President Biden Signs Legislation to Fund Government for Remainder of Fiscal Year 2023
January 09, 2022

*Note: this text has been updated from a legislative alert first published on 12/20/2022 to reflect new developments

On Thursday, December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law a bipartisan omnibus appropriations bill to set the discretionary funding levels for the federal government through the remainder of Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23). The FY23 omnibus appropriations package includes funding for the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant at $822.7 million, an increase of $75 million above the FY22 funding level. Of the $75 million increase, $25 million is allocated to the state formula funds and $50 million to the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS). While AMCHP had hoped to see a final FY23 funding level for the MCH Block Grant closer to our $1 billion request, we are grateful that Congress completed its FY23 appropriations work and provided a funding bump to several maternal and child health programs.

In addition to the FY23 funding levels, which are further outlined below, the omnibus appropriations legislation requires 12 months of continuous coverage for children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP and makes permanent the state option to provide 12 months of continuous coverage during the postpartum period. It also includes the Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act, the Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Act, the TRIUMPH for New Moms Act, the Mainstream Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act, The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, as well as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. AMCHP has advocated for the passage of these bills and policies for many years and is thrilled to see Congress advancing them through the omnibus legislation.

  • The Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act reauthorizes the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program for five years. AMCHP has endorsed this legislation along with the Home Visiting Coalition.
  • The Into the Light for Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Act reauthorizes and funds programs to address maternal mental health. It also establishes and funds a national maternal mental health hotline.
  • The TRIUMPH for New Moms Act establishes a Task Force on Maternal Mental Health to identify, evaluate, and make recommendations to coordinate and improve federal responses to maternal mental health conditions.
  • The MAT Act eliminates the Drug Enforcement Administration waiver that doctors must apply for in order to prescribe the opioid use disorder medication, buprenorphine.
  • The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act expands workplace protections for lactating employees.
  • The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant employees.

For further details about these bills, visit AMCHP’s Maternal Health Bill Tracker.

Looking forward, AMCHP’s advocacy efforts for the next fiscal year are well underway as we ask Congress to provide $1 billion for the MCH Block Grant in FY24 and greater investments in maternal and child health and public health programs overall. In the meantime, below are some highlights from the FY23 package.

HRSA:

  • Maternal and Child Health Block Grant: $822.7 million, an increase of $75 million above FY22
  • Alliance for Innovation in Maternal Health Safety Bundles: $15.3 million, an increase of $3.3 million above FY22
  • State Maternal Health Innovation Grants: $55 million, an increase of $26 million above FY22
  • Maternal Mental Health Hotline: $7 million, an increase of $3 million above FY22
  • Healthy Start: $145 million, an increase of $13.16 million above FY22
  • Screening and Treatment for Maternal Depression and Related Disorders: $10 million, an increase of $3.5 million above FY22
  • Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies: $8 million, an increase of $2 million above FY22 

CDC:

  • Safe Motherhood and Infant Health: $108 million, an increase of $25 million above FY22
  • Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies: $23,000,000, an increase of $10 million above FY22
  • Public Health Infrastructure: $350 million, an increase of $150 million above FY22
  • Public Health Data Modernization: $175 million, an increase of $75 million above FY22 to modernize public health data surveillance and analytics at CDC and state and local health departments
  • Public Health Workforce: $71 million, an increase of $10 million above FY22, in public health workforce initiatives
  • Public Health Emergency Preparedness: $735 million, an increase of $20 million above FY22, for public health emergency preparedness cooperative agreements

NIH:

  • $43.4 million to support research on maternal morbidity and mortality through the Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative
  • An increase of $40 million for health disparities research
  • $12.5 million to continue firearm injury and mortality prevention research

SAMHSA:

  • $38.9 million for Pregnant & Postpartum Women under the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant, an increase of $4 million above the FY22 funding levels
  • Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: $15 million, an increase of $5 million above FY22

FY23 Omnibus Appropriations Legislation Resources:

  • Text
  • Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies explanatory statement
  • Summary for Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies

As always, please don’t hesitate to be in touch with AMCHP’s Government Affairs Team: Amy Haddad (ahaddad@amchp.org), Sherie Lou Santos (ssantos@amchp.org), and Lauren Blachowiak (lblachowiak@amchp.org).