Padilla, Reverend Warnock Reintroduce Legislation to Lower Death Rates for Women of Color

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) July 11 introduced the Kira Johnson Act, which would provide funding to community-based organizations leading the charge to improve maternal health outcomes, particularly for Black women. An alarming new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found maternal mortality in the U.S. doubled between 1999 and 2019, with most deaths among Black women. This legislation creates a five-year, $50 million grant program at the Department of Health and Human Services to improve outcomes and reduce bias, racism, and discrimination in maternal care settings. The Kira Johnson Act is included in the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2023, a comprehensive package to end racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. 

The Kira Johnson Act will:

Provide funding to community-based organizations to improve maternal health outcomes for Black pregnant and postpartum people and Women of Color, as well as birthing people from other underserved communities.

Provide funding for grant programs to implement and study consistent bias, racism, and discrimination trainings for all employees in maternity care settings.

Provide funding to establish Respectful Maternity Care Compliance Programs within hospitals to provide mechanisms for pregnant and postpartum patients to report instances of disrespect or evidence of racial, ethnic, or other types of bias and promote accountability.

Details: Read the full text of the bill here.