Congress funds stillbirth research and data collection for first time

What it does

This bill authorizes $5 million annually (2026–2030) for states to conduct surveillance and collect data on stillbirths, and $1 million annually for the federal government to issue guidelines and educational materials on stillbirth prevention and risk factors. All data collected must be deidentified and comply with privacy law. The bill requires HHS to publish a public report on stillbirth guidelines within five years.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is straightforward federal grant funding and guideline development for stillbirth surveillance and education—a routine public health authorization with no deregulation, liability shields, or private carve-outs.

What the text implies

• Standardized stillbirth data collection across states may reveal disparities in stillbirth rates by race, geography, or socioeconomic status—potentially exposing systemic maternal health inequities and creating pressure for targeted interventions.
• Public awareness materials on stillbirth risk factors could shift clinical practice and patient behavior, but effectiveness depends on implementation and uptake by healthcare providers and families.
• The bill does not mandate specific research outcomes or require states to act on findings, so data collection alone may not translate to reduced stillbirth rates without follow-up policy or clinical changes.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill funds public health research and data collection on a significant but understudied cause of pregnancy loss, with strong privacy protections and no restrictions on citizens' rights or remedies. Improved data and awareness may help reduce stillbirth rates and support bereaved families.

Who stands to gain

• state health departments
• vital statistics units
• public health research institutions
• maternal-fetal medicine specialists and obstetricians (as consultants)

Named in the bill

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), State departments of health, State and local vital statistics units, Public Health Service Act (Title III), Fetal and Infant Mortality Review programs

Where it stands

108 cosponsors: 76 Democrats, 32 Republicans.

• Sep 18, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Sep 18, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $370,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 12 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Young Kim, the sponsor, reported $1,636,312 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Nemours Foundation - a Florida Not-for-profit Corporation — $250,000 on 2 filings
• March of Dimes — $120,000 on 2 filings
• Association of Women's Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses — $0 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.