H.R. 10356: Empowering Moms Act

This bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to update and maintain a federal website called moms.gov within one year. The site would serve as a central directory of resources for pregnant women, women after childbirth, and women raising young children.

What the website would do

• Provide a searchable clearinghouse of resources for pregnant and postpartum women and mothers of young children.
• Let users answer questions to generate a list of resources based on their ZIP code.
• Allow users to filter resources by distance, including online options and options within 1, 5, 10, 50, or 100 miles.
• Include an option for users to consent to follow-up by phone or email so the department can share additional resources.
• Support multiple languages to improve access for families who do not speak English.

State involvement and grants

The bill would invite states to recommend resources to be included on the website. The department would create criteria for deciding which resources can be listed, and it would provide grants to states to help them build or support systems that collect and organize these resources. States applying for grants would need to describe how they would promote awareness of the system and list the resources they would include.

What kinds of resources could be included

The bill defines “relevant resources” broadly. Examples include:

• Mentorship, pregnancy support, and case management;
• Medical and health services, including obstetric and gynecological care, breastfeeding support, primary care, and dental care;
• Financial help, work opportunities, nutrition assistance, childcare, and education;
• Transportation, food, clothing, household goods, baby supplies, housing, legal help, and family leave information;
• Mental health and recovery services, including help related to addiction, domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, and grief after child loss;
• Prenatal diagnosis-related services, disability support, perinatal hospice, and pregnancy and infant loss support;
• Childcare, adoption, foster care, and short-term childcare resources;
• Information on alternatives to abortion and on abortion risks and complications;
• Information about child development from conception.

Limits on listed organizations

The bill says the website and any promoted resources cannot include services from a “prohibited entity.” As defined in the bill, this generally refers to certain tax-exempt organizations primarily engaged in family planning, reproductive health, or related care that provide abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when a physician certifies that the pregnancy endangers the woman’s life.

Reporting and funding

Within 180 days after the site is updated, the Secretary would have to report to Congress on website traffic, user feedback, gaps in available resources, ways to improve the site, and confirmation that no prohibited entities were listed or funded. The bill would authorize whatever money is needed for fiscal years 2027 through 2032 to carry out these changes.

Relevant Companies

None found