Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015
This bill directs the President to:
The President shall designate a current U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) employee serving in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the Maternal and Child Survival Coordinator, who shall be responsible for:
The U.S. government, through USAID and other relevant executive branch agencies, should identify and remove financial barriers to strengthen access to delivery systems for vulnerable and marginalized populations by leveraging public and private capital to expand delivery of interventions for maternal, newborn, and child health.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3706 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3706
To implement policies to end preventable maternal, newborn, and child
deaths globally.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 7, 2015
Mr. Reichert (for himself, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Lee, and Mr. McCaul)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To implement policies to end preventable maternal, newborn, and child
deaths globally.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Reach Every Mother and Child Act of
2015''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to implement a strategic approach for
providing foreign assistance in order to end preventable maternal,
newborn, and child deaths globally within a generation.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development.
(2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(3) Coordinator.--The term ``Coordinator'' means the Child
and Maternal Survival Coordinator established under section 6.
(4) Target countries.--The term ``target countries'' means
specific countries that have the greatest need and highest
burden of maternal and child deaths, taking into consideration
countries that--
(A) have high-need communities in fragile states or
conflict-affected states;
(B) are low- or middle-income countries; or
(C) are located in regions with weak health
systems.
SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States, in partnership with target
countries, other donor country governments, international financial
institutions, nongovernmental organizations, international
organizations, multilateral organizations, and the private sector to
establish and implement a coordinated, integrated, and comprehensive
strategy to combat the leading causes of maternal, newborn, and child
mortality globally and ensure healthy lives by--
(1) scaling up the most effective, evidence-based
interventions, including for the most vulnerable populations,
with a focus on country ownership;
(2) designing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating
programs in a way that enhances transparency and
accountability, increases the sustainability, and improves
outcomes in target countries;
(3) supporting the development and scale up of innovative
tools and approaches to accelerate progress toward ending
preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths; and
(4) utilizing and expanding the use of innovative public-
private financing mechanisms.
SEC. 5. STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the President shall establish and implement a
comprehensive five-year, whole-of-government strategy to achieve, with
target countries and donors, the goal of ending preventable maternal,
newborn, and child deaths globally and ensure healthy and productive
lives within a generation.
(b) Elements.--The strategy established under subsection (a)
shall--
(1) set outcome-based targets to achieve the goals of the
strategy and ascertain baseline data relevant for each target
country and for all areas of focus and programming as of the
date of the release of the strategy;
(2) building on the evidence outlined in USAID's ``Acting
on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths'',
include specific objectives, programs, and approaches to
utilize highest impact evidence-based interventions to address
the leading causes of death among--
(A) women during pregnancy, childbirth, and post
delivery;
(B) newborns in their first 28 days; and
(C) children under the age of five, particularly
among the most vulnerable populations;
(3) include development and scale up of new technologies
and approaches, including those supported by public-private
partnerships for research and innovation;
(4) promote coordination and efficiency within and amongst
the relevant executive branch agencies and initiatives,
including the United States Agency for International
Development, the Department of State, the Department of Health
and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Millennium
Challenge Corporation, the Peace Corps, the Department of the
Treasury, the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, and the
President's Malaria Initiative;
(5) project general levels of resources needed to achieve
the strategy's stated objectives;
(6) identify strategies for leveraging resources in new and
innovative ways;
(7) align with country-driven maternal, newborn, and child
health and survival plans and improve coordination with foreign
governments and international organizations; and
(8) outline consultations with governments, international
financial institutions, nongovernmental organizations, local
and international civil society groups, multilateral
organizations, the private sector, and local health workers and
professional associations, as appropriate.
SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF CHILD AND MATERNAL SURVIVAL COORDINATOR.
(a) In General.--The President, acting through the Administrator,
shall designate a current USAID employee serving in a career or non-
career position in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a
Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher to serve concurrently as the
Child and Maternal and Survival Coordinator, who shall be responsible
for--
(1) overseeing the strategy established under section 5;
and
(2) all United States Government funds appropriated or used
for international maternal and child health and nutrition
programs.
(b) Duties.--The Coordinator shall--
(1) have the primary responsibility for the oversight and
coordination of all resources and international activities of
the United States Government appropriated or used for
international maternal and child health and nutrition programs;
(2) direct the budget, planning, and staffing to implement
international maternal and child health and nutrition projects
and programs for the purpose of achieving reductions in
preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths;
(3) lead implementation and revision, not less frequently
than once every 5 years, of the strategy established under
section 5(a);
(4) coordinate with relevant executive branch agencies,
governments of partner countries, nongovernmental
organizations, local civil society organizations, and private
sector entities to carry out the strategy established under
section 5(a) and to align current and future instruments with
high-impact, evidence-based interventions to save lives;
(5) provide direction to the design and oversight of
grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements with
nongovernmental organizations (including faith-based,
community-based, and civil society organizations) and private
sector entities for the purpose of carrying out the strategy
established under section 5(a); and
(6) report directly to the Administrator regarding
implementation of the strategy established under section 5(a).
(c) Restriction on Additional or Supplemental Compensation.--The
Coordinator shall receive no additional or supplemental compensation as
a result of carrying out responsibilities and duties under this Act.
SEC. 7. AUTHORITY TO ASSIST IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--The President shall provide assistance to
implement the strategy established under section 5(a).
(b) Focus on Impact.--
(1) Targets for increased implementation required.--USAID
grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements for the purposes
of the strategy established under section 5(a) shall be
required to include targets for increased implementation of
high-impact, evidence-based interventions and strengthening
health systems, as appropriate, including the establishment of
baseline measurements from which to quantify progress.
(2) Exception.--In exceptional circumstances where USAID
deems that inclusion of coverage targets or baseline measures
are not reasonable or practicable for the grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement, the funding mechanism shall include an
explanation of the omission and explicitly how measurable
impact will be targeted and tracked.
SEC. 8. REPORTS.
(a) Report Required.--The President shall update Congress on
progress made to achieve the strategy established under section 5(a) as
well as progress toward the goals set forth in USAID's 2014 ``Acting on
the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths'' report by
submitting an annual report to the appropriate congressional committees
and making all report data publicly available.
(b) Information Included in Report.--A report submitted under
subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) Indicators of progress made by United States Government
programs carried out under international maternal and child
health and nutrition programs for the purposes of improving
maternal, newborn, and child health, particularly among the
most vulnerable populations, in each target country and
overall, including--
(A) number of maternal, newborn, and child deaths
averted;
(B) percentage of births attended by skilled health
personnel;
(C) density of health workforce (number of health
professionals per population);
(D) descriptions of the measured or estimated
impact on maternal, newborn, and child survival of each
ongoing program or project; and
(E) any other targets identified by the Coordinator
as essential to meeting the goals of the strategy for
ending preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths.
(2) Assessments of progress made toward achieving the
targets set forth under paragraph (1).
(3) Descriptions of how the interventions or programs are
designed--
(A) to increase activities in target countries;
(B) to reach underserved, marginalized, and
impoverished populations;
(C) to address causes of maternal, newborn, and
child mortality with innovative efforts and
interventions posed to go to scale;
(D) to invest in activities that empower women,
support voluntarism, and provide respectful maternity
care;
(E) to improve transparency and accountability at
all levels and include common metrics for tracking
progress;
(F) to ensure that high-impact, evidence-based
interventions are prioritized; and
(G) to expand access to quality services through
community-based approaches and include community
accountability measures.
(4) Reporting on each aspect of the strategy established
under section 5(a), including--
(A) multi-sectoral approaches, specific strategies,
and programming utilizing high-impact, evidence-based
interventions to address the leading causes of
preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths;
(B) activities to develop and scale up new
technologies and approaches, including those identified
by public-private partnerships for research and
innovation;
(C) coordination with United States agencies,
foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations, and
international organizations;
(D) methods used to leverage new financial and
other public and private resources in innovative ways;
and
(E) best practices identified by the executive
branch.
(5) Reporting on grants, contracts, and cooperative
agreements awarded, including--
(A) a comprehensive list of USAID grants,
contracts, and cooperative agreements awarded in
implementation of the strategy established under
section 5(a); and
(B) a description of--
(i) the targets for coverage of
interventions or services and the baseline
against which they are measured and the status
of progress in meeting the targets; or
(ii) in the case of exceptional
circumstances where USAID determines that
inclusion of targets or baseline measurements
is not reasonably possible, an explanation of
how the impact of the grant, contract,
agreement, or resulting program is being
measured.
(6) Reporting on the innovative public-private financing
tools, including an analysis of the feasibility and potential
effectiveness of new financing tools that could be used to fund
efforts to end preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths
globally.
SEC. 9. INNOVATIVE PUBLIC-PRIVATE FINANCING TOOLS.
(a) In General.--In addition to existing bilateral and multilateral
assistance for maternal, newborn, and child survival, the United States
Government, through USAID and other relevant executive branch agencies
identified by the Coordinator, should identify and remove financial
barriers to strengthen access to delivery systems that reach vulnerable
and marginalized populations. This can be accomplished through the
utilization of new and existing tools that leverage public and private
capital to expand delivery of high-impact, evidence-based interventions
for international maternal, newborn, and child health.
(b) Authorities.--To carry out provisions of this Act, USAID is
authorized--
(1) to grant loans;
(2) to set aside funds for use in the implementation of
financing tools;
(3) to establish and use a financial intermediary to
implement new financing tools, as appropriate;
(4) to issue sovereign level guarantees; and
(5) to make equity investments.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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