On Saturday, March 23, 2024, President Biden signed a bipartisan spending package into law, finalizing the remaining appropriations bills to fund the federal government through the remainder of Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). Biden’s approval ends a months-long saga of funding negotiations among lawmakers and keeps the federal government open until September 30, 2024. The first batch of spending bills, which included discretionary funding for the United States Department of Agriculture, was signed into law on March 8, 2024 — read our recent legislative alert to learn about the investments in child and family nutrition included in that spending package.
The FY24 appropriations package includes funding for the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant at $813.7 million, a $2 million decrease from the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) funding level. The $2 million decrease applies to the Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS) portion of the MCH Block Grant. While AMCHP had hoped to see an increase in the funding level for the MCH Block Grant in FY24, we are grateful that Congress completed its FY24 appropriations work and provided near-level funding to MCH programs.
Looking forward, AMCHP’s advocacy efforts for the next fiscal year are well underway. We continue pushing Congress to provide $1 billion for the MCH Block Grant in FY25 and greater investments in MCH and public health programs. In the meantime, below are some highlights from the FY24 package. Of note: this funding bill targets resources for rural communities, including vital telehealth, opioid response resources, and workforce development, and significantly reduces COVID-19 funding.
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA):
- HRSA: $8,888,090,000, a decrease of $577.193 million from FY23; Notably, most of the decreased funding comes from cuts to “community projects” and not core HRSA programs
- Title V MCH Block Grant: $813.7 million, a $2 million cut to SPRANS from FY23
- Healthy Start: Level funded from FY23 at $145 million
- Screening and Treatment for Maternal Depression and Related Disorders: $11 million, an increase of $1 million from FY23
- Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies: $12 million, an increase of $4 million from FY23
- Maternity Care Target Areas: $8 million, a $3 million increase from FY23, to support loan repayment and scholarships for maternity care services in health professional shortage areas within the total for the Corps
- Birth Centers in Maternity Care Deserts: Requires a plan within 180 days of enactment on steps that HRSA can take to assist with birth center expansion in rural and urban maternity care deserts
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- CDC: Level funded from FY23 at $9,222,090,000
- National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities: $206.06 million, an increase of $500,000 from FY23
- Safe Motherhood and Infant Health: $110.5 million, an increase of $2.5 million from FY23
- Surveillance for Emerging Threats to Mothers and Babies: Level funded from FY23 at $23 million
- Public Health Infrastructure: Level funded from FY23 at $350 million
- Public Health Data Modernization: Level funded from FY23 at $175 million
- Public Health Workforce: Level funded from FY23 at $71 million
- Public Health Emergency Preparedness: Level funded from FY23 at $735 million
- Social Determinants of Health Programs: $6 million, a decrease of $2 million from FY23
- Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care: Directs CDC to provide a briefing within 180 days of enactment of this bill on the Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care and Levels of Care Assessment Tool surveys
National Institutes of Health (NIH):
- $53.4 million — a $10 million increase from FY23 — to support research on maternal morbidity and mortality through the Implementing a Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative
- $12.5 million, or level funding from FY23, to continue firearm injury and mortality prevention research
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):
- $38.931 million, or level funding from FY23, for Pregnant & Postpartum Women under the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant
- $15 million, or level funding from FY23, for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health
Office of the Secretary
- Stillbirth Taskforce: $1.75 million, an increase of $750,000 above FY23
FY24 Appropriations Legislation Resources:
- Bill text: H.R.2882 — 118th Congress (2023-2024)
- Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies explanatory statement
- Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies summary
As always, please don’t hesitate to be in touch with AMCHP’s Government Affairs Team: Sherie Lou Santos (ssantos@amchp.org) and Amani Echols (aechols@amchp.org).
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