Underwood’s Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Maternal Health Care for Veterans Heads to President Biden’s Desk

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, announced that her bipartisan legislation to improve maternal health care for veterans passed the House with bipartisan support. The legislation, which is the first bill in the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act (H.R. 959) to pass through Congress, now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law. The Protecting Moms Who Served Act seeks to eliminate maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities among veterans. It is the eighth piece of Underwood-led legislation to be enacted.

"The U.S. suffers unacceptable rates of preventable maternal mortality, and veterans are uniquely at-risk. With my bipartisan Protecting Moms Who Served Act, we will make sure that the Department of Veterans Affairs provides the highest quality maternal health care and support for moms who have served," said Rep. Lauren Underwood. "I'm so thrilled to see the first bill in my Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act head to the President's desk to be signed into law, and I look forward to passing the additional Momnibus legislation through the Build Back Better Act."

"It's a tragedy every time a mother dies from a preventable cause related to pregnancy or childbirth, and it's shameful that far too often these moms are women of color whose pain or symptoms have been overlooked or ignored," said Duckworth. "There has never been a comprehensive evaluation of how our nation's growing maternal mortality crisis is impacting our women Veterans, even though they may be at higher risk due to their service. I'm so proud that this bipartisan bill I introduced with Senator Collins and Representative Underwood—which would commission the first-ever comprehensive study on this issue in relation to the Veteran community while also making sure mothers who have served our nation can access the maternal care they need and have earned—passed the House, and I look forward to President Biden signing it into law."

The Protecting Moms Who Served Act would codify and strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs maternity care coordination programs to ensure veterans receive the high-quality maternal health care and support they have earned. Additionally, the bill would commission the first-ever comprehensive study of the scope of America's maternal health crisis among veterans, with a particular focus on racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes.

The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, led by Underwood, was reintroduced in February with Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). The Momnibus builds on existing maternal health legislation with 12 bills to comprehensively address the clinical and non-clinical drivers of the maternal health crisis in the United States. The Momnibus makes critical investments in addressing social determinants of health, funding community-based organizations, growing and diversifying the perinatal workforce, and improving data collection processes. The Momnibus also includes new legislation to address the impacts of COVID-19 and climate change on maternal and infant health outcomes. These investments were included in the Build Back Better Act legislation that has advanced in the House of Representatives.

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