S. 4186 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Mar 25, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExpands and diversifies the perinatal workforce
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants that help grow and diversify the people who provide maternity care, including midwives and other perinatal health workers. HHS would also issue guidance on respectful maternal care that includes recruiting diverse providers and incorporating different types of trained maternity care workers into teams. The National Institutes of Health would study best practices for maternity care that respects patients' cultural values and languages, and a government office would investigate what barriers keep low-income and minority women from entering maternity care professions.
How it affects you
If you're pregnant or planning to have a baby, this could mean more maternity care options and providers from diverse backgrounds in your area. For people from underrepresented groups considering careers in maternity care, the bill aims to remove barriers to entry into these professions. Healthcare providers and hospital systems may receive guidance and funding to build more diverse, culturally aware maternity care teams.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Mar 25, 2026)
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.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionS. 4186
A BILL
Perinatal Workforce Act
Sponsor: Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) · Introduced Mar 25, 2026 · Health · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 25, 2026: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.”