S. 5449 — Mothers and Newborns Success Act

This section states findings that the United States maternal mortality rate reached 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024 and the infant mortality rate reached 5.52 deaths per 1,000 live births, both above OECD averages, with rates for non-Hispanic Black women at 44.8 and 10.98 respectively and for American Indian/Alaska Native women at 54.6 and 9.2. It expresses the sense of the Senate that the United States should reduce overall rates to OECD levels within five years while eliminating racial inequities.

This section establishes the State Maternal Health Innovation Program and the Supporting Maternal Health Innovation Program to award competitive grants assisting states in addressing racial, ethnic, and geographic inequities in maternal health and reducing maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. It authorizes $53 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2030 and requires a report to Congress by January 1, 2030.

This section establishes a competitive grant program for state health departments, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations to classify birthing facilities by levels of risk-appropriate maternal and neonatal care and implement changes to address gaps in perinatal services. It also establishes a competitive grant program to improve the accuracy of pregnancy checkbox data on death certificates through reviews, training, and coordination with maternal mortality review committees. The section extends the authorization of appropriations for the safe motherhood program through FY2031 (from FY2030).

This section authorizes the Secretary, acting through the CDC Director, to establish or continue collection of data on maternal attitudes and experiences during the prepregnancy, pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum periods. It permits expansion of such data collection to all States, Indian Tribes, and territories, with compilation and publication of population-based findings, and provides enhanced surveillance and technical assistance to improve representation of racial, ethnic, and other communities of color in the datasets.

This section establishes a postpartum care coordination pilot program that awards competitive grants to up to 10 eligible entities to identify and disseminate best practices for improving care and outcomes for women in the postpartum period of at least one year after birth, collaborate with maternal mortality review committees and perinatal quality collaboratives, provide technical assistance, develop new models of care, and create consumer materials. It authorizes $5 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 and requires a report to Congress by January 1, 2031.

This section establishes the National Maternal Health Research Network within the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to support mechanistic, translational, clinical, behavioral, epidemiologic, and community-informed research on maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity. It authorizes appropriations of $50 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, which must supplement rather than supplant existing funds, and permits coordination with the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network and the Obstetric-Fetal Pharmacology Research Centers Network.

This section continues the Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) Program to award competitive grants to eligible entities, including Indian Tribes and tribal organizations, for improving access to and continuity of maternal and obstetrics care in rural communities. It requires grant recipients to develop consortium-based approaches focused on risk-appropriate care, telehealth, case management, and financial sustainability across the continuum from prepregnancy through postpartum services. The section authorizes $12 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2029 and directs the Secretary to submit a report to Congress by January 1, 2029, assessing program impact and expansion needs.

This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the CDC Director, to award competitive grants establishing a national evidence-based public and provider awareness campaign on maternal health warning signs and vaccinations for pregnant women and children. The campaign aims to raise vaccination rates, reduce racial and geographic inequities in maternal and child health, and lower maternal mortality and severe morbidity; it authorizes $2 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 and requires a quantitative and qualitative evaluation report to Congress by January 1, 2030.