Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - 2025 Black Maternal Health Week, Public Health Funding Restoration Act Introduced, & more

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Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire - 2025 Black Maternal Health Week, Public Health Funding Restoration Act Introduced, & more

3/28/2025

In this issue:

USBC Updates
- Action Alert: Urge The President To Prioritize Babies In The 2026 Federal Budget
- Call for Applicants: Sustainability & Vitality Committee
- USBC Supports...
National News
- 2025 Black Maternal Health Week & Social Media Toolkit
- PWFA Storytelling Project Illustrates Powerful Impact of The Law
- Public Health Funding Restoration Act Introduced
- Consumer Reports Test Results Reveal Contaminants in Baby Formulas & FDA to Strengthen Oversight of Formula Industry
State & Community News
- California Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave Calculator 2025
- North Carolina MOMnibus Bill Introduced
- Nebraska Bill Introduced for Paid Family and Medical Leave
- New York Bill Introduced to Expand Family Leave
- Virginia Bill for Paid Family and Medical Leave Vetoed
Action Opportunities
Funding Opportunities
Upcoming Events
News & Views

denotes a USBC member organization news item denotes a USBC-affiliated constellation news item

USBC Updates

Action Alert: Urge The President To Prioritize Babies In The 2026 Federal Budget

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee launched a new individual action tool, "Families Need Support: Prioritize Breastfeeding in the President's Budget." Decisions about the 2026 President's Budget are being made right now, so we need your help asking the White House to recommend $20 million for the CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program. The CDC Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding program supports a wide range of efforts to improve maternity care practices, increase access to lactation support, increase workplace support, and address disparities in breastfeeding rates. This level of commitment and funding would represent a $10.25 million increase from recent years and would help our nation build an infrastructure that protects infant nutrition security and makes breastfeeding easier. Take action today!

Call for Applicants: Sustainability & Vitality Committee

The U.S. Breastfeeding Committee has a Sustainability & Vitality Committee (S&V), our newly formed fundraising committee. This committee consists of individuals who are enthusiastic about fundraising for the USBC, and have the connections and capacity to help advance our reserves of unrestricted funds, which are necessary to support USBC advocacy efforts. If you are interested in applying for the Sustainability & Vitality Committee, please complete the Committee Service Interest Form. The S&V Committee will convene for monthly virtual meetings in 2025.

USBC Supports...

House Resolution 23: "Proxy Voting for New Parents Resolution" Media Highlights include:

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, & March of Dimes: "Maternal Health Medicaid Letter"

National News

2025 Black Maternal Health Week & Social Media Toolkit

The 2025 Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) theme is Healing Legacies: Strengthening Black Maternal Health Through Collective Action and Advocacy, emphasizing the power of Black-led perinatal, maternal, and reproductive health organizations to drive systemic change and foster community healing. BMHW is a campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, held annually from April 11 through April 17 to build awareness, activism, and community-building to amplify the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of Black Mamas and birthing people. BMMA released the 2025 BMHW Social Media Toolkit, the week's official toolkit which contains key messaging, social media shareables, and other materials related to #BMHW25.

PWFA Storytelling Project Illustrates Powerful Impact of The Law

A Better Balance and Ms. Magazine partnered to publish the "The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Is Essential to Democracy" storytelling project. Through a collection of essays and interviews, experts dig into the PWFA’s decade-long path to passage and highlight the powerful impact of the law. The project highlights legal and organizing strategies and spotlights an array of voices, including impacted workers and litigators defending the PWFA, to illustrate the vast civic effort making the PWFA a reality for millions.

Public Health Funding Restoration Act Introduced

Senator Blumenthal introduced the Public Health Funding Restoration Act (S.786). This bill would fully restore funding to the Prevention and Public Health Fund to $2,000,000,000 annually, to allow the Fund to invest in more innovative, evidence-based public health programs and maintain and expand investments in programs with demonstrated success. Investments in prevention reduce the cost of health care in the United States. $2,900,000,000 in investments in community-based disease prevention is estimated to save $16,500,000,000 annually within 5 years.

USBC Insight: Funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hospitals Promoting Breastfeeding Program comes from the Prevention and Public Health Fund to support breastfeeding families in maternity care settings, communities, and workplaces.

Consumer Reports Test Results Reveal Contaminants in Baby Formulas & FDA to Strengthen Oversight of Formula Industry

Consumer Reports published an article "We Tested 41 Baby Formulas for Lead and Arsenic" detailing its test results after testing 41 types of powdered formula for a number of toxic chemicals, including arsenic, lead, BPA, acrylamide, and PFAS. The day after Consumer Reports shared its test results with the Food and Drug Administration, the agency announced a new initiative to strengthen its oversight of the formula industry, including increased testing for heavy metals and other contaminants. Read the press release. Media highlights include:

CBS News: "FDA to increase testing for heavy metals in infant formula, RFK Jr. says"

State & Community News

California Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave Calculator 2025

The California Employment Development Department website is featuring a Disability Insurance and Paid Family Leave Calculator 2025. This tool allows you to generate an estimate to get an idea of what your Disability Insurance or Paid Family Leave benefits might be.

North Carolina MOMnibus Bill Introduced

Senators Murdock, Batch, and Robinson introduced MOMnibus 3.0 (Senate Bill 571). The bill would support community-based organizations that address social determinants of health for women in the prenatal and postpartum periods, address implicit bias in health care, and support and diversify lactation consultant training programs. The bill would also fund efforts to expand access to maternal and infant health care and parenting programs, supports, and services to families residing in geographic areas of the state where there is limited or no access to maternity care services, including obstetric providers, a hospital or birth center, prenatal care, or postpartum care.

Nebraska Bill Introduced for Paid Family and Medical Leave

Nebraska Senator Cavanaugh introduced Legislative Bill 189. The bill would create a voluntary paid family and medical leave insurance program through the Department of Labor to provide partial wage replacement for participating workers to care for themselves or a family member experiencing a serious illness or to care for a new child. The bill would permit self-employed individuals to also opt in to the program.

New York Bill Introduced to Expand Family Leave

New York Senator Cleare introduced Senate Bill 3524. The bill would increase the amount of family leave time that may be taken in a year from 12 weeks to 26 weeks.

Virginia Bill for Paid Family and Medical Leave Vetoed

The Virginia Governor vetoed House Bill 2531 after the bill was passed by the legislature. The bill would have established and administered a paid family and medical leave insurance program. The Governor’s veto cited fiscal concerns and expressed a preference for voluntary, private-sector paid family leave.

Action Opportunities

Healthy Eating Research & Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network: "Early Childhood Early Career Research Spotlight." Abstract deadline: Friday, April 25.

National Association of County and City Health Officials: "Contact your Members of Congress to let them know that federal support from CDC is essential to local public health." Action deadline: n/a.

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, & March of Dimes: "Maternal Health Medicaid Letter." Sign-on deadline: Friday, March 28.