Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA) released the following joint statement today after the House of Representatives passed S. 198, the “Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act:”
“The United States has the highest rate of maternal mortality among the developed nations—a sad and inexcusable reality. That’s why today the House continued its work to address this crisis by passing bipartisan legislation to integrate maternal health data, including mortality and severe morbidity, into the Federal Communications Commission’s health mapping platform.
“For pregnant women, access to fast, reliable broadband is a crucial tool for telehealth services like routine checkups, health monitoring, and updating prescriptions. This bill will help us better understand the telehealth and telecommunications barriers too many women face so that we can adopt informed, robust connectivity policies that keep Americans safe and healthy.
“Improving maternal health is a continued priority of this Committee, and we look forward to this bill being signed into law.”
S. 198, the “Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act,” is the companion bill to H.R. 1218, which was introduced by Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE). The bill would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to integrate data related to maternal mortality and morbidity into the agency’s Mapping Broadband Health in America platform, with consultation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bill passed en bloc by a vote of 380-46.
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