“A bill to improve research and data collection on stillbirths, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a stillbirth research and data collection improvement program under new section 317L–2 of the Public Health Service Act. Subsection (a) authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states for stillbirth surveillance, data collection (including from Fetal and Infant Mortality Review datasets), public health capacity building, and reporting on risk factors—with data required to be deidentified and compliant with privacy laws—and authorizes $5 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030. Subsection (b) directs the Secretary, after consulting specified stakeholders (e.g., health professional associations, families affected by stillbirth), to issue guidelines to state health departments and vital statistics units on standardized stillbirth data collection (including clinical history, postmortem exams, and placental pathology with consent) and training, and to develop public educational materials on stillbirths, authorizing $1 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030. Subsection (c) defines "vital statistics unit" as the state or local entity maintaining vital records (e.g., births, deaths, fetal deaths).
This section directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, not later than five years after enactment, to publish on a public Department of Health and Human Services website a report containing educational guidelines on stillbirth and stillbirth risk factors. The report must include, to the extent practicable and appropriate, guidelines issued and educational awareness materials developed under section 317L–2 of the Public Health Service Act (as added by section 2 of this Act).