Troy Carter (D-LA)
State Offices of Women’s Health Support and Expansion Act
A Democratic bill with 5 Democratic cosponsors · See all 5 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
H.R. 9842, known as the State Offices of Women's Health Support and Expansion Act, amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize grants for establishing and maintaining State offices of women's health. The bill is administered by the Secretary through the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health. Grant funds can be used for public education, addressing social determinants of health, and establishing community stakeholder advisory panels. The legislation explicitly prohibits using grant funds to discourage individuals from seeking reproductive health services or to withhold medically accurate information. Additionally, the bill includes strict privacy protections for collected data and requires participating States to submit annual reports.
Yes· 3 of 12
- Scored +8
Would women be better off under this?
The bill creates a robust framework for supporting women's health across their entire lifespan.
- Scored +7
Does this narrow the gap between how men and women are treated?
The bill establishes dedicated State offices and resources specifically to support and expand women's health.
- Scored +6
Does this make health care easier to get in general?
The bill funds State offices to address health disparities and improve access to services through public education and resource clearinghouses.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Public Education and Outreach: Under Section 229A(c)(2), States can use funds to educate the public on preventive health, early detection, chronic disease management, reproductive health, and maternal health. This provision is beneficial because it raises awareness and provides critical health resources across a woman's lifespan.
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Addressing Non-Clinical Factors: According to Section 229A(c)(3), grants can support initiatives targeting housing instability, transportation barriers, food insecurity, workforce participation, and access to childcare. This is a positive step for individuals because it addresses the social determinants that directly impact overall health outcomes.
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Community Involvement: Under Section 229A(c)(4), States must establish and convene an annual community stakeholder advisory panel. This inclusion ensures that community-based organizations, healthcare providers, and impacted populations have a direct voice in developing strategic priorities and funding recommendations.
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Strong Privacy Protections: Section 229A(f) protects personal data by prohibiting its use in civil actions, criminal prosecutions, investigations, or proceedings, and prevents it from being sold or shared with external platforms. This provision provides security and confidentiality for individuals accessing state health services.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Financial and Administrative Oversight Burdens: Under Section 229A(h), States receiving the grant must require their state office of women's health to annually submit detailed reports to the Secretary, identifying measurable improvements, remaining gaps, and summarizing outreach efforts. While useful for accountability, the administrative burden and reporting requirements could stretch state resources thin.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would women be better off under this? — The bill creates a robust framework for supporting women's health across their entire lifespan. Would people in rural areas be better off under this? — The bill prioritizes outreach to rural areas and includes rural population metrics in its funding formula. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill addresses social determinants of health like food insecurity and housing instability which disproportionately affect low-income households.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The bill funds State offices to address health disparities and improve access to services through public education and resource clearinghouses. Does this make abortion easier to get? — The bill explicitly prohibits using funds to discourage or withhold information regarding abortion services. Does this put more money into Medicaid, the health coverage for people on low incomes? — The bill facilitates Medicaid data sharing to improve women's health outcomes.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow the gap between how men and women are treated? — The bill establishes dedicated State offices and resources specifically to support and expand women's health. Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The bill requires tracking and addressing health disparities by race and ethnicity via State offices and advisory panels. Does this strengthen Social Security? — The bill addresses workforce participation as a social determinant of health.
- Education And Technology
- Does this give people more control over their personal data? — The bill includes strict prohibitions against using collected health data for criminal prosecution or sharing identifiable information.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — The bill prioritizes outreach and coordination in rural areas and includes rural populations in its funding formula.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill requires annual reports to the Secretary regarding health priorities, services, and outcomes.
- 9/28/2026
- 5 Cosponsors added.
- 7/22/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Introduced in House
Julia BrownleyDemocrat · California
Yvette ClarkeDemocrat · New York
Henry JohnsonDemocrat · Georgia
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Emily RandallDemocrat · Washington