Protecting Moms and Babies Against Climate Change Act

This bill creates programs to protect pregnant individuals, new mothers, and children under 3 from health risks linked to climate change, such as extreme heat, air pollution, and extreme weather. It establishes a grant program for local initiatives, a grant program for health profession schools, a research consortium at the National Institutes of Health, and a strategy to identify high-risk areas.

Sec. 3, Grant program to protect vulnerable mothers and babies from climate change risks: The Secretary of Health and Human Services must create a competitive grant program within 180 days, awarding up to 10 grants to eligible entities for 4 years. Grants can fund services like training health workers, providing air conditioning or financial aid, and mitigation projects like tree planting or infrastructure improvements. Priority goes to entities serving areas with poor air quality, high social vulnerability, extreme heat, high maternal mortality, or high natural hazard risk.

Sec. 4, Grant program for education and training at health profession schools: The Secretary must establish a competitive grant program within 1 year for accredited health profession schools (e.g., medical schools, nursing schools, midwifery programs). Grants support developing and integrating curricula on identifying and addressing climate change risks for vulnerable individuals, including racial disparities and patient counseling. $5 million is authorized for fiscal years 2027 through 2030.

Sec. 5, NIH consortium on birth and climate change research: Within 1 year, the NIH Director must establish a Consortium on Birth and Climate Change Research to coordinate research across NIH on climate risks for vulnerable individuals. The consortium will set research priorities, identify data gaps, and publish annual reports. It includes representatives from specified NIH institutes and must consult with federal agencies and outside experts.

Sec. 6, Strategy for identifying climate change risk zones for vulnerable mothers and babies: The Secretary, through the CDC Director, must develop a strategy within 18 months for designating high-risk areas. The strategy will consider factors like disease incidence, health care access, language proficiency, insurance status, race, socioeconomic status, and housing. It must identify existing mapping tools, data gaps, and needed monitoring networks, and undergo public notice and comment.