Bill Summary
The **Maternal Vaccinations Act** aims to amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance vaccination rates among pregnant and postpartum individuals. The legislation focuses on increasing awareness and ensuring equity in vaccination accessibility.
Key provisions include:
1. **Awareness Campaign**: It mandates the development of a campaign specifically targeting low vaccination rates among pregnant and postpartum individuals, emphasizing the importance of vaccinations during and after pregnancy.
2. **Expanded Scope**: The term coverage in various sections of the Public Health Service Act will be broadened to include obstetric care, ensuring that healthcare providers are attentive to the vaccination needs of this demographic.
3. **Funding Increase**: The bill proposes an increase in funding for vaccination programs from $15 million per year (2021-2025) to $17 million per year (2027-2031), reflecting a commitment to support these initiatives adequately.
4. **Targeted Outreach**: The legislation highlights the need to focus on increasing vaccination rates specifically among racial and ethnic minority groups, aiming to address disparities in healthcare access and outcomes for both mothers and their children.
Overall, this act seeks to improve healthcare outcomes for mothers and infants by promoting increased vaccination rates through targeted awareness and funding efforts.
Possible Impacts
The "Maternal Vaccinations Act" could have several effects on people, particularly pregnant and postpartum individuals, as well as their children. Here are three examples:
1. **Increased Access to Vaccination Information**: The Act mandates a campaign focused on raising awareness about the importance of vaccinations for pregnant and postpartum individuals. This could lead to better education and resources being made available, allowing these individuals to make informed decisions about their health and the health of their newborns. Greater awareness may also help dispel myths and misinformation about vaccinations, leading to higher vaccination rates.
2. **Targeted Support for Minority Groups**: The legislation specifically mentions efforts to increase vaccination rates among racial and ethnic minority groups. This could result in targeted outreach and support programs that address the unique barriers these groups face in accessing healthcare services. By ensuring that these populations receive culturally relevant information and resources, the Act may improve equity in healthcare access and outcomes, ultimately leading to healthier pregnancy and postpartum experiences.
3. **Funding for Vaccination Programs**: The increase in funding from $15 million to $17 million for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 indicates a commitment to enhancing vaccination initiatives. This additional funding could support the development of community-based programs, mobile vaccination clinics, or partnerships with healthcare providers to facilitate easier access to vaccinations for pregnant and postpartum individuals. As a result, more individuals may receive vaccinations, which could lead to reduced rates of vaccine-preventable diseases among this population and their children.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4132 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4132
To amend the Public Health Service Act to increase vaccination rates of
pregnant and postpartum individuals, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 18, 2026
Mr. Kaine introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to increase vaccination rates of
pregnant and postpartum individuals, 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 ``Maternal Vaccinations Act''.
SEC. 2. MATERNAL VACCINATION AWARENESS AND EQUITY CAMPAIGN.
(a) Campaign.--Section 313 of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 245) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ``and among pregnant
and postpartum individuals,'' after ``low rates of
vaccination,'';
(2) in subsection (c)(3), by striking ``prenatal and
pediatric'' and inserting ``prenatal, obstetric, and
pediatric'';
(3) in subsection (d)(4)(B), by inserting ``pregnant and
postpartum individuals and'' after ``including''; and
(4) in subsection (g), by striking ``$15,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 2021 through 2025'' and inserting ``$17,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031''.
(b) Additional Activities.--Section 317(k)(1)(E) of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b(k)(1)(E)) is amended--
(1) in clause (v), by striking ``and'' at the end; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(vii) increase vaccination rates of
pregnant and postpartum individuals, including
individuals from racial and ethnic minority
groups, and their children; and''.
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