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handle is hein.crs/goveqqd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization
Act of 2023: Background and Current Status
September 16, 2024
Maternal mortality is considered a sentinel health event-one that can signal the overall health status and
the broader quality or effectiveness of a nation's health system. Despite global progress over the past two
decades, maternal deaths have risen in the United States and disparities persist across settings and
demographic characteristics. Measuring the impact of interventions to reduce maternal mortality relies on
complete, accurate, and timely data; however, measuring maternal mortality is an ongoing challenge.
Section 317K of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b-12) authorizes the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) to carry out surveillance and prevention activities related to the
identification and investigation of maternal health complications, including death. Historically, such
activities have included the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and the Maternal and Child
Health Epidemiology Program, among others.
The Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-344; PMDA) amended Section 317K by codifying
federal support specifically for the development or continuation of maternal mortality review committees
(MMRCs) in collaboration with states, territories, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations. The law also
authorized $58 million in discretionary annual appropriations across all Section 317K activities from
FY2019 to FY2024. This Insight provides a brief background on MMRCs, summarizes recent funding,
and describes reauthorization proposals in the 118th Congress, entitled as the Preventing Maternal Deaths
Reauthorization Act of 2023 in both the House (H.R. 3838) and the Senate (S. 2415).
Current Program
MMRCs are multidisciplinary committees tasked with confidentially and comprehensively identifying all
deaths occurring during or within one year postpartum in a particular jurisdiction, regardless of the cause
of death (i.e., pregnancy-associated deaths). Typically convened at the state or local level, MMRCs
include individuals from a range of medical, clinical, and public health specialties, as well as community
organizations, patient advocacy groups, and other stakeholders. MMRCs build upon other maternal
mortality surveillance efforts by accessing both clinical and nonclinical information (e.g., vital records,
police reports) and triangulating these data for a deeper understanding of the circumstances and causes
linked to pregnancy-related deaths. While vital statistics data alone can identify trends and disparities,
MMRCs also recommend prevention strategies informed by and tailored to specific contexts.
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
IN12421
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress

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