Sponsor
Troy Carter
Representative · D-LA
Representative · D-LA
The bill directs federal funds to create state women's health offices, improve outreach, target maternal mortality, and protect individual health data—strengthening services and equity for women while imposing new federal spending and administrative requirements that may burden states, providers, and some research partnerships.
State governments will receive dedicated federal grants to create or maintain State offices of women’s health, giving states new capacity and ongoing funding to coordinate women's health programs (funding is split half equally and half by formula to direct more resources to higher-need states).
Women in high-need populations (including low-income and racial/ethnic minority groups) will gain programs and technical support aimed at reducing maternal mortality and health disparities.
Women and patients with chronic conditions will benefit from increased public education and outreach that raises awareness of preventive care, early detection, and chronic disease management.
All taxpayers face increased federal spending due to the $55 million per year authorization, which may require budget trade-offs elsewhere.
State governments will incur administrative costs and may need to provide matching or dedicated resources to create and operate new State offices of women’s health, straining state budgets and staff.
State health agencies and providers will face increased administrative burden from annual reporting and disaggregated data collection requirements, which could divert time and resources from service delivery.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes mandatory federal grants to states to create or maintain State offices of women's health and expands Office on Women's Health education, data, and coordination duties.
Official title: To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to establish and maintain State offices of women's health, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 22, 2026 by Troy Carter · Last progress July 22, 2026
Creates a federal grant program requiring the HHS Secretary to award grants to each eligible state to establish or maintain a State office of women's health. It also expands the duties of the Office on Women's Health to conduct public education, coordinate data and best practices, prioritize prevention and maternal/reproductive health, and recommend programs and funding priorities to state health leaders. The grants are mandatory for qualifying states (subject to an application) rather than competitive; funds may be used to create or sustain a state-level office focused on women's health issues, data collection, public outreach, and coordination among health entities.