S. 2621Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize support for State-based maternal mortality review committees, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to disseminate best practices on maternal mortality prevention to hospitals, State-based professional societies, and perinatal quality collaboratives, and for other purposes.

AI-Generated Summary

Updated November 23, 2025 at 11:03 PM UTC

The bill updates the Public Health Service Act to strengthen support for state maternal mortality review committees and to spread proven strategies for preventing maternal deaths. It expands committee expertise, improves death‑record data collection, requires yearly distribution of best‑practice guidance to health providers and quality groups, and boosts federal funding for these efforts through 2030.

Key Provisions

Adds obstetricians and gynecologists to the list of clinical specialties that state maternal mortality review committees may include.
Changes language so committees use data "if available" and must coordinate with death certifiers to improve death‑record quality and cause‑of‑death reporting.
Creates a new duty for the HHS Secretary, via the CDC Director, to share best‑practice guidance on preventing maternal death and serious illness with hospitals, state professional societies, and perinatal quality collaboratives at least once each fiscal year.
Increases the annual funding for state‑based maternal mortality review committees to $100 million for fiscal years 2026‑2030 (up from $58 million for 2019‑2023).

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

July 31, 2025

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

July 31, 2025

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

July 31, 2025

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued July 31, 2025

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 2621

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

July 31, 2025

Mrs. Capito (for herself, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Booker, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Tillis) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize support for State-based maternal mortality review committees, to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to disseminate best practices on maternal mortality prevention to hospitals, State-based professional societies, and perinatal quality collaboratives, and for other purposes.

Preventing maternal deaths

(a)

Maternal mortality review committee

Section 317K(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–12(d)) is amended—

(1)

in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting (including obstetricians and gynecologists) after clinical specialties; and

(2)

in paragraph (3)(A)(i)—

(A)

in subclause (I), by striking as applicable and inserting if available; and

(B)

in subclause (III), by striking , as appropriate and inserting and coordinating with death certifiers to improve the collection of death record reports and the quality of death records, including by amending cause-of-death information on a death certificate, as appropriate.

(b)

Best practices relating to the prevention of maternal mortality

Section 317K of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–12) is amended—

(1)

by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections (f) and (g), respectively; and

(2)

by inserting after subsection (d) the following:

(e)

Best practices relating to the prevention of maternal mortality

(1)

In general

The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall, in consultation with the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, disseminate to hospitals, State professional society groups, and perinatal quality collaboratives, best practices on how to prevent maternal mortality and morbidity that consider and reflect best practices identified through other relevant Federal maternal health programs.

(2)

Frequency

The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall disseminate the best practices referred to in paragraph (1) not less frequently than once per fiscal year.

(c)

Extension

Subsection (g) of section 317K of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b–12), as redesignated by subsection (b), is amended by striking $58,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023 and inserting $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.