Overview

The Maintaining our Obligation to Moms who Serve Act of 2024 (The MOMS Act) is legislation (H.R.7087 / S.3641) that supports the mental health of our nation’s military mothers by implementing maternal mental health programs into the military health care system.

We have been advocating for The MOMS Act since January 2024 as part of our 2024 Advocacy Agenda. After almost 12 months of advocacy, on December 18, 2024, Congress passed legislation mandating more than what we advocated for.

The final version of the bill calls for establishing a program in the military health care system that will provide clinical and non-medical resources to prevent and treat maternal mental health conditions. You can read the bill text, which starts on page 386 section 705 of this document.

We are thrilled with this result, and we talk more about this victory and the journey to achieve it in this article.

The Issue: Maternal Mental Health (MMH)

• According to a report from the Government Accountability Office, military mothers experience maternal mental health conditions at 2-3 times the rate of their civilian counterparts.

• Mental health conditions (MMH) are the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth (source 1, source 2), and they are a leading cause of maternal mortality, accounting for 22% of pregnancy-related deaths.

• The vast majority (75%) of women who experience MMH conditions remain untreated, increasing the risk of long-term negative impacts on the mother, baby, family, and society and costing our nation $14 billion annually.

• Black and Asian/Pacific Islander women service members face additional challenges, with research showing higher rates of severe maternal morbidity. Black women service members are especially impacted, with significantly higher rates of complications and death compared to their White counterparts.

Members of Congress who Sponsored The MOMS Act

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SPONSORS

Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6) sponsored the House version of The MOMS Act, which also had 17 co-sponsors in the House:

1. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-2) - original co-sponsor

2. Rep. Brad Finstad (R-MN-1)

3. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV-4)

4. Rep. Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA-24)

5. Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI-2)

6. Rep. Haley M. Stevens (D-MI-11)

7. Rep. Michael Lawler (R-NY-17)

8. Rep. Zachary Nunn (R-IA-3)

9. Rep. Christopher R. Deluzio (D-PA-17)

10. Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS-3)

11. Rep. Brad R. Wenstrup (R-OH-2)

12. Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA-7)

13. Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA-28)

14. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL-10)

15. Rep. Patrick Ryan (D-NY-18)

16. Rep. Jennifer L. McClellan (D-VA-4)

17. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD-8)

SENATE SPONSORS

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sponsored the Senate version of The MOMS Act, which also had three co-sponsors in the Senate:

1. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) - original co-sponsor

2. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA)

3. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ)

More Information

For more information about The MOMS Act, contact MMHLA’s Director of Policy & Partnerships, Jamie Zahlaway Belsito, at jbelsito@mmhla.org.

For media inquiries, contact MMHLA’s Sr. Communications Manager, Mia Hemstad, at mhemstad@mmhla.org.