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1 1 (May 5, 2025)

handle is hein.crs/pvntmnlds0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional SResearch Service Informing the legisiative debate since 1914____________________ Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2025: Background and Current Status Updated May 5, 2025 Maternal mortality is considered a sentinel health event-one that can signal the overall health status and the broader quality or effectiveness of a nation's health system. Despite global progress over the past two decades, maternal deaths in the United States remain high and disparities persist across settings and demographic characteristics. Measuring the impact of interventions to reduce maternal mortality relies on complete, accurate, and timely data; however, measuring maternal mortality is an ongoing challenge. Section 317K of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. §247b-12) authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to carry out a range of surveillance, research, and prevention programs related to maternal, infant, and child health. Historically, such activities have included the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and the Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program, among others. The Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-344; PMDA) amended Section 317K to codify federal support for the development or continuation of maternal mortality review committees (MMRCs) in collaboration with states, territories, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations. Specifically, the PMDA amended Section 317K(a) to authorize the establishment or continuation of a federal initiative to support MMRCs, improve data collection and reporting, and support surveillance to better understand maternal health complications and mortality. Among other provisions, PMDA also authorized $58 million in discretionary annual appropriations across all Section 317K activities from FY2019 to FY2023. This Insight provides a brief background on MMRCs, summarizes recent program funding, and describes reauthorization proposals in the 119th Congress: the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 1909) and Section 703 of the Bipartisan Health Care Act (S. 891). Overview MMRCs are multidisciplinary committees tasked with confidentially and comprehensively identifying all deaths occurring during or within one year postpartum in a particular jurisdiction, regardless of the cause of death (i.e., pregnancy-associated deaths). Typically convened at the state or local level, MMRCs include a range of medical, clinical, and public health specialists, as well as community organizations, patient advocacy groups, and other stakeholders. MMRCs build upon other maternal mortality Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12421