Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act

Source of recordUS Congress · congress.govLast synced Aug 6, 2026

Chamber

Senate

Progress

Where this bill stands in the legislative process.

Introduced
Passed Senate
Passed House
To President
Became Law

Overview

The Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act aims to improve obstetric emergency care in rural areas and areas lacking specialized obstetric services. It does this by creating and expanding federal grant programs within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to train healthcare providers, purchase equipment, and develop telehealth access programs. A pilot program will also be established to support maternal health care telehealth access in rural facilities.

Key provisions

Establishes a program to provide grants for training rural health care facilities in emergency obstetric services.
Expands HRSA’s Alliance for Innovation program to offer grants for emergency obstetric services training.
Creates a pilot program for telehealth access to support urgent maternal health care in rural facilities.
Authorizes $15 million in appropriations for grants related to obstetric readiness training through 2029.
Provides $5 million in appropriations for the teleconsultation pilot program through 2029.
Requires a study on maternity ward closures and regional partnerships for rural obstetric care.
Defines ‘maternity care health professional target area’ and ‘rural area’ for grant eligibility.
Establishes a program to integrate obstetric readiness training into rural health care settings and build workforce capacity.

Who is affected

Bill text

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Feb 4, 2025XMLView source

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Legislative history

7 recorded actions

Feb 4, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Feb 4, 2025

Introduced in Senate

Mar 19, 2026Senate

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Hearings held.

Jul 22, 2026Senate

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Jul 28, 2026Senate

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 525.

Jul 28, 2026Senate

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Cassidy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.

Jul 28, 2026

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Cassidy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.

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Rural Obstetrics Readiness Act

Progress