House Passes Bill to Address Racial Inequities in Maternal Health

Votes also taken on COVID-19 voting options bill and Chapter 90 road funding bill

BOSTON — Representative Carol Doherty (D-Taunton) joined her colleagues in the House on Tuesday, June 30 to pass a bill aimed at eliminating racial inequities in maternal health.

An Act to reduce racial inequities in maternal health will create a special legislative commission to make recommendations that reduce or remove the kind of racial inequities that result in women of color dying of pregnancy-related causes at more than double the rate of white women. The commission will gather information and raise awareness of this systemic societal problem, in addition to reporting on barriers to equitable maternal care and best practices for remedying inequities.

“We can’t have racial justice without addressing racial disparities in maternal health. This important piece of legislation will help us address the root causes of these inequities: systemic racism and the social determinants of health,” said Representative Doherty. “I thank Speaker DeLeo, Chair Michlewitz, Chair Khan, Acting Chair Cullinane, Representative Miranda, and my colleagues in the House of Representatives for their work to get this bill over the finish line.”

The 25-member commission will investigate and report on:

• Best practices by other states or grassroots organizations to reduce or eliminate racial inequities in maternal health or severe maternal morbidity, including, among other approaches, culturally-competent and affordable doula services;
• Accessibility and affordability of birthing centers, maternal medical homes, and doula care and the diversity and cultural competency of maternal health care providers;
• Barriers to accessing prenatal and postpartum care;
• How historical and current structural, institutional, and individual forms of racism affect maternal mortality as well as potential solutions, such as bias training in hospital facilities and birthing centers;
• Available data relating to maternal mortality and morbidity.

An Act to reduce racial inequities in maternal health now moves to the Senate.

Votes were also taken on Tuesday, June 30 on final versions of An Act relative to voting options in response to COVID-19 and An Act financing improvements to municipal roads and bridges.

An Act relative to voting options in response to COVID-19 expands the options for both mail-in voting and early voting in person for the 2020 state primary and general election. It additionally provides for public health safeguards for in-person voting, accessibility to voting options for persons with disabilities, equity in access to polling places, early tabulation of ballots by the clerks, and no-excuse early voting by mail for elections through the end of 2020.

An Act financing improvements to municipal roads and bridges authorizes $200 million in funding for local roads and bridges, as well as extends the current makeup of the MBTA’s Fiscal Management Control Board for another year.

Both bills now move to the Senate for final enactment before being sent to the Governor’s desk.