Maternal Vaccination Act

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 951, the Maternal Vaccination Act. The pandemic has laid bare the historical inequities that exist in our health care system for Black Americans, especially for Black parents. My constituency is painfully aware of the pervasive, systemic and institutional influences that have contributed to these disparities.

And let's be clear, these disparities have only been exacerbated by the pandemic, which is why me and my colleagues have been so adamant in the inclusion of policies to end our nation's maternal mortality crisis and eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes.

As we are almost two years into a global pandemic that has disproportionately harmed communities of color, the risks facing Black women and other birthing people of color are at a crisis point. Any legislative proposal that will successfully and meaningfully address the pandemic's impact on people of color must directly address the effects of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) on pregnant people and new moms.

As many of us know, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any high-income country and the only rate that is rising. The pregnancy-related mortality rate for Black women in the U.S. is three to four times higher than the rate for white women, and other women and birthing people of color also face elevated rates of mortality and morbidity.

The risks for pregnant people have only grown during COVID-19: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ``pregnant and recently pregnant women are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared to nonpregnant women.'' The CDC also found that pregnant people with COVID-19 are at an increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. In addition to clinical risks, the pandemic has affected social determinants of health that contribute to maternal health disparities, like increased food insecurity, which disproportionately impacts Black and Hispanic families.

Without bold and immediate action to address the heightened clinical and non-clinical threats to pregnant people and their growing families, our national recovery from COVID-19 will only exacerbate the inequities that existed before the pandemic and worsened over the past year.

Recognizing the urgent need to address these alarming trends, President Biden's American Families Plan includes a much-

needed $3 billion investment in maternal health. The President's proposal provides an opportunity to make considerable investments in federal funding to address this crisis, including policies included in the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 and a permanent expansion of yearlong postpartum Medicaid coverage. By advancing these two priorities in the recent recovery package, we comprehensively addressed every driver of our nation's maternal health crisis.

The Momnibus includes investments that will be needed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, including investments in community-based organizations, policies to grow and diversify the perinatal workforce, expanded access to maternal mental health care treatments and support, measures to address the impacts of climate change on maternal and infant health outcomes, and provisions to protect pregnant people during this pandemic and any future public health emergency.

My bill, the Maternal Vaccination Act or H.R. 951, directly addresses the health of both moms and babies. This bill is critically important because although we know that maternal vaccinations are important for the health of moms and babies, only half of pregnant people get their flu vaccines and less than half get Tdap vaccinations to protect against pertussis.

With pertussis on the rise and outbreaks occurring across the United States, we need to invest in initiatives to promote maternal immunizations and address racial and ethnic disparities in maternal vaccination rates. Even though, white adults have higher vaccination coverage than Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American adults, there is more that can be done to close this gap.

I was proud to author the Maternal Vaccination Act because it provides funding for programs to increase maternal vaccination rates, protecting both new moms and their babies.

Specifically, the Maternal Vaccination Act will provide funding for a public and provider awareness campaign to promote maternal and child vaccinations. This includes initiatives to increase awareness about the safety, importance, and effectiveness of vaccines for pregnant and postpartum people and their children; provide targeted, evidence-based, culturally and linguistically appropriate resources about vaccines to pregnant and postpartum people, particularly in communities with historically low vaccination rates; and provide evidence-based information and resources on the safety and importance of maternal and child vaccinations to public health departments, maternal health care providers, and perinatal health workers.

This bill, like the Build Back Better Act legislation, will provide historic investments from the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act to save moms' lives, end racial and ethnic maternal health disparities, and advance birth equity across the United States.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of seven bills that originated in the Health Subcommittee of Energy & Commerce. I'm proud of my Subcommittee's bipartisan work on these critical bills which tackle hard problems, including substance use treatment, vaccine access, and the social inequities that result in poor health outcomes, especially for mothers and people of color.

Two of the bills we're considering help address the overdose crisis our nation currently faces. According to the CDC, overdose deaths spiked after the start of the pandemic. There were 93,000 overdose deaths in 2020, a 30 percent increase from the year prior, making 2020 the deadliest year for overdoses on record, with synthetic opioids the primary driver of the overall increase in overdose deaths across America.

H.R. 2355, the ``Opioid Prescription Verification Act of 2021,'' enables HHS and the CDC to help combat this urgent overdose epidemic by facilitating responsible, informed dispensing of controlled substances. I thank my colleagues Reps. Rodney Davis, Gus Bilirakis, and Ann Wagner for authoring this legislation.

H.R. 2364, the ``Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act,'' directs the CDC to conduct a public awareness campaign on the dangers of synthetic opioids and available treatments. It also requires the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to make educational materials for first responders about synthetic opioid exposure prevention. I thank my colleagues Reps. Andy Kim and Chris Pappas for authoring this legislation.

The next three bills aim to ensure that every American, no matter their age. race, or income, are empowered to receive the ``dose of hope'' from vaccine protection. As we've seen during the pandemic, there are lifesaving benefits of safe, effective, and free vaccines.

H.R. 951, the ``Maternal Vaccination Act,'' helps to enhance maternal health care quality and outcomes. It authorizes $2 million annually for the next four years to increase awareness of the importance of combatting vaccine-preventable infection diseases during pregnancy. In the United States, pregnant women and infants are disproportionately susceptible to complications of infectious diseases such as influenza and whooping cough. Available vaccine data shows that vaccinations against these diseases confer protection to both mothers and newborns with no increased risk of adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes, and they are highly recommended by the CDC. I thank my colleague Rep. Terri Sewell for authoring this legislation.

H.R. 550, the ``Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2021,'' will create a national policy framework and provide resources to improve immunization information systems allowing for better management of routine vaccinations and enhancing our public health response to future pandemics. I thank my colleagues Reps. Ann Kuster and Larry Bucshon for their leadership authoring this legislation.

H.R. 1550, the ``PREVENT HPV Cancers Act of 2021,'' will create a national CDC public awareness campaign targeted to communities with the lowest HPV vaccination rates to increase vaccinations and prevent HPV cancers. I thank my colleague Rep. Kathy Castor for her leadership authoring this legislation.

The final two bills address social inequities that result in poor health outcomes and hurt the most vulnerable amongst us.

H.R. 4026, the ``Social Determinants of Health Data Analysis Act of 2021,'' calls for a GAO report on the HHS Secretary's actions to help inform Congress' next steps in addressing the factors that are at the heart of the health disparities across the country. I thank my colleagues Reps. Michael Burgess and Lisa Blunt Rochester for authoring this legislation.

H.R. 3894, the ``CARING for Social Determinants Act of 2021,'' directs the HHS to provide guidance to states on how to address social determinants of health through Medicaid and CHIP. I thank my colleagues Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Gus Bilirakis for authoring this legislation.

I urge my colleagues to vote for these bills and I thank the members of the House Health Subcommittee and the bipartisan sponsors of each bill for their good work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in proud support of H.R. 951 ``The Maternal Vaccination Act.''

I would like to thank Congresswoman Sewell for introducing this legislation.

This bill establishes a national campaign to raise awareness and increase rates of maternal vaccinations and calls for the CDC to consult with various stakeholders to carry out this campaign.

In addition, the CDC must focus on increasing vaccination rates among communities with historically high rates of unvaccinated individuals.

The CDC must also make publicly available any materials and resources developed for the campaign.

In addition, H.R. 951 would instruct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to broaden a public awareness campaign on vaccinations to include pregnant and postpartum individuals and require the campaign to disseminate vaccine information to providers and facilities that provide obstetric care.

The bill would also authorize an additional $2 million annually from 2021 through 2025 for the vaccination awareness campaign.

This bill would put pregnant women at the focus of the fight to combat COVID-19.

As the Chair of the Congressional Coronavirus Task Force, I have used every means possible to sound the alarm about the seriousness of the COVID-19 virus.

On February 10, 2020, I held the first press conference on the issue of COVID-19 at Houston Intercontinental Airport.

I then held a second press conference on February 24th to continue efforts to raise public knowledge of the impending threat.

On February 26th, I wrote the Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security requesting to be briefed by Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf regarding the preparedness of the Department of Homeland Security to address a possible pandemic.

On March 19th, I announced an innovative partnership with United Methodist Medical Center (UMMC) to open the first drive-through Coronavirus Test Screening facility in the Greater Houston area, which proved beneficial to everyone in the Greater Houston area, as with UMMC's help we have opened multiple sites that are located within high- risk communities in the Greater Houston area, to reduce the need for travel to get access to COVID-19 testing.

Since the start of this pandemic, I have sought to proactively address the critical issues and concerns tied to the COVID-19 virus.

As I stated at the beginning of this pandemic, ``We must not panic, but prepare.''

I am pleased to see that this bill is not a panic-induced response, but a well-thought-out proposal to further protect our citizens.

When pregnant women get vaccinated, they not only build their immune system to the virus, they also create antibodies for their unborn child.

Throughout history the vaccination of pregnant mothers has shown to be beneficial when it comes to viruses like tetanus, influenza, pertussis.

With this bill we can help newborn children who have not yet developed their immune systems fight off a deadly virus such as COVID- 19.

This also gives mothers piece of mind that they'll be safe as they advance in their pregnancy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in proud support of H.R. 951, the Maternal Vaccination Act.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 951) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a national campaign to increase awareness of the importance of maternal vaccinations for the health of pregnant and postpartum individuals and their children, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 951.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today, we are continuing our work to combat the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis facing our country. The legislation before us will help ensure that pregnant women and their healthcare providers are aware of the benefits and availability of safe and effective vaccines.

Tragically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about 700 women die each year in the United States as a result of pregnancy or delivery complications.

While there is no one cause of pregnancy-related death or health complications, we know that some illnesses like flu, pertussis, and COVID-19 can cause serious harm to pregnant women, including early labor and delivery and other complications. Vaccines prevent these illnesses and can save the lives of pregnant and postpartum women and their children.

However, despite strong evidence of vaccines' safety and efficacy, vaccine uptake among pregnant women is far below targeted goals.

We can and should do more to increase the vaccination rate of pregnant women. H.R. 951, the Maternal Vaccination Act, will ensure that our vaccination outreach and awareness campaigns and public health grant programs include outreach to obstetric healthcare providers, as well as pregnant and postpartum women. The legislation will also ensure that we are reaching women from racial and ethnic groups and their children.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this commonsense public health effort, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, current data clearly suggests that vaccinations for women during pregnancy can protect mothers and newborns against infectious diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long recommended various vaccinations for pregnant women to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

Despite these recommendations, vaccination rates among pregnant women remain relatively low. But according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, when a vaccine recommendation comes directly from a patient's own OB-GYN, the likelihood of accepting that vaccine could be up to 50 times higher.

The Maternal Vaccination Act requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to include obstetric providers in existing vaccination public awareness campaign programs to help increase vaccinations among pregnant and postpartum women.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.