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Senate bill · S. 5515 (119th Congress)

Improve Federal efforts with respect to the prevention of maternal mortality, and for other purposes

U.S. Senate

Latest action Sep 24, 2026

Sponsor: Richard J. Durbin (U.S. Senator for Illinois, Democratic)

Official titleShow

A bill to improve Federal efforts with respect to the prevention of maternal mortality, and for other purposes.

The heading above is this same sentence with its legal opening removed. No words were added, changed or reordered.

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From Congress.gov and official rosters. This record was last updated Oct 26, 2026. About our data

Summary

Community Access, Resources, and Empowerment for Moms Act or the CARE for Moms Act This bill establishes and expands federal programs to increase access to health care for pregnant and postpartum women, particularly those in underserved communities. It also increases and expands excise taxes on tobacco products. The bill requires state Medicaid programs and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover women for 12 months postpartum and to cover dental services for pregnant and postpartum women The bill also allows for two years of postpartum coverage for women under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Also, the bill establishes grant programs for state-based collaboratives to improve perinatal health care, mobile health units for obstetric care in rural and underserved communities, the doula workforce, and regional centers of excellence to educate health professionals on implicit bias and culturally competent care. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must publish information on Medicaid and CHIP benefits for pregnant and postpartum women and report to Congress on maternal health needs and expenditures. In addition, hospitals, as a condition of Medicare participation, must notify HHS at least 90 days before closing an obstetric unit. Additionally, the bill increases existing excise taxes on cigarettes, equalizes tax rates among all other tobacco products, and establishes annual inflation adjustments. It also establishes new excise taxes for other tobacco products deemed as such by the Food and Drug Administration that are not already subject to such federal taxes.

Summary from the Congressional Research Service. How we handle summaries

Where it stands

Assigned to a committee for review.

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Up for a vote
  4. Passed one chamber
  5. Passed
  6. Enacted

Committee

Senate Committee on Finance · U.S. Senate

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Full history

  1. Sep 24, 2026

    Introduced

    Introduced in U.S. Senate

    U.S. Senate

  2. Sep 24, 2026

    Referred to committee

    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S4998-5003)

  3. Sep 24, 2026

    Referred to committee

    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S4998-5003)

Read the record