Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act
Latest action · Oct 19, 2020 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 22, 2020
- Passed HouseOct 1, 2020
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act
This bill contains provisions related to the medical needs of incarcerated women.
The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) shall provide women in its custody access to certain reproductive health services. The bill also requires the BOP to (1) comply with requirements related to the health of a pregnant incarcerated woman, such as providing appropriate meals and medical services; and (2) provide appropriate health care to a woman with a high-risk pregnancy.
The bill also modifies restrictions on using restraints on an incarcerated woman during pregnancy, labor, or after delivery. The bill prohibits such restraints unless the relevant corrections official and a health care professional determine that the restraints are appropriate for the woman's medical safety. The health care professional must review this determination every six hours. The current statute allows using such restraints if the corrections official determines that restraints are needed due to a flight risk or threat of harm, and does not require periodic review.
The bill also prohibits the BOP from placing a pregnant woman into restrictive housing, such as solitary confinement, unless the relevant corrections official determines that such an action is necessary to address a serious and immediate risk of physical harm. This determination shall be reviewed every four hours.
The Department of Justice may make grants to eligible entities, such as a state department of corrections, to provide obstetrical care, gynecological care, and related services to women in custody.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics shall collect certain data related to the health needs of pregnant incarcerated women.
Cosponsors 35
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 22, 2020 to Sep 21, 2020; 3 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-AZ | Debbie Lesko | Original | Jul 22, 2020 |
| R-PA | Guy Reschenthaler | Original | Jul 22, 2020 |
| D-MA | Katherine M. Clark | Original | Jul 22, 2020 |
| D-CA | Barbara Lee | Sep 8, 2020 | |
| D-NJ | Bonnie Watson Coleman | Sep 8, 2020 | |
| R-WA | Cathy McMorris Rodgers | Sep 8, 2020 | |
| D-CA | Jackie Speier | Sep 8, 2020 | |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-NC | Alma S. Adams | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-IN | André Carson | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| R-MO | Ann Wagner | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-MD | Anthony G. Brown | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-MS | Bennie G. Thompson | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-IL | Cheri Bustos | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-FL | Debbie Wasserman Schultz | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-OR | Earl Blumenauer | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-TX | Filemon Vela | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-NY | Grace Meng | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-CA | J. Luis Correa | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| R-IN | Jackie Walorski | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-CT | Jahana Hayes | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-OH | Joyce Beatty | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-DE | Lisa Blunt Rochester | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-CA | Lucille Roybal-Allard | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-OH | Marcy Kaptur | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| R-OH | Steve Chabot | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-OR | Suzanne Bonamici | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-AL | Terri A. Sewell | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-OH | Tim Ryan | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-CA | Tony Cárdenas | Sep 14, 2020 | |
| D-TX | Sheila Jackson Lee | Sep 21, 2020 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | Sep 21, 2020 | |
| D-TX | Sylvia R. Garcia | Sep 21, 2020 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jul 22, 2020Markup Sep 15, 2020Reported Sep 24, 2020 |
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Oct 19, 2020 |
Actions 12
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 19, 2020Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- Oct 1, 2020Ms. Bass moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Oct 1, 2020Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5143-5149)
- Oct 1, 2020DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 7718.
- Oct 1, 2020DEBATE - The House continued with debate on H.R. 7718.
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H5143–H5149Text printed H5143–H5147 | Guy Reschenthaler R-PA, Karen Bass D-CA, Sheila Jackson Lee D-TX | Oct 1, 2020 |
| House | Notices H5103Estimated budget effects of H.R. 7718, Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody ActTables H5103Estimated pay-as-you-go effects of H.R. 7718, Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act | John A. Yarmuth D-KY | Sep 30, 2020 |
| House | Lists H3693H.R. 7718–7732 | — | Jul 22, 2020 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- Sep 28, 2020Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Effects of H.R. 7718, The Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody ActAs posted on the website of the Clerk of the House on September 25, 2020 https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20200928/BILLS-116hr7718-SUSv1.pdf
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 129, July 22, 2020, page H3693.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 6878 | Pregnant Women in Custody Act | Reintroduced Bill | Dec 5, 2022 |
Titles 5
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To address the health needs of incarcerated women related to pregnancy and childbirth, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act
- Short Title(s) as Reported to House
- Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act
- Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
- Protecting the Health and Wellness of Babies and Pregnant Women in Custody Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Child care and development
- Child health
- Congressional oversight
- Correctional facilities and imprisonment
- Cosmetics and personal care
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Criminal justice information and records
- Debt collection
- Department of Justice
- Detention of persons
- Digestive and metabolic diseases
- Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
- Employment and training programs
- Family services
- Food assistance and relief
- Government Accountability Office (GAO)
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government studies and investigations
- Health care coverage and access
- Health information and medical records
- Health promotion and preventive care
- HIV/AIDS
- Hospital care
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Judicial procedure and administration
- Law enforcement administration and funding
- Law enforcement officers
- Medical tests and diagnostic methods
- Mental health
- Nutrition and diet
- Poverty and welfare assistance
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- State and local government operations
- Women's health
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 19, 2020Referred in Senate
- Oct 1, 2020Engrossed in House
- Sep 24, 2020Reported in House
- Jul 22, 2020Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
