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Kira Johnson Act

3/14/2024, 12:27 AM

Summary of Bill S 2239

Bill 118 s 2239, also known as the Kira Johnson Act, is a piece of legislation introduced in the US Congress with the aim of improving maternal health outcomes for women, particularly women of color. The bill is named after Kira Johnson, a woman who tragically died due to complications during childbirth.

The Kira Johnson Act seeks to address the disparities in maternal health care by providing funding for programs that focus on improving maternal health outcomes, particularly for women of color who are disproportionately affected by maternal mortality rates. The bill also aims to increase access to quality prenatal and postpartum care, as well as support for mental health services for new mothers.

Additionally, the Kira Johnson Act includes provisions for improving data collection and reporting on maternal health outcomes, as well as increasing awareness and education on maternal health issues. The bill also calls for the development of best practices and guidelines for healthcare providers to ensure that all women receive the care they need during pregnancy and childbirth. Overall, the Kira Johnson Act is a comprehensive piece of legislation that aims to address the systemic issues that contribute to disparities in maternal health outcomes. By providing funding, increasing access to care, and improving data collection, the bill seeks to ensure that all women have the support and resources they need to have a healthy pregnancy and childbirth experience.

Congressional Summary of S 2239

Kira Johnson Act

This bill establishes various grants for establishing or expanding programs to advance maternal health equity.

Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants for

  • community-based programs to improve maternal health outcomes for demographic groups with elevated rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, maternal health disparities, and other adverse outcomes;
  • training for health care providers and others who work in maternity care settings on reducing and preventing racism, bias, and discrimination; and
  • programs in hospitals, health systems, and other maternity care settings to establish processes to identify and address instances of racism or evidence of bias in maternity care (i.e., respectful maternity care compliance programs).

HHS must contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study issues related to the training programs, and the Government Accountability Office must study issues related to the respectful maternity care compliance programs.

Read the Full Bill

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Current Status of Bill S 2239

Bill S 2239 is currently in the status of Bill Introduced since July 11, 2023. Bill S 2239 was introduced during Congress 118 and was introduced to the Senate on July 11, 2023.  Bill S 2239's most recent activity was Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. as of July 11, 2023

Bipartisan Support of Bill S 2239

Total Number of Sponsors
1
Democrat Sponsors
1
Republican Sponsors
0
Unaffiliated Sponsors
0
Total Number of Cosponsors
10
Democrat Cosponsors
10
Republican Cosponsors
0
Unaffiliated Cosponsors
0

Policy Area and Potential Impact of Bill S 2239

Primary Policy Focus

Health

Alternate Title(s) of Bill S 2239

Kira Johnson Act
Kira Johnson Act
A bill to prevent maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among Black pregnant and postpartum individuals and other underserved populations, to provide training in respectful maternity care, to reduce and prevent bias, racism, and discrimination in maternity care settings, and for other purposes.

Comments

Sponsors and Cosponsors of S 2239

Raphael G. Warnock
Raphael G. Warnock
GeorgiaDemocrat
Tina Smith
Tina Smith
MinnesotaDemocrat
Alex Padilla
Alex Padilla
CaliforniaDemocrat
Christopher Murphy
Christopher Murphy
ConnecticutDemocrat
Robert Menendez
Robert Menendez
New JerseyDemocrat
Cory A. Booker
Cory A. Booker
New JerseyDemocrat

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