HouseH.R. 9842119th Congress
State Offices of Women’s Health Support and Expansion Act
Full Text
Official text as published. Use Ctrl+F / Cmd+F to search within the document.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9842 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9842
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to establish
and maintain State offices of women's health, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 22, 2026
Mr. Carter of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants to establish
and maintain State offices of women's health, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``State Offices of Women's Health
Support and Expansion Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF STATE
OFFICES OF WOMEN'S HEALTH.
The Public Health Service Act is amended by inserting after section
229 (42 U.S.C. 237a) the following:
``SEC. 229A. GRANT PROGRAM FOR ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF STATE
OFFICES OF WOMEN'S HEALTH.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Women's Health, shall award a grant to each
eligible State for the establishment and maintenance of a State office
of women's health.
``(b) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, the State shall submit to the Secretary an application in such
form, in such manner, and containing such information and assurances as
the Secretary considers appropriate.
``(c) Allowable Uses of Funds.--A State receiving a grant under
this section shall use the grant to carry out 1 or more of the
following activities:
``(1) To establish a State office of women's heath under
the department of health of such State, or to maintain an
existing State office of women's health.
``(2) To educate the public about women's health by taking
the following actions:
``(A) Establishing appropriate forums, programs, or
public education initiatives regarding women's health,
with an emphasis on preventive health, early detection,
chronic disease management, reproductive health,
maternal health, and health promotion across the
lifespan.
``(B) Identifying, coordinating, and establishing
priorities for programs, services, and resources for
women's health issues and concerns with an emphasis on
preventive health, early detection, chronic disease
management, reproductive health, maternal health, and
health promotion across the lifespan.
``(C) Serving as a publicly accessible, centralized
clearinghouse and a resource for women's health data,
evidence-based best practices, available services, and
strategies to address disparities and address women's
health issues.
``(D) Collecting, analyzing, and disseminating
relevant research and public health data conducted or
compiled by State health departments, public
institutions of higher education, federally qualified
health centers, rural health clinics, nonprofit health
organizations, and other public health entities, and
providing such information to policymakers, providers,
community-based organizations, and the public.
``(E) Developing and recommending funding and
program activities to the head of the department of
health of the State to educate the public on women's
health initiatives on topics including--
``(i) health needs throughout a woman's
life;
``(ii) chronic conditions that
significantly affect women, including heart
disease, cancer, and osteoporosis;
``(iii) access to health care for women;
``(iv) poverty and women's health;
``(v) the leading causes of morbidity and
mortality for women;
``(vi) health disparities of women;
``(vii) reproductive health; and
``(viii) maternal health, including
maternal mortality and morbidity, the leading
causes of maternal mortality and severe
maternal morbidity in the State, such as racial
and ethnic disparities in maternal health, and
increasing awareness of evidence-based
interventions available to reduce maternal
mortality and morbidity.
``(F) Preparing materials for publication and
dissemination to the public on women's health.
``(G) Conducting public educational forums or
education initiatives in the State to--
``(i) raise public awareness about women's
health issues; and
``(ii) educate the public about women's
health programs, issues, and services.
``(H) Coordinating with other entities that focus
on women's health or women's issues on the activities
and programs of the office on women's health and
prioritizing outreach and coordination in rural and
medically underserved areas.
``(3) Addressing social determinants of health by
supporting initiatives that address housing instability,
transportation barriers, food insecurity, workforce
participation, access to childcare, and other non-clinical
factors impacting health outcomes.
``(4) Establishing and convening, not less than annually, a
community stakeholder advisory panel that will help in
developing all strategic priorities, funding recommendations,
and public awareness activities under this section.
Stakeholders shall be sought through a fair and statewide call
that is aligned with the goals and objectives of the State
office of women's health and reflective of residents of the
State. The panel shall consist of--
``(A) representatives from community-based
organizations that represent the most impacted
communities, including those serving rural women, low-
income women, and women of color;
``(B) women's health care providers, including
obstetricians and gynecologists;
``(C) representatives from federally qualified
health centers, health centers funded under title X,
and rural health facilities;
``(D) representatives from nonprofit organizations
with expertise related to the health of women;
``(E) individuals with expertise in public health
research and education;
``(F) representatives from patient and consumer
health advocacy organizations;
``(G) State Medicaid officials;
``(H) individuals from communities most impacted by
reproductive health disparities, as determined
appropriate by the State department of health; and
``(I) representatives from relevant State-based
medical societies with expertise in the health of
women.
``(d) Prohibited Uses of Funds.--A grant under this section may not
be used, directly or indirectly (including through a subgrant), to--
``(1) intentionally discourage or dissuade individuals from
seeking or obtaining reproductive health services, including--
``(A) abortion, including medication abortion;
``(B) contraceptive care;
``(C) assisted reproductive care;
``(D) hormone therapy;
``(E) sex education; and
``(F) testing for sexually transmitted infections;
``(2) withhold or misrepresent scientifically and medically
accurate, evidence-based information regarding contraceptive
methods, including over-the-counter contraceptives and
prescription contraceptives (such as intrauterine devices and
emergency contraception);
``(3) withhold, suppress, or misrepresent evidence-based
clinical information regarding medication abortion, including
the use of mifepristone and misoprostol;
``(4) withhold, suppress, or misrepresent medically
accurate, evidence-based sex education information;
``(5) withhold, suppress, or misrepresent medically
accurate, evidence-based public health information or
information on women's health across the lifespan, including
information on vaccines; or
``(6) restrict the ability of any person to seek or access
any lawful health service.
``(e) Allocation of Funding.--Each fiscal year, the Secretary shall
allocate funding under this section by distributing--
``(1) 50 percent of such funding equally among all eligible
States; and
``(2) 50 percent of such funding based on a formula
accounting for female population, maternal mortality rates,
poverty rates among women, and rural population proportion in
each eligible State.
``(f) Privacy Protection.--Data collected by a State office of
women's health established pursuant to this section may not--
``(1) be used by, or in collaboration with, any digital
website, application, or other platform that stores or
processes personal data and information on servers external to
those owned or controlled by the individuals serviced;
``(2) be used for any civil action, criminal prosecution,
investigation, or other proceeding; or
``(3) be disclosed, sold, or shared with any digital
website, application, or other platform in any way that
identifies an individual or their health care provider.
``(g) Medicaid Data Sharing.--
``(1) In general.--A State department of health may, in
coordination with the State Medicaid agency, establish a data
sharing agreement to facilitate the exchange of high-level,
aggregate, de-identified data for the purpose of--
``(A) identifying gaps in women's health services
covered under the State Medicaid program; and
``(B) developing evidence-based proposals for
Medicaid section 1115 demonstration waivers or State
plan amendments that would improve women's health
outcomes across the spectrum of care and throughout the
lifespan.
``(2) Privacy protections.--Any data shared under this
subsection shall be--
``(A) de-identified in accordance with the
standards described in section 164.514 of title 45,
Code of Federal Regulations;
``(B) aggregated at a level that prevents the
identification of any individual; and
``(C) used solely for the public health purposes
described in this subsection.
``(h) Reporting.--A State receiving a grant under this section
shall require the head of each State office of women's health being
funded through the grant to annually submit to the Secretary a report--
``(1) describing the priorities and services needed for
women's health in the State;
``(2) identifying areas in need of improvement in women's
health in the State;
``(3) summarizing the public education activities,
community forums, and outreach efforts conducted during the
preceding fiscal year;
``(4) describing the activities and findings of the
community stakeholder advisory panel established under
subsection (c)(4), if applicable;
``(5) that includes aggregate, anonymized data sufficient
to support evidence-based policymaking and agency regulatory
actions, but does not include any personally identifiable
information, protected health information, or data that can be
used to identify individual patients or providers or to subject
individuals to criminal liability; and
``(6) identifying measurable improvements achieved and
remaining gaps in access and outcomes, including disaggregated
data by race, ethnicity, income level, and geography.
``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there are authorized to be appropriated $55,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2027 through 2031.''.
<all>