S. 4186 Introduced Health

Perinatal Workforce Act

A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to grow and diversify the perinatal workforce, and for other purposes.

  1. Introduced
  2. Committee
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Passed House
  5. To President
  6. Became law
Sponsor Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] Introduced March 25, 2026 Cosponsors 2 (2 D) Latest action March 25, 2026

Summary

Perinatal Workforce Act
This bill establishes programs and requires research to diversify the perinatal workforce and advance respectful maternal care delivery models.
Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants to education and training programs to grow and diversify the professions that make up the perinatal workforce. HHS must also disseminate guidance on respectful maternal care delivery. This guidance must cover, among other topics, recruiting and retaining maternity care providers from diverse backgrounds and incorporating trained midwives and other perinatal health workers into maternity care teams.
In addition, the National Institutes of Health must study best practices for culturally and linguistically congruent maternity care. This is care that is in agreement with the preferred cultural values, beliefs, languages, worldview, and practices of health care consumers and other stakeholders.
The Government Accountability Office must also report on certain aspects of perinatal health care professions. The report must focus on barriers to entering those professions for low-income and minority women.

Summary by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Congress.gov

Actions

  1. Mar 25, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  2. Mar 25, 2026 Introduced in Senate

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