MOMMA’s Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: continuing resolutionA stopgap law funding the government at existing levels when the annual appropriations bills are not done by October 1.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) S2050-2054)
Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness Act or the MOMMA's Act
This bill establishes various programs and requirements to support the prevention of maternal mortality. Specifically, the bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide technical assistance and best practices for collecting data, standardizing reporting, and preventing maternal mortality. The CDC also must provide grants for state-based collaboratives to improve care immediately before and after birth and improve outcomes for maternal and infant health.
Further, the Health Resources and Services Administration must establish a grants program to support national organizations in assisting state-level health care systems to implement standardized, evidence-informed processes for maternal health focusing on reducing maternal mortality.
The bill also establishes regional centers to address implicit bias and cultural competency in the delivery of health care services. Specified institutions that provide education and training to health care professionals and focus on maternal mortality are eligible for funding through the program.
The bill extends coverage for pregnant and postpartum women under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program for one year postpartum and such coverage is revised to include oral health services.
Additionally, the bill (1) increases the excise tax on specified tobacco products, including cigarettes; (2) expands the definition of other tobacco products to include any such product as determined by the Food and Drug Administration; and (3) requires that such products are taxed at a rate equivalent to cigarettes on a per-use basis.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on March 27, 2019. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 27, 2019: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S2050-2054)
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Richard Durbin (D-IL) introduced it on March 27, 2019, and 16 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 14 Democrats, 2 independents.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 27, 2019, 2724 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2724 days ago, on March 27, 2019.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers