per year during FY2027–2031), increasing federal spending.
Applicants, awardees, and small providers may face substantial administrative burdens (complex applications, reporting, evaluation and accessibility requirements) that limit participation and divert resources from service delivery.
New funds must 'supplement, not supplant' existing Title VII/VIII funding, which could complicate grantees' budgeting and reduce flexibility for schools, states, and health systems.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes HRSA/ACL grants, technical assistance, workforce pipelines, education programs, and a study to improve accessible sexual and reproductive health care for people with disabilities.
Creates a suite of federal grant and technical assistance programs to improve access to sexual and reproductive health care for people with disabilities. The bill funds training for clinicians, builds pipelines to recruit and retain people with disabilities into reproductive health professions (including nursing and maternal/abortion care), supports accessible patient education, establishes a national technical assistance center, and requires a study of effective service models. The measure authorizes multi-year funding (FY2027–FY2031) for competitive grants administered by HRSA and ACL, sets application and reporting requirements, excludes awarded stipends from means-testing for federal/state benefits, and emphasizes accessibility, disability-led organizations, and coordination with Tribal entities and existing healthcare workforce programs.