Plain English summary not yet available
The full original text is available below. Check back soon as we process this bill.
I
116TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 6178
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a demonstration
program to facilitate the clinical adoption of pregnancy intention screen-
ing initiatives by health care and social service providers.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 10, 2020
Ms. BONAMICI (for herself, Mr. NADLER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. BLUMENAUER,
and Mr. SABLAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for
a demonstration program to facilitate the clinical adop-
tion of pregnancy intention screening initiatives by health
care and social service providers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Enhancing Questions
4
to Understand Intentions for Pregnancy Act of 2020’’ or
5
the ‘‘EQUIP Act of 2020’’.
6
VerDate Sep 11 2014
04:12 Mar 17, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6178.IH
H6178
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2
•HR 6178 IH
SEC. 2. PREGNANCY INTENTION SCREENING INITIATIVE
1
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.
2
Part P of title III of the Public Health Service Act
3
(42 U.S.C. 280g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
4
the following new section:
5
‘‘SEC. 399V–7. PREGNANCY INTENTION SCREENING INITIA-
6
TIVE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.
7
‘‘(a) PROGRAM ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary,
8
through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control
9
and Prevention, shall establish a demonstration program
10
to facilitate the clinical adoption of pregnancy intention
11
screening initiatives by health care and social service pro-
12
viders.
13
‘‘(b) GRANTS.—The Secretary may carry out the
14
demonstration program through awarding grants to eligi-
15
ble entities to implement pregnancy intention screening
16
initiatives, collect data, and evaluate such initiatives.
17
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—
18
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—An eligible entity under
19
this section is an entity described in paragraph (2)
20
that provides non-directive, comprehensive, medically
21
accurate information.
22
‘‘(2) ENTITIES DESCRIBED.—For purposes of
23
paragraph (1), an entity described in this paragraph
24
is a community-based organization, voluntary health
25
organization, public health department, community
26
VerDate Sep 11 2014
04:12 Mar 17, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6178.IH
H6178
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3
•HR 6178 IH
health center, or other interested public or private
1
primary, behavioral, or other health care or social
2
service provider or organization.
3
‘‘(d) PREGNANCY INTENTION SCREENING INITIA-
4
TIVE.—For purposes of this section, the term ‘pregnancy
5
intention screening initiative’ means any initiative by an
6
eligible entity to routinely screen women with respect to
7
their pregnancy desires and goals to either prevent unin-
8
tended pregnancies or improve the likelihood of healthy
9
pregnancies, in order to better provide health care that
10
meets the contraceptive or pre-pregnancy needs and goals
11
of such women.
12
‘‘(e) EVALUATION.—
13
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting
14
through the Director of the Centers for Disease
15
Control and Prevention, shall, by grant or contract,
16
and after consultation as described in paragraph (2),
17
conduct an evaluation of the demonstration pro-
18
gram, with respect to pregnancy intention screening
19
initiatives, conducted under this section. Such an
20
evaluation shall include:
21
‘‘(A) Assessment of the implementation of
22
pregnancy intention screening protocols among
23
a diverse group of patients and providers, in-
24
cluding collecting data on the experiences and
25
VerDate Sep 11 2014
04:12 Mar 17, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6178.IH
H6178
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4
•HR 6178 IH
outcomes for diverse patient populations in a
1
variety of clinical settings.
2
‘‘(B) Analysis of outcome measures that
3
will facilitate effective and widespread adoption
4
of such protocols by health care providers for
5
inquiring about and responding to pregnancy
6
goals of women with both contraceptive and
7
pre-pregnancy care.
8
‘‘(C) Consideration of health disparities
9
among the population served.
10
‘‘(D) Assessment of the equitable and vol-
11
untary application of such initiatives to minor-
12
ity and medically underserved communities.
13
‘‘(E) Assessment of the training, capacity,
14
and ongoing technical assistance needed for
15
providers to effectively implement such preg-
16
nancy intention screening protocols.
17
‘‘(F) Assessment of whether referral sys-
18
tems for selected protocols follow evidence-based
19
standards that ensure access to comprehensive
20
health services and appropriate follow-up care.
21
‘‘(G) Measuring through rigorous methods
22
the effect of such initiatives on key health out-
23
comes.
24
VerDate Sep 11 2014
04:12 Mar 17, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6178.IH
H6178
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
5
•HR 6178 IH
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION WITH INDEPENDENT EX-
1
PERTS.—In conducting any evaluation under para-
2
graph (1), the Director of the Centers for Disease
3
Control and Prevention shall consult with physi-
4
cians, physician assistants, advanced practice reg-
5
istered nurses, registered nurses, nurse midwives,
6
and other health care providers who specialize in
7
women’s health, and other experts in public health,
8
clinical practice, program evaluation, and research.
9
‘‘(3) REPORT.—Not later than one year after
10
the last day of the demonstration program under
11
this section, the Director of the Centers for Disease
12
Control and Prevention shall submit to Congress a
13
report on the results of the evaluation conducted
14
under paragraph (1) and shall make the report pub-
15
licly available.
16
‘‘(f) FUNDING.—
17
‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
18
To carry out this section, there is authorized to be
19
appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years
20
2021 through 2023.
21
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—Not more than 20 percent
22
of funds appropriated to carry out this section pur-
23
suant to paragraph (1) for a fiscal year may be used
24
VerDate Sep 11 2014
04:12 Mar 17, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6178.IH
H6178
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
6
•HR 6178 IH
for purposes of the evaluation under subsection
1
(e).’’.
2
Æ
VerDate Sep 11 2014
04:12 Mar 17, 2020
Jkt 099200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H6178.IH
H6178
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS