U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Cory Booker Reintroduce Bipartisan Legislation to Fund Maternal Care and Mortality Research
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) today reintroduced the NIH IMPROVE Act, the Senate companion to Representative Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) and Brian Fitzpatrick’s (R-Pa.) House bill, which would ensure consistent funding for research on maternal care and mortality.
In 2019, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative. The IMPROVE Initiative supports research to reduce preventable causes of maternal deaths and improve health care for women before, during, and after pregnancy.
However, this critical research program lacks a sustained funding source, threatening research outcomes and conclusions. The NIH IMPROVE Act would authorize consistent funding for this existing program for the next seven years, providing NIH the support and resources to pursue research into the root causes of America’s maternal mortality crisis.
“I’m proud to fight for moms and women across Alabama and America. This bipartisan legislation will support targeted funding for critical research to improve health outcomes for women throughout their pregnancy journey,” said Senator Britt. “I’m committed to ensuring the NIH remains the gold-standard of research and provides solutions to improve health outcomes for women before, during, and after pregnancy.”
“Studies show that 80% of maternal deaths are preventable, and the NIH IMPROVE Act is a critical step forward in addressing our nation’s ongoing maternal health crisis,” said Senator Booker. “This bipartisan legislation expands research and strengthens data collection so we can better understand how to save lives and close long-standing disparities in care.”
The NIH IMPROVE Act would authorize $73.4 million annually for seven years to carry out the IMPROVE Initiative and support research on potential causes of maternal mortality and severe morbidity. Additionally, the act would approve research that would target disparities associated with maternal mortality and severe morbidity, and aim to reduce preventable causes of maternal deaths, as well as build an evidence base for improved care and outcomes in underserved maternal care deserts.
“Six years ago, we worked with the National Institutes of Health to start the IMPROVE Initiative to make smart investments in comprehensive research and evidence-based solutions that save moms’ lives and advance birth equity,” said Representative Underwood. “Since 2019, IMPROVE has invested more than $200 million in life-saving research that will help end our nation’s maternal health crisis. Our bipartisan NIH IMPROVE Act will advance maternal health research by permanently authorizing funding for IMPROVE, making sure that NIH can continue this critical work.”
March of Dimes and the Women’s First Research Coalition endorse this legislation. The full text of the bill can be viewed here.
This week, March of Dimes, an organization Senator Britt is proud to support, released its 2025 report card. The report found that the U.S. is among the most dangerous developed nations for childbirth, and earned a D+ in preterm birth rates for the fourth year in a row.
In Alabama, over a third of its 67 counties are classified as “maternity care deserts,” areas without access to birthing facilities or maternity care providers. In the fall of 2023, three Alabama hospitalsannounced closures of their labor and delivery departments, leaving both Shelby and Monroe counties without labor and delivery services. Additionally, Alabama has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation at 59.7 deaths per 100,000 births.
Senator Britt continues to make health care, including maternal care, a top legislative priority. Earlier this year, Senator Britt, during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, questioned NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya on the President’s Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget Request for the National Institutes of Health.
She highlighted America’s maternal mortality crisis, and also praised the NIH IMPROVE Initiative for conducting important research, saying, “[F]ar too many women in this country are dying from pregnancy-related causes. You look at Alabama, we have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation. It disproportionately affects black women, Native American women, women in rural areas … It’s 2025. These numbers should be moving in the opposite direction. I am really proud to have co-sponsored the NIH IMPROVE Act.”
This spring, Senator Britt joined Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) in reintroducing the Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act. This legislation would expand access to maternal care by offering support for rural health care facilities and doctors to provide urgent obstetric care.
Senator Britt also reintroduced the Access to Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD) Act earlier this year with Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would eliminate copays and other out-of-pocket expenses for breast cancer diagnostic tests, making them more accessible and affordable.
Last Congress, Senator Britt secured significant funding in the FY24 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to modernize and upgrade medical equipment and rural health services in Alabama, and has continued to make critical health care funding a priority in FY26 appropriations.
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