Bill Summary
The legislation is a resolution from the House of Representatives that highlights the significant health threats posed by air pollution and extreme heat, particularly to maternal and infant health in Latino communities. It acknowledges the unique vulnerabilities faced by pregnant women, especially Latinas, who often live in highly polluted areas and are disproportionately affected by environmental factors due to socioeconomic disparities.
The resolution outlines various adverse health outcomes associated with air pollution and extreme heat, such as increased risks of preterm birth, low birth weight, and pregnancy complications. It emphasizes the need for targeted interventions that address both environmental hazards and the systemic inequities faced by Latino mothers.
Key provisions of the resolution include calls for:
1. Legislation and funding to mitigate pollution and support vulnerable communities.
2. Dissemination of information in English and Spanish to help pregnant women understand and reduce their exposure to harmful environmental conditions.
3. Implementation of air quality monitoring in Latino neighborhoods.
4. Support for community resilience programs, affordable cooling solutions, and enhanced access to health resources.
5. Training for healthcare professionals about the specific needs of pregnant women in relation to pollution and heat.
Overall, the resolution seeks to promote equitable health outcomes for Latina mothers and their infants by addressing the compounded effects of environmental and social injustices.
Possible Impacts
The resolution you provided outlines significant concerns regarding the impact of air pollution and extreme heat on maternal and infant health, particularly within Latino communities. Here are three examples of how this legislation could affect people:
1. **Improved Health Outcomes for Pregnant Women and Infants**:
The resolution emphasizes the need for interventions to address the unique vulnerabilities of pregnant Latinas to air pollution and extreme heat. By supporting measures such as the placement of air quality monitoring systems and the provision of bilingual public alerts, the health outcomes for pregnant women and infants in these communities could improve. For instance, increased awareness of air quality and actionable steps to reduce exposure can lead to lower rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and low birth weight.
2. **Enhanced Access to Resources and Support**:
The resolution advocates for the affordability of air conditioning units and air purifiers, expanded access to cooling centers, and the creation of shaded green spaces in low-income neighborhoods. These measures could provide pregnant women and families with the necessary resources to mitigate heat exposure and improve their living conditions. Consequently, families would have better access to environments that promote health and well-being, thereby potentially reducing maternal morbidity and mortality rates.
3. **Increased Education and Awareness**:
By supporting the incorporation of education about the vulnerabilities of pregnant women to environmental exposures into training for healthcare professionals, educators, and childcare providers, the resolution seeks to raise awareness and improve care for pregnant Latinas. This could lead to more informed healthcare practices and better communication between healthcare providers and patients, ultimately resulting in a healthcare environment that is more sensitive to the needs of pregnant women in Latino communities. Improved education could also empower women with knowledge about reducing their exposure to harmful pollutants, positively impacting their health during pregnancy and beyond.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1017 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1017
Recognizing the threat of air pollution and extreme heat to maternal
and infant health, and expressing the sense of the House of
Representatives that meaningful interventions must be rapidly and
equitably developed and deployed to address the unique vulnerabilities
of pregnancy in Latino communities.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 22, 2026
Ms. Barragan submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the threat of air pollution and extreme heat to maternal
and infant health, and expressing the sense of the House of
Representatives that meaningful interventions must be rapidly and
equitably developed and deployed to address the unique vulnerabilities
of pregnancy in Latino communities.
Whereas there is a significant association between air pollution and heat
exposure to maternal and fetal health outcomes in the United States;
Whereas pregnancy represents a sensitive window of susceptibility to
environmental toxins for women, as the pregnant body undergoes
physiological changes in all major organ systems;
Whereas air pollution can be linked to adverse maternal health outcomes,
including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, polycystic ovarian
syndrome, subfertility, miscarriage, and failure of assisted
reproductive technology;
Whereas air pollutant exposure can be linked to reduced conception rates and
fertility;
Whereas exposure to particle pollution and ozone can lead to adverse birth
outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and stillbirth;
Whereas prenatal exposure to air pollution can lead to asthma and allergy
development in children, and increase offspring susceptibility to
disease in adulthood;
Whereas immigrant, low-income communities of color are two times as likely to
live in the most polluted counties in the United States, compared with
White mothers, even after controlling for maternal risk factors, region,
and educational status;
Whereas, of all groups, Latina mothers have the highest likelihood of living in
areas with the highest levels of air pollution compared to their White
counterparts;
Whereas a statewide California study that assigned pollutant exposures using
ambient air quality monitors showed that Latina mothers are at higher
risk of experiencing stillbirth from ozone exposure throughout their
entire pregnancy than other ethnicities;
Whereas climate change is linked to and exacerbates ozone production in the
atmosphere;
Whereas pregnant women are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as
pregnancy naturally elevates the body's temperature, makes it more
susceptible to external temperatures, weakens its ability to
thermoregulate, and increases risk of overheating;
Whereas extreme heat increases the risk of preterm labor, low birth weight, and
pregnancy loss;
Whereas Latina women exposed to extreme heat had double or more the risk of
preterm birth or stillbirth than White women;
Whereas Latinos are disproportionately represented in the outdoor workforce,
such as agriculture and construction, and therefore at higher risk of
extreme heat exposure;
Whereas older housing, a scarcity of green spaces, and lack of access to air
conditioning increase the vulnerability of low-income pregnant women to
heat;
Whereas there is a large ethnic and racial gap in maternal morbidity and
mortality between Latinas and non-Hispanic Whites;
Whereas, even with private insurance, Latinas have a 22-percent higher rate of
experiencing pregnancy problems;
Whereas compounding inequalities and systemic racism heighten Latinas'
vulnerability during pregnancy due to preexisting conditions such as
diabetes and obesity, socioeconomic status, education, lack of proper
access to health care, and sexism and racism within health care systems
that inhibit proper communication and treatment;
Whereas language barriers and medical and institutional mistrust prevent Latinas
from accessing critical information and from communicating needs to
medical professionals;
Whereas disproportionate exposure to pollution and climate-induced extreme heat
can manifest itself in issues of mental health for pregnant Latinas
during the postpartum period;
Whereas Latinas already have a 40-percent greater risk of experiencing
postpartum depression than White mothers;
Whereas a University of Southern California study cohort of Latina mothers
expressed fear, uncertainty, and frustration about power imbalances that
prevented meaningful action to address outdoor air pollution and
exposure to smog;
Whereas Latinas become pregnant at a younger age than other racial and ethnic
groups; and
Whereas Latinas have the highest rate of pregnancy in the United States: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes that causes of health-harming and climate-
warming sources of pollution must be mitigated, broad policy
changes are needed, and that there is an immediate need to
equip pregnant Latinas and families that are overburdened by
air pollution and heat exposure with preventative tools and
knowledge during this period of heightened susceptibility for
maternal and infant health;
(2) recognizes that legislation and funding must include
considerations of not only the unique physical and mental
vulnerabilities to environmental exposures for pregnant women
but also the social and economic injustices faced by Latina
mothers;
(3) supports providing place-based information in English
and Spanish regarding vulnerabilities of pregnancy and tangible
and affordable action items pregnant women can take to reduce
exposure to air pollution and heat;
(4) supports the placement of air quality monitoring
systems in Latino communities to track pollution levels and
inform residents about health-harming conditions;
(5) supports bilingual, easily accessible public alerts for
air quality and extreme heat and weather;
(6) supports the incorporation of education about the
unique vulnerabilities of pregnant women to pollution and heat
into professional training for health care professionals,
educators, and child care providers;
(7) supports the improvement of extreme heat and air
pollution guidelines at community centers and health care
facilities, especially those facilities that serve women;
(8) supports mutual aid networks and community resilience
programs to support pregnant women and families;
(9) supports increased affordability of air conditioning
units and air purifiers for pregnant women and families;
(10) supports expanded access to cooling centers and
hydration stations in public areas such as bus stops and
``clean'' rooms in communities near busy roads and polluting
facilities;
(11) supports the creation of more shaded and green spaces
in low-income neighborhoods to provide relief from heat and
promote community mental wellness;
(12) supports the enforcement of regular work breaks,
increasing access to hydration and shade, and providing
bilingual education on the dangers of heat exposure in the
outdoor workforce, especially for pregnant women;
(13) supports increasing access to Latina doulas; and
(14) recognizes the importance of community-based research
and data collection to better understand the risks and needs in
Latino communities.
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