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Dec 5, 20222 min read

Call to Action: Urge U.S. Senate to Re-Authorize Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting

By Jen Curt, CTIPP's Director of Government Affairs

The Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program has been shown to help parents break the cycles of trauma and poverty by providing support and teaching skills needed to achieve financial stability and to help raise healthy, happy, thriving children.


The program reduces maternal mortality and preterm birth, as well as child and family-serving system involvement and the need for Child Protective Services (CPS). Children whose families participate in these programs often enter school more ready to learn. The program saves taxpayer money in the first year of a child’s life, and those savings compound over time, making the program a strong investment.


The U.S. House recently passed its version, H.R. 8876, the Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act. The thoughtful and bipartisan legislation expands the program over five years, provides additional resources to tribal communities, and continues virtual home visiting.


Introduced by Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support Chairman Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Acting Ranking Member Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), the bill received unanimous approval in the House Ways and Means Committee, a testament to the breadth of support for this reauthorization. H.R. 8876 currently boasts 186 cosponsors with strong representation from both parties.


Now that the U.S. House has given such a strong endorsement, we must keep up the pressure, especially on the U.S. Senate, to ensure these policies and critically needed new resources are part of any final comprehensive legislation Congress enacts by the end of the year.



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